The Hanging Tree

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The Hanging Tree ★★★ 1959

Cooper plays a frontier doctor who rescues a thief (Piazza) from a lynch mob and nurses a temporarily blind girl (Schell). Malden is the bad guy who tries to attack Schell and Cooper shoots him. The townspeople take Cooper out to “The Hanging Tree” but this time it's Schell and Piazza who come to his rescue. Slowpaced western with good performances. Scott's screen debut. 108m/B VHS . Gary Cooper, Maria Schell, Ben Piazza, Karl Malden, George C. Scott, Karl Swenson, Virginia Gregg, King Donovan; D: Delmer Daves; W: Wendell Mayes, Halsted Welles; M: Max Steiner.