The Hired Hand **** (1971, Peter Fonda, Warren Oates, Verna Bloom) – Classic Movie Review 8537

The overwhelming, unexpected success of Easy Rider allowed Peter Fonda the chance to direct himself, as Harry Collings and Warren Oates as Arch Harris, in the ‘meaningful’ 1971 Western The Hired Hand as drifters toying with farm and family life in a violent frontier society. Verna Bloom also stars as strong pioneer woman Hannah Collings.

Harry Collings returns to his old house and his embittered abandoned wife Hannah (Bloom) after six years of drifting from job to job and finds a chilly response from his wife, who will let him stay only if he agrees to move in as a hired hand.

As director, Fonda indulges in too many showy photographic tricks, but there is enough robust strength both in the performances and Alan Sharp’s sharp screenplay to compensate fully, and Vilmos Zsigmond’s cinematography looks stunning, while Bruce Langhorne’s score is a moody success.

The Hired Hand is a well respected cult item, both then and now.

It was shot in New Mexico in summer 1970 for just under $1,000,000. But Universal’s hopes for an Easy Rider-sized hit were dashed when it failed at the box office. ‘They paid themselves a hefty fee upfront to distribute my film,’ Fonda complained. ‘I didn’t see a pickass dime.’

Fonda recalled: ‘Alan [Sharp]’s screenplay was given to me by a friend. I found out he was a Scotsman who’d never been to the American West. I was just knocked out because it spoke to me on so many levels.’

The Hired Hand runs 93 minutes. Larry Hagman’s brief role as the sheriff who runs Warren Oates out of town is cut out.

In 1973, the film was shown on NBC-TV in an expanded version, cutting several scenes involving nudity, violence and strong language, but restoring 17 minutes of cut footage. Hagman’s entire role as the sheriff is restored.

A fully restored version was shown at film festivals in 2001, released by the Sundance Channel on DVD.

Also in the cast are Verna Bloom, Severn Darden, Robert Pratt, Rita Rogers, Ann Doran, Ted Markland, Owen Orr, Al Hopson, Megan Denver, Michael McClure, Gray Johnson and Len Marsal.

The Hired Hand is directed by Peter Fonda, runs 93 minutes, is made by Pando Company and Universal Pictures, is released by Universal, is written by Alan Sharp, is shot by Vilmos Zsigmond, is produced by Stanley A Weiss and William Hayward, is scored by Bruce Langhorne and is designed by Lawrence G Paull.

Meanwhile Fonda’s Easy Rider co-star Dennis Hopper was making the ‘revisionist’ comedy Western Kid Blue (1973) with Warren Oates.

Films and Filming magazine voted The Hired Hand best film of 1971.

It is Mono sound in the original version but Dolby Digital in the restored version.

It is rated R for western violence and some sexual content.

It was shot in New Mexico and on the MGM backlot (the town of Calman sequences) for $820,000.

RIP Animal House and High Plains Drifter star Verna Bloom, who died on 9 January 2019, aged 80.

RIP Peter Fonda, who died on 16 August 2019, aged 79.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8537

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