The casual viewer would have to look long and hard for a movie containing more “western” tropes than does The Hanging Tree - a jilted lover, shootings, stagecoach robberies, the gold rush, a town riot, and yes, the titular oak. Released in 1959, the film stars Gary Cooper, Maria Schell, Karl Malden, and George C. Scott. Although Cooper was undoubtedly the star of the film, Malden and Scott (who made his film debut in The Hanging Tree) would combine their efforts eleven years later in the Academy Award winning war film Patton.

For local significance, the film was based off the 1957 novella of the same name by longtime Whitefish resident Dorothy Johnson. Dorothy began her career by working for our own Daily Inter Lake, but later found success and critical acclaim with both fiction and nonfiction works of her own, most notably A Man Called Horse and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance.

There is no charge for the film, and donations will be accepted to help defray the cost of acquiring and showing the films. The movie and popcorn are free; wine, beer, pop and water will be for sale. Seating is provided, but film fans can bring their own floor pillows, portable chairs, or whatever is comfortable for viewing the film.