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There Was a Crooked Man... (1970) movie poster

Timeline

There Was a Crooked Man... (1970) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Release, runtime and language
1970 · 126 min · English
JustWatch #31,863 6
Directed by
Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Starring
Martin Gabel, Hume Cronyn, Burgess Meredith, Lee Grant, Warren Oates, Henry Fonda

In the harsh landscape of the Wild West, outlaw Paris Pitman Jr. is imprisoned following a failed robbery and violent confrontation. With his gang decimated, he attempts to bribe his way to freedom, but faces opposition from the steadfast Sheriff Lopeman. Driven by desperation, Paris devises a risky jailbreak, leading to a tense and exciting confrontation with the law.

Comedy Western Cast, crew & box office
On this page (5)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Events in order (13)
  3. 3 Timeline questions answered
  4. 4 Movie threads
  5. 5 Every angle

Where to watch

Where to Watch There Was a Crooked Man... (1970)

Where can you watch There Was a Crooked Man...? Stream, rent or buy it in the US, including on Philo, Darkroom and Fandango at Home Free: current JustWatch availability with up-to-date prices.

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13 events in order · contains spoilers

There Was a Crooked Man... Timeline: Events in Chronological Order

Every key event of There Was a Crooked Man... (1970) in order, scene by scene, with when and where it takes place. Use it to untangle flashbacks, time jumps and parallel storylines, to refresh your memory before the sequel or to find the exact scene you are thinking of.

  1. Robbery at Lomax's ranch house

    In 1883, Paris Pitman Jr. leads a crew into the home of wealthy rancher Mr. Lomax and makes off with a fortune stored in a safe disguised as a table. The ensuing shootout reveals brutal loyalties as Pitman kills several of his own men during the chaos. Lomax's wealth is taken, setting the stage for a long, dangerous hunt for the loot.

    When
    1883, night
    Where
    Lomax residence

  2. Loot hidden in the desert

    After escaping the Lomax home, Pitman hides the loot in a nest of rattlesnakes in the desert. The plan to keep the money safe and untraceable drives many future decisions. The desert becomes the rumored resting place for the hoarded wealth.

    When
    Following the heist
    Where
    Desert

  3. Lomax visits a bordello and spies on Pitman

    A broke and despondent Lomax visits a bordello, where he becomes a regular. The madam lets him go upstairs to peer through a peephole and watch Pitman being entertained by two of her girls. The scene shows how the hidden loot continues to haunt Lomax and Pitman alike.

    When
    After the robbery
    Where
    Bordello

  4. Pitman is imprisoned and sentenced

    Pitman is captured and convicted, receiving a 10-year sentence at a penitentiary in the Arizona Territory. His notoriety marks him as a dangerous figure within the prison system. The sentence sets the stage for a dramatic evolution of prison politics and alliances.

    When
    Following capture
    Where
    Penitentiary, Arizona Territory

  5. A diverse cellblock

    Pitman shares a cell with a motley crew: two con men, a man who killed his girlfriend's father by accident, a hulking gunman, a mute Chinese immigrant, and the legendary train robber The Missouri Kid. Tensions mount as their backgrounds collide and rivalries form. The mix of personalities foreshadows conflict and potential collaboration.

    When
    Early prison years
    Where
    Prison cellblock

  6. LeGoff’s break-out scheme and its collapse

    The corrupt warden LeGoff offers Pitman a deal to break out in exchange for a share of the loot. Pitman agrees, but the plan collapses when LeGoff is killed during an inmate uprising. The power vacuum shifts control and alters the inmates' calculus about loyalty and risk.

    When
    During the inmate uprising
    Where
    Penitentiary

  7. Lopeman becomes the new warden and reforms

    Woodward Lopeman, the sheriff who was shot in the earlier events, becomes the new warden. He abolishes hard labor, restricts cruel punishment, and teaches the prisoners self-respect. His reformist leadership reshapes prison life and creates a climate that influences Pitman's next moves.

    When
    After LeGoff's death
    Where
    Penitentiary, Arizona Territory

  8. Pitman oversees the dining hall project

    Recognizing Pitman’s leadership, Lopeman has him supervise the construction of a dining hall. Pitman uses his position to rally fellow inmates and push toward his long‑term plan. The project becomes a focal point for discipline, rebellion, and ambition within the prison.

