Count Three and Pray (1955)

Directed by George Sherman; produced by Ted Richmond

Luke Fargo (Van Heflin) returns to his home in the American South, immediately upon the end of the U.S. Civil War. His decision to fight, not for the Confederates, as did his fellow townsmen, but for the Union, has made him many enemies, and his past – that of a womanising, drinking, gambling, hell-raiser – hadn’t won him friends, either. Now, he’s turned over a new leaf, has come back to re-build the local church and preach in it. And he has nothing on his side but the ambivalent support of an orphaned tomboy (Joanne Woodward).

Count Three and Pray is not your usual western. For one thing, it is not set in the Old West, but in the Old South – Winchester is the town mentioned, so it may be Virginia. There are no gunfights but plenty of brawling, and the climax is nothing like you will see in any western.

This interesting story has some flaws. It pits Fargo’s reformed and reforming ways against the local boss (Raymond Burr), an unscrupulous shop-keeper grown rich during the war. But we are never sure of the origin of the villain’s malice toward Fargo. It may be due to having taken opposing sides in the war (Burr’s character lost two brothers killed), or it may be that the boss fears losing influence to the new and once-popular preacher. The animosity is never made clear.

Nor are we enlightened as to why Fargo, a ne’er-do-well if ever there was one, joined the Northern side in the Civil War, rather than the Southern, or why he went to war at all. The simple statement that he ‘didn’t see it that way’ – the way his neighbours saw the conflict – hints at the depths that had always been in the character, but does not elaborate.

The story suffers somewhat from Woodward’s character, a Huckleberry Finn-type who is rather annoying at first. It may be to the actress’ credit that she begins to become more appealing as her personality is shown. Overall, though, the tale spreads a rather detailed canvas over a short space. The viewer is shown a Cole’s Notes version of the destruction of the Old South, the decay of the former gentry, the rise of the black marketeer, and how in the nineteenth century small towns even in settled districts were frequently like frontier settlements.

For these criticisms, one might think this review is negative. Quite the opposite. Things brighten with consideration of the script. There are some telling scenes, such as when Fargo tries to explain how he changed, after a day of slaughter at the Battle of Vicksburg. That he reveals it to a dying matriarch who cares for nothing but her own degraded position suggests how much he wanted to tell his tale. Also, when he learns of a very minor local affray between some Union troops and Confederate militia, Fargo smiles slightly at his comrades’ victory, suggesting pride in the uniform his neighbours loathe.

Van Heflin is the core of the movie. He had a busy career in film, sometimes as a hero, sometimes as a villain; he often received second or third – but always prominent – billing. He could be counted on for a fine performance no matter what, usually nuanced with depth. In Count Three and Pray, he is the star, and the movie provides him with an excellent vehicle to show his talent. He makes the scenes noted above memorable. Also, Heflin, an unconventional-looking leading man, manages to make convincing Fargo’s much-discussed attraction for women. The sensitivity that allowed him to ‘see the light’ was always present.

The music was notable in that it was able to convey Burr’s menace even when hymns were being sung: a subtle strain of bass instruments would be slipped into the background, almost poisoning the song.

The movie’s title might put one in mind of a clergyman who’s quick on the draw, and who uses his six-guns as often as he must. If that’s for what the viewer is in the mood, Count Three and Pray won’t satisfy. Instead, the film is about a man who feels the need to change, and to change his corner of the world for good. He really isn’t sure of how to go about doing it, but his determination and spirit keep him going. For the actor who portrays that man, this movie is worth seeing.