A Courageous Man of Character

Do you have a favorite movie?  I do.  My favorite movie of all time is High Noon with Gary Cooper, Grace Kelly, Katy Jurado, and Lloyd Bridges.  I have long since lost track of how many times I have watched it.  It’s an old black and white made in days when the only animation was a cartoon following the feature attraction…and when something was left for the imagination.

High Noon is about a town marshal (Gary Cooper) who is liked and respected by the town’s people.  It is the day of his wedding (the bride being Grace Kelly).  He has resigned as marshal with the plans of settling down with his new wife and becoming a shopkeeper.

There are several minor stories within the main one—a deputy who makes a power grab for the marshal position, an evil man consumed with hate and revenge for being imprisoned, cowering men of the town distancing themselves from the self-reinstated marshal and inevitable showdown with a gang, a pacifist (Quaker) bride wanting her new husband to run from conflict, and so on.

I always wondered why I liked High Noon so much.  The music by Tex Ritter is a classic—one of those songs that rolls around in your head.  But a single element of the story is what I like most and has held my admiration all these years.  It is the personal character of the marshal.  He is a man who has “backbone” to stand his ground against great odds, who is willing to stand alone if need be, a man who is willing to give everything to protect others and stop evil. 

The marshal’s character is what all “real” men would like to be known for, but few achieve in this day in age.  I recall Dad being that kind of a man.  I recall mother being upset because he volunteered the first week of World War II.  I recall him going out in rural Bell county collecting debts from men who owed my grandfather, but refused to pay.  I recall him (after reason failed) physically “undoing” more than one man who thought Dad could be pushed and made to run.  I recall him insisting our family do what was right and just, even if it was unpleasant, inconvenient, or costly.  But Dad lived in a different age, just like the marshal in High Noon.  O well, those were the days—the days when America was being made great by courageous men of character.  We don’t find many like that any more. 

So to wrap up this reflective rambling, if you someday get a chance to watch the old movie, be sure to do so.  Study carefully the courageous character of one man, and the “hide and dodge” character of others.  You may see in them someone you know.

Gene Pool