MovieChat Forums > 3:10 to Yuma (1957) Discussion > Did Ben Wade know Dans wife Alice previ...

Did Ben Wade know Dans wife Alice previously?

posted 17 years ago by bookrefuge
7 replies | jump to latest

When Ben Wade is having dinner, captive, at Dan’s house, his young sons boast that their mother’s father had been a sea captain in San Francisco. Ben then talks about how he used to date a girl in San Francisco whose father had also been a sea captain. When Alice listens to this, she smiles; Ben notices and is irritated enough to call her outside and reprimand her. Later, in the hotel, Wade tells Dan that he would treat Alice a whole lot better than Dan—which really sets Dan off. Although it’s not spelled out, I got the impression that, just maybe, Wade really did know Alice before. Any thoughts?

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]

[–] ministerwithoutportfolio 17 years ago

Right. I think it is the beginning salvo in the psychological pressure tactic he is going to use on Dan. Appeal to Dan's sense of how vulnerable he is to getting his wife stolen if he doesnt "cash in" on something soon.

[–] kell4649 15 years ago

I have wondered about this point for decades. It would serve to help clarify why Ben Wade was so cooperative with Dan Evans late in the film.

In the 2007 remake the wording is changed a little to make it even more ambiguous. As I recall Wade just tells Alice that she reminds him of a girl he knew who was the daughter of a sea captain. Wade ends the conversation with "What did you say your name was...?" and the conversation is dropped forever

Might Alice Evans have been a past lover or even a first love of Ben Wade? Might
her family remind him of what might have been? In both movies Ben Wade is an evil, jaded man but obviously more intelligent than most outlaw types and I wonder if there might have been a point in his early life when he could have gone either way. Anyone else?

[–] ministerwithoutportfolio 15 years ago

I hope not. If the script was suggesting that, it is a flaw in my opinion. It's too "Deus ex Machina".

[–] Prismark10 9 years ago

It is kind of implied that they knew each other.

It's that man again!!

[–] dropkick23 8 years ago

Of course, she's an older version of the chick he banged at the saloon. The train is a time machine, the theme music to back to the future is a dead giveaway.

[–] Techto (1388) 2 months ago

The thought crossed my mind, but I think not. Alice was just entertained by Wade’s description of a past partner’s captivating eyes.

Did Ben Wade know Dans wife Alice previously?

Did Ben Wade know Dans wife Alice previously?