Tell Them Willie Boy is Here is widely considered a classic example of the liberal American western that emerged in the late 1960s, indicating the changes taking place in Hollywood. In this instance, much of that liberalism can be attributed to its writer-director Abraham Polonsky.

Having made his name as a screenwriter with Robert Rossen’s boxing drama Body and Soul and his directing debut, the classic noir Force of Evil, Polonsky found himself on the Hollywood blacklist in 1951. Following this he spent over a decade working in the shadows, he finally gained an on-screen credit for his contribution to the script of Madigan before returning to the director’s chair for this revisionist western.

Beautifully shot by Conrad Hall, the story of a young native American on the run from a posse was adapted from Willie Boy: A Desert Manhunt by Harry Lawton, itself based on real events from the early 20th century. The film offered Polonsky the opportunity to reconsider the codes and conventions of the western through the lens of his continued liberal politics and the rising native American rights movement.

Content warning: the film contains outdated practices, such as negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures, which some people may find offensive.

With thanks to Park Circus.

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