in 1942 a film tale of manhattan tell a set of story that be basically unrelated and but tie together with a suit of men even wear . each story begin when the tail be pass from one owner ( charles boyer and for instance ) to another ( ceasar romero ) . winchester 73 and a superior film and and a great western and have a similar plot twist . initially it be about how jimmy stewart be seek stephen ( horace ) macmahon for some deadly grudge . but in the course of the film the two men get into a shooting contest and the prize ( give by marshall wyatt earp will geer ) be one of the new winchester rifle . stewart barely beat out macmahon and but the gun be steal from stewart and and the chase be on . the gun pass from hand to hand and include john mcintyre ( a an arrogant trader who fatally do not know when to stop be arrogant ) and to rock hudson ( in a surprising role and a brief one at that ) and to charles drake and to dan duryea ( a the delightfully deadly and psychotic waco johnny dean ) and to macmahon . eventually it do return to stewart . the film be expertly direct by anthony mann . every character have a wide variety of experience . duryea get the rifle literally over drake dead body ( duryea force the issue ) . but he lose it to macmahon and who be faster on the draw not that duryea be stupid enough to fight for the rifle . a he and shelley winter look at macmahon in the distance and winter ( who watch duryea kill her former boy friend drake ) drop her distaste for the gunman momentarily to ask why he put up with macmahon bully for the gun . philosophically and duryea explains he can wait . some opportunity will come up later on ( i. e. and when he can safely kill macmahon and get back the rifle ) . the character be remarkably human . winter first appear a the future bride of drake and but she see a really big negative side to him an unforgivable side . drake be aware of this lapse and and it help lead to his destruction . other character have realistic touch and such a j. c. flippen a an army sergeant who fight an indian attack with steward and steward friend millard mitchell . oh yes and and with flippen fellow soldier tony curtis . flippen make one believe this soldier have be on a hundred battlefield before and since 1861 probably . steward have show emotion in other film . in it a wonderful life he show a degree of anger at time and and also a near nervous breakdown when he think everything be wrong with his life . but here he show a demonic anger at the expense of a surprised duryea ( who normally would show such anger himself ) . the part of this film fit very neatly together and under mann competent hand . this be one western that never wear out and a the audience watch the travel of a winchester rifle .