Any film with Jimmy Stewart of Henry Fonda in it is a guaranteed very good film. "Carbine Williams" is no exception. When he takes on a role, you can't imagine anyone else doing a better job. Here he plays a man from a large country family in North Carolina who is very self-centered, but a decent fellow. After busting up rocks for a railroad for 40 cents an hour, he finds building boilers a better option. It turns out these boilers are used for illegal 'stills' and before long he is distilling whiskey. This leads to trouble and a prison sentence. It goes on from there. Stewart is terrific as is Wendell Corey and Jean Hagen as his loving wife. The true story is based on an article in Reader's Digest "Most Unforgettable Person" series. It is available from Warner Bros. Archive Collection on (barebones) DVD.

This is a great story about David Marshall Williams - an independent spirited man who rightfully or wrongfully gets accused of killing a law enforcement officer during a moonshine distillery raid and goes to prison. The twist is that he's not a career criminal but a strait forward man, and also an inventor who comes across wrong during the trial for speaking the event as he believes it, and gets the unfair blame for the death. Williams (Jimmy Stuart) is an honest man who says things as he believes it - which doesn't win him charm points with the prison warden, but has a principle he believes in. Some of his integrity shines through, and although seen as a trouble maker, he is entrusted to be in the machine shop of the prison. There he puts his mind to work and starts working on a new rifle design. During one altercation, he's thrown into solitary confinement where he uses the time to invent the new gas action loading mechanism for his rifle. By this time prison warden Capt. H.T. Peoples (Wendell Corey) is sympathetic with Williams and allows him to develop his idea. He even allows Williams to have time out of prison to spend with his wife. Marshall could have escaped during this time, but he returns to prison again showing his strait forward integrity. On the day Williams completes the design, to test fire the rifle, Capt. Peoples hands Williams the bullet - warden is giving his prisoner a bullet to fire a rifle ! The design works, and Williams applies for patent. Colt fire arms is interested in his design, and visits him in prison to license his design. The design becomes none other than the M1 rifle which became the staple fire arms during WW II for the U.S. military.This is a great story told by great actors about a man who despite his odds achieved something no short of a miracle. It also tells a story about human heart, that there are good men who can be understanding, generous, and develop friendship despite situations they are placed under. James Stuart play the role of Carbine Williams character perfectly. An honest man of few words, but lives by a principle he believes in. He's an anti-hero of a sorts in this movie, but is my most favorite part he's ever played in a movie. Wendell Corey plays somewhat of a protective role to Williams who he understands is living life too honestly for his own good. Their muted but genuine friendship shines through in this film.One of the few unknown classic of Hollywood. A marvelous movie to watch.

This movie is a great movie for those who are into guns. Weather it be gun collecting, or just history. This movie portrays the actual real life story of how the winchester carbine was brought about. It is correct in it's history, and very interesting. Jimmy Stewart does an excellent job of portraying the feelings of a prisoner who may be wrongly convicted. It was never determined who actually killed the agent. This man made a rifle to help the American fighting man of the armed forces. Lighter, faster and more reliable than anything up to it's time. This was done inside a prison, with nothing but a file. When it was found out what he was doing, the warden of the prison eventually stands behind him and helps him in his efforts. If you are not interested in guns it is still a informative movie with a great human interest story!

As an actor, James Stewart seems to have hit his stride in the fifteen years or so after the Second World War. Known up to this point as a gee-whiz, gulp-and-golly, boy-next-door Everyman type, Stewart took on roles of increasing complexity, most notably in the psychological "adult" westerns of Anthony Mann. Even his famous and much loved role as George Bailey in "It's a Wonderful Life" contains a dark brooding undercurrent which belies its sunny reputation as a feel-good family Holiday film. All of which goes to show that Stewart could bring something unexpected to even the "corniest" movies.In "Carbine Williams", Stewart plays the title role, a moonshiner who is convicted of murdering a Federal agent, and who then gets sent to a chain gang after being implicated in a prison murder. His rebellious nature brings him into conflict with the warden at the prison farm, Captain Peoples (Dracut MA's own Wendell Corey), until he discovers a means of channelling his anger and bitterness.The real-life David Marshall Williams did indeed invent the improvements in firearms which led directly to the development to the M-1 carbine, the weapon which helped to win World War II. And he did it while serving a long prison sentence for murder. The story is interesting enough on its own, but Stewart brings an intensity and heart to the role which makes it even more fascinating than a mere telling of the facts would be.One of many excellent films James Stewart made during the 1950's, this one is somewhat obscure, not particularly well-remembered today. But it deserves to be.