Angel and the Badman (1947): watch the full film free, legally

A gunman at the Worth homestead

Angel and the Badman is a 1947 American Western written and directed by James Edward Grant. John Wayne stars as Quirt Evans, with Gail Russell, Harry Carey and Bruce Cabot. It was the first film Wayne produced, and Grant was a frequent screenwriting collaborator of Wayne's. The picture was a departure for the Western genre when it was released.

Quirt arrives wounded at the homestead of Thomas Worth, a Quaker, after his horse collapses. He insists that he needs to reach the telegraph station, and Thomas and his daughter Penelope, known as Penny, drive him there. Quirt sends a claim to the land recorder's office, then passes out. Bradley, the telegraph operator, tells Penny that Quirt is a famous gunman and a ladies' man.

The Worth family takes Quirt in despite a doctor's warning that sheltering him is dangerous. When he regains consciousness, Penny explains the family's belief in nonviolence. Their quiet household puts Quirt's habits and reputation in sharp contrast with the people tending to him. The film follows the effect of Penny and her family on a man accustomed to carrying a gun.

Laredo's claim and the water dispute

Laredo Stevens and three associates come to town looking for Quirt. Johnny Worth warns Quirt, who prepares to leave. Penny, already smitten with him, offers to run away with him. Quirt discovers that his gun has been emptied just as Laredo's gang reaches the house. He nevertheless greets them with the weapon aimed at the doorway. Believing Quirt has the advantage, Laredo offers to buy Quirt's claim. Quirt names a price of $20,000, and Laredo pays $5,000 in gold, telling him to collect the rest when he can.

Quirt intends to leave afterward, but Penny persuades him to remain. He learns that rancher Frederick Carson has dammed the stream through the valley, cutting off the Worths' irrigation ditches. Quirt intimidates Carson into opening the dam. Carson then thanks him for compelling him to share the water, saying that the change has brought him respect and friendship with his neighbors.

Penny asks Quirt to attend a Quaker meeting with the family. Before they can leave, Marshal Wistful McClintock questions Quirt about a stagecoach robbery. The Worths say Quirt was with them at the relevant time. McClintock also asks why Quirt resigned as Wyatt Earp's deputy and sold his ranch after Laredo killed Walt Ennis during a saloon brawl. Quirt does not answer. At the meeting, Thomas gives him a Bible embossed with his name to thank him for ending the water feud. Quirt fears he cannot meet Penny's expectations and leaves with his friend Randy McCall.

Quirt's divided loyalties

Quirt and Randy take a herd from the original rustlers, then celebrate with showgirls Lila Neal and Christine Taylor. A bar fight follows. When Lila teases Quirt about his Bible, he becomes angry and rides back to the Worth farm. Penny is glad to see him, but McClintock soon arrives with questions about the rustling. Quirt says Lila can give him an alibi. Penny, who heard him mention Lila while delirious, believes he prefers Lila until Quirt kisses her.

McClintock warns Quirt that Penny deserves a different man, though Quirt proposes to her. Penny responds by taking him blackberry picking. Quirt explains that Walt Ennis found and raised him, and that Ennis was later killed in a saloon brawl. On the way home, Quirt and Penny are ambushed and pursued by Laredo and Hondo. Their wagon goes over a cliff and into a river.

Principal photography ran from mid-April through late June 1946 in Flagstaff and Sedona, Arizona, and Monument Valley, Utah. Richard Hageman composed the musical score, Archie Stout handled cinematography, and Harry Keller edited. The soundtrack includes “A Little Bit Different,” by Kim Gannon and Walter Kent, performed by Joan Barton, and “Darling Nelly Gray,” by Benjamin Russell Hamby, performed by Barton and Lee Dixon.

A reviewer for The New York Times called it a leisurely Western that was “different from and a notch or two superior to the normal sagebrush saga.” The reviewer wrote that Grant included gunfights, slugging melees and scenic pursuits, while concentrating mainly on Quirt's change after Penny and her Quaker philosophy influence him. The same review described Wayne as a “grim and laconic, converted renegade” and found Russell convincing as Penny.

Film details from the Wikipedia article “Angel and the Badman”. Text adapted under CC BY-SA 4.0.