SerpApi.Org
Randolph Scott isn't as well-known as John Wayne or Clint Eastwood, but he created his own legacy, starring in more than 60 Westerns over the course of his 25-year-acting career.
In one such Western, Scott eventually landed the leading role Wayne wanted to play, but was forced to turn down as he was busy filming John Ford's iconic The Searchers.
Instead of acting in the film, Wayne eventually produced Seven Men From Now and selected Scott as the lead. Director Budd Boetticher recalled, "Wayne said, 'Let's use Randy Scott. He's through.' Well, the Duke's desire to throw poor Mr. Scott a crumb was the basis for five of the finest films I've ever made."
'Seven Men From Now' Ranked Among Greatest Westerns of All Time
Timeout Magazine ranked Seven Men From Now at No. 22 on its list of the greatest Westerns of all time.
"On the way, he links up with a lovable couple doing the manifest destiny thing by heading to California and quickly becomes their de facto protector. For a film that barely clocks in at 80 minutes, Boetticher crams the material with ironies, ambiguities and moral conundrums. But the slow release of information and the tentative building of friendships (and enemies) mean that the stakes change minute by minute," Timeout wrote.
"Lee Marvin delivers a stupendous, proto-Liberty Valance supporting turn as a man always open to taking advantage of a yeller-belly, and in one near-unwatchable scene, proceeds furtively to humiliate the husband with the aim of fleeing with the wife. Scott, of course, sees to it that he doesn’t."
Following its initial release, the film was blocked by Wayne's estate for nearly 40 years from theatrical release, though the reason is unclear. It sits with a perfect 100% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
Related: 1953 Western Classic Among John Wayne's Best - But He Was The Second Choice
