The Tall Men

Will Henry was one of the greatest western novelists of all time. The 1955 film starring Clark Gable, Jane Russell, and Cameron Mitchell is truly a great film. Will Henry, aka Heck Allen, was a gag writer for the Tex Avery and Walter Lantz cartoons from 1945 to 1955 in addition to his western writing. The Tall Men is a novel that translated very well to the big screen, and either way, you cannot go wrong. I loved this novel, that tells the story of Ben and Clint Allison and their quest for riches. First the Montana gold fields, then a cattle drive through the heart of the Sioux Nation. The result is a novel that captures the best of 'western' adventure, and good writing. No wonder Mr Henry/Mr Allen is so well regarded and his work contains hints of an outrageous sense of humor. Real life is like that, there is conflict, and there is humor. Henry/Allen captures that with the best of our legendary writers. Truly recommended.