Civil War veteran Josiah Grey comes to a small town to be a gospel minister. In time, he has a family and many friends but also finds friction with a few of his parishioners.
Joel McCrea
Josiah Doziah Gray
Ellen Drew
Harriet Gray
Dean Stockwell
John Kenyon
Alan Hale
Jed Isbell
Lewis Stone
Dr. Daniel Kalbert Harris, Sr.
James Mitchell
Dr. Daniel Kalbert Harris, Jr.
Amanda Blake
Faith Radmore Samuels
Juano Hernández
Uncle Famous Prill
Charles Kemper
Prof. Sam Houston Jones
Connie Gilchrist
Sarah Isbell
Ed Begley
Lon Backett
Jack Lambert
Perry Lokey
Arthur Hunnicutt
Chloroform Wiggins
Marshall Thompson
Narrator (adult John Kenyon) (voice)
James Arness
Rolfe Isbell (uncredited)
Polly Bailey
Mrs. Belsher (uncredited)
Chuck Courtney
Jed Isbell (uncredited)
Adeline De Walt Reynolds
Granny Gailbraith (uncredited)
Edmund Glover
Clyde Chapman (uncredited)
Jessica Grayson
Bessie - Maid (uncredited)
Victor Kilian
Ned (uncredited)
Patricia Miller
Mrs. Chapman (uncredited)
Rhea Mitchell
Mrs. Backett (uncredited)
Norman Ollestad
Chase Isbell (uncredited)
Carl Pitti
Townsman
Harry 'Snub' Pollard
Bartender (uncredited)
Ben Watson
Gene Caldwell (uncredited)
Wilson Wood
Thad Carroll (uncredited)
Eula Guy
Townswoman (uncredited)
Frank Mills
Drunk in Saloon (uncredited)
Jessie Arnold
Annie (voice) (uncredited)
Al Bain
Townsman (uncredited)
Margaret Bert
Townswoman (uncredited)
Helen Brown
Townswoman (uncredited)
Matilda Caldwell
Townswoman (uncredited)
Robert Cherry
Townsman (uncredited)
Bill Clauson
Cade Isbell (uncredited)
Fred Datig Jr.
Townsman (uncredited)
Helen Eby-Rock
Townswoman (uncredited)
Ralph Hodges
Tom Isbell (uncredited)
Jimmie Horan
Townsman (uncredited)
Dick Johnstone
Townsman (uncredited)
Al Kunde
Townsman (uncredited)
Baron James Lichter
Townsman (uncredited)
Mathew McCue
Townsman (uncredited)
Philo McCullough
Townsman (uncredited)
Jimmy Moss
Bobby Sam Carroll (uncredited)
Patsy O'Byrne
Townswoman (uncredited)
Frank Pharr
Townsman (uncredited)
James Pierce
Townsman (uncredited)
Carl Pitti
Townsman (uncredited)
Alice Richey
Townswoman (uncredited)
Buddy Roosevelt
Townsman (uncredited)
Phil Schumacher
Townsman (uncredited)
Tex Terry
Townsman (uncredited)
Jack Tornek
Barfly (uncredited)
Connie Van
Townswoman (uncredited)
Director
Jacques Tourneur
Adaptation, Novel
Joe David Brown
Screenplay
Margaret Fitts
March 26, 2018
7
Yellow backs in fancy dress.
Stars in My Crown is directed by Jacques Tourneur and written by Joe David Brown and Margaret Fitts. It stars Joel McCrea, Ellen Drew, Dean Stockwell, Alan Hale, Lewis Stone, James Mitchell, Amanda Blake and Juano Hernandez. Music is by Adolph Deutsch and cinematography by Charles Schoenbaum.
It's post the American Civil War and we are in the Southern town of Walsburg. Preacher Josiah Gray (McCrea) arrives in town and promptly settles down to become an important part of the community. Soon he will come face to face with two killer diseases, that of typhoid and racial hatred.
First off it should be noted that some plot synopsis' and poster art are off base, McCrea's preacher is not a gun toting dude willing to use guns to further his causes, it's a brief scene flecked with humour. Also note that the Ku Klux Klan is not mentioned in this, the gang at the centre of the race hatred here are called The Night Riders (Nightriders perhaps?).
A veer from what we know as the norm for a Tourneur movie, this only really suffers from being a little too precious and naturally dated in its depictions of small town church life and racial bigotry. But that said, it's such a warm involving picture that is performed and directed with skill, it's almost impossible not to feel good about things come the closure of the play.
Story thrives on community strengths and weakness, delicately blending both to show optimism on offer in spite of human fallibilities. The battle between faith and medicine in nicely played, refusing to force feed one or the other, whilst the key scene as the racial hatred reached its vilest peak is potent and hits all the right notes.
Cliches and stereotypes are within, perhaps unsurprisingly for the era of film making, while Hernandez's black character is written as far too passive to be utterly comfortable. It also would have been nice to have had more of Charles Kemper's ebullient medicine show host, but complaints are small here and Stars in My Crown is a worthy and comfort food kinda picture. 7/10
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$0.00
Revenue:
$0.00