Clark Gable is Devereaux Burke, an adventurer summoned by Andrew Jackson to solve an impending disaster in Texas.
Seems some in the state want to make Texas her own country and abandoned the territory’s attempts to enter the Union. Heck, even Sam Houston has taken a stance against annexation.
Jackson wants Burke to travel to Texas and change Houston’s mind. Burke wants something in return — a fat government beef contract should Texas be annexed and Mexico declare war.
Jackson reluctantly agrees, so Burke is off to Texas.
Once there, he saves the life of Thomas Craden (Broderick Crawford) and soon meets lovely newspaper woman Martha Ronda (Ava Gardner).
Crawford dreams of a Texas empire, with himself as president, and will stop at nothing to curb the annexation movement.
Martha is his sometimes girlfriend, equally passionate in her opinion that Texas is best off without the rest of the United States. But she’s susceptible to Devereaux’s charm.
As for Houston, he’s off negotiating a treaty with the Apache. When Craden and Devereaux track him down, he declares his undying support for annexation.
After that, it becomes a matter of delaying a treaty with Mexico until Houston can return to Austin to speak for himself.
Clark Gable as Devereaux Burke, running into complications he didn’t expect, including a stubborn newspaper woman, in Lone Star (1952)
Broderick Crawford as Thomas Craden, standing in front of a map showing a Republic of Texas every bit as big as the United States in Lone Star (1952)
Review:
A star-studded would-be epic on the birth of the state of Texas that is far too fanciful to be successful and manages to hit tons of bum notes along the way.
Large parts of the film are devoted to Gable wooing Gardner with lines that sound like discards from “Gone with the Wind.” As for the action, you know you’re in trouble when Gable and Crawford fight off a whole band of Indians when they first meet, kill many of them in hand-to-hand fighting and emerge with barely a scratch.
There’s a well-mounted, large scale ending. Except it’s marred by misplaced comedic touches and one of the sillier endings you’ll find in a bigger-budget Western. This marked the final film for Lionel Barrymore, who has a small role in the opening as Andrew Jackson.
Ava Gardner as Martha Ronda, the newspaper woman romantically involved with Thomas Craden when Devereaux Burke arrives in Austin in Lone Star (1952)
Moroni Olsen as Sam Houston, arguing against violence and for the annexation of Texas while living with Indians in Lone Star (1952)
Directed by:
Vincent Sherman
Cast:
Clark Gable … Devereaux Burke
Ava Gardner … Martha Ronda
Broderick Crawford … Thomas Craden
Lionel Barrymore … Andrew Jackson
Beulah Bondi … Minniver Bryan
Ed Begley … Athony Demmet
Moroni Olsen … Sam Houston
James Burke … Luther Kilgore
William Farnum … Tom Crockett
Lowell Gilmore … Capt. Elliott
Russell Simpson … Maynard Cole
William Conrad … Mizette
Lucius Cook … Seth Moulton
Ralph Reed … Bud Yoakum
Ric Roman … Gurau
Runtime: 94 min.
James Burke as Luther Kilgore, right-hand man to Devereaux Burke in Washington and in Texas in Lone Star (1952)
Beulah Bondi as Minniver Bryan, the woman who travels to Austin to make sure Andrew Jackson’s will is done in regards to Texas in Lone Star (1952)
Memorable lines:
Devereaux Burke: “Well, Mr. Mayhew, as I live and breathe. How’s the foreclosure on widows and orphans business?”
Mayhew: “I don’t think …”
Devereaux: “No need to answer. By the cut of your clothes and the swell of your belly, I can see.”
Andrew Jackson to Devereaux: “You’re a scoundrel, but at least you’re an honest scoundrel.”
Martha Ronda, to Devereaux: “Thanks for saving Tom’s hair. He’d look scandalous without it.”
Deveraux, of Martha Ronda: “She’s still a lot of woman. You know how when you rub your hand over silk, you get a shock and see little sparks? Well, I figure that’s what would happen if you stroked her.”
Craden: “We’ll be the giant of the western hemisphere. As a state, we’ll just be one of 28. As a republic, we can command not only the fear and respect of the United States, but the entire world. Why should we give up an empire just for statehood?”
Clark Gable as Devereaux Burke and Ava Gardner as Martha Ronda, at odds over his plans to profit from the war that would surely follow the annexation of Texas in Lone Star (1952)
Lionel Barrymore as Andrew Jackson, trying to convince Devereaux Durke to help in getting Texas annexed into the Union in Lone Star (1952)
The Texas politicians, including Lucius Cook as Seth Moulton, William Garnum as Tom Crockett, Russell Simpson as Maynard Cole and Ed Begley as Sen. Anthony Dummet in Lone Star (1952)
Devereaux Burke’s men, (from left) Ralph Reed as Bud Yoakum, Trevor Bardette as Sid Yoakum, William Conrad as Mizette, Harry Woods as George Dellman and Ric Roman as Gurau in Lone Star (1952)
Emmett Lynn as Josh, printer of Martha Ronda’s newspaper, the Austin Blade, in Lone Star (1953)
Clark Gable as Deverezux Burke and Broderick Crawford as Thomas Craden, trying to fight off an Indian attack in Lone Star (1952)
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