The scene where she tries to persuade Tom to take her along -- one of the best acting performances I've ever scene. Remarkable.
Spoilers!Spoilers!Spoilers!Spoilers!Spoilers!Spoilers!Spoilers!
Agree
But, did you notice the "Shirley Temple" features?
Myself...she was beautiful as hell!
If you like her, as I do, be sure to see her in the Tyrone Power movie, "Nightmare Alley," a very fine movie. She has a nice big part in that movie.
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I agree. She did a great performance in this movie. Whenever I watch this movie I always want John Wayne to take her with him but he never does.
Keep watching. One day he will.
I cried because I had no shoes until I met a man with no sole. ~ Ancient Disco Proverb
she was a riseing star at that point, I thought she would have been in the movie more but I guess she was only in the beginning and got killed off rather quickly in the beginning. she is always a joy to watch, so lovely and cute. she was very sincere in this scene.
Realism, Remakes and Unnecessary Sequels are ruining movies!
I don't remember where I heard this, but I believe Gray appeared in addition scenes of the wagon train that were cut to make the movie's prologue shorter. BTW, I'd like to reiterate one comment above: Nigtmare Alley is a fine film. Gray also appeared in another good noir--Kiss of Death, most famous for Richard Widmark (in his fim debut) as a cackling psychopath.
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Hawks made a big mistake in casting his two female leads in Red River. Joann Dru should have been the girl killed off at the beginning after Wayne deserts her, and Coleen Gray the girl Matthew meets and marries. Gray was a far, far better actress than Dru, and better looking too. Dru was artificial and unappealing in this film. Gray was sharp, sympathetic, emotional and utterly convincing, even in a small if critical role.
I never understood why Coleen Gray's career went downhill in the 50s. She had the looks and talent to do much better than she did. But she soon sank into routine films, then just poor ones. Yet even when forced to appear in something as silly as The Leech Woman (1960), she got excellent reviews even as the movie was panned. It tells you something when reviewers can single out someone for a fine performance in a minor picture that's pretty bad to boot.
Coleen's still with us as of the date of this post (December 14, 2014), age 92.
Sadly, Coleen Gray left us August 3, 2015 at age 92. I interviewed her by phone last year and she had some great things to say about "Red River."
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