    When
    During Lopeman's tenure
    Where
    Penitentiary, dining hall construction site

  9. Pitman’s breakout plan gains momentum

    Pitman cajoles his fellow inmates into breaking out by promising each man a share of the hidden loot. The scheme grows bolder as governor’s visit looms, creating a risky window for escape. Loyalties fracture as the moment of truth approaches.

    When
    Around time of governor's visit
    Where
    Penitentiary

  10. Governor’s visit triggers riot and killings

    On the day the governor visits, Pitman makes his move and uses a riot as cover for the escape. The melee costs lives, with three inmates killed, and Pitman killing two more partners to protect his plan. Chaos erupts as the breakout becomes real and dangerous.

    When
    During governor’s visit
    Where
    Prison yard

  11. Pitman reaches the loot and is bitten

    Pitman heads for the money bags hidden in the desert, but a rattlesnake bites him en route. The venomous interruption halts his advance and jeopardizes the entire escape attempt. Lopeman advances in pursuit, closing the gap as the desert becomes a deadly chessboard.

    When
    During escape attempt
    Where
    Desert near the rattlesnake nest

  12. Lopeman retrieves the loot and Pitman’s body

    Lopeman finally catches up, collects the money and Pitman’s body, and heads back toward the prison. The pursuit is tense as the lawman preserves what remains of Pitman’s failed plan. The grim retrieval marks the end of Pitman’s direct influence over the loot.

    When
    Immediately after the snake bite
    Where
    Desert road; approaches prison

  13. Final twist: escape to Mexico with the loot

    Upon returning to the prison, Lopeman sends the mule carrying Pitman’s body into the facility and then makes a dramatic exit with the loot. He ultimately escapes to Mexico with the money, leaving the law and the dead to mark Pitman’s doomed enterprise. The story closes on Lopeman’s victory and the unresolved fate of the fortune.

    When
    End of story
    Where
    Prison and onward to Mexico

Last updated: November 22, 2025 at 15:58

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Timeline questions answered

There Was a Crooked Man... Timeline Explained: Your Questions Answered

When does it happen, and why in that order? The questions people ask about the chronology of There Was a Crooked Man... (1970): time jumps, flashbacks, cause and effect between scenes and the correct order of events, each answered with spoilers.

Q1

Why does Paris Pitman Jr. kill his own men during the Lomax robbery?

Pitman kills his own men during the robbery to eliminate witnesses and keep the loot's location secret. By killing everyone who knows the details of the heist, he ensures no one can lead authorities to him or reveal where the money is hidden. This brutal decision reflects his calculating nature and willingness to sacrifice loyalty for self-preservation.

Foreshadowing: The summary notes that Pitman escapes with "the lone survivor's brutality intact," hinting at his ruthless approach to handling collaborators.

  • paris pitman
  • lomax robbery
  • killed own men
  • money stash
Q2

Why does Mr. Lomax go to the bordello to watch Paris Pitman Jr.?

After losing his entire fortune to Pitman's robbery, Lomax becomes destitute and depressed. The bordello madam pities him and allows him to watch Pitman through a peephole as a form of twisted consolation. This scene shows how the theft has consumed Lomax's life, he cannot move on, and observing his robber becomes his only remaining connection to the world he lost.

  • mr lomax
  • bordello
  • spying
  • pitman
  • obsession
Q3

How does Woodward Lopeman become the prison warden after being shot?

Lopeman was originally a sheriff who was shot (presumably during the events related to Pitman's capture). After the corrupt warden LeGoff is killed during the inmate uprising, the authorities appoint Lopeman as the new warden. His experience with law enforcement and his reformist approach make him an unexpected choice to transform the prison system.

Foreshadowing: The timeline notes that Lopeman is the sheriff who was shot in earlier events, establishing his connection to the criminal underworld before his promotion.

  • woodward lopeman
  • warden
  • prison reform
  • sheriff
Q4

Why does Warden Lopeman let Pitman oversee the dining hall construction?

Lopeman recognizes Pitman's natural leadership abilities and wants to use them constructively. By assigning Pitman to supervise the dining hall project, Lopeman aims to channel his ambition into building something positive within the prison. This also allows Lopeman to keep a close eye on Pitman while giving the inmate meaningful responsibility, a key part of his reform philosophy.

  • pitman
  • dining hall
  • lopeman
  • prison authority
  • leadership
Q5

What happens to the corrupt warden LeGoff during the prison riot?

LeGoff is killed during an inmate uprising that erupts while he is orchestrating a break-out scheme involving Pitman. LeGoff had offered Pitman a deal: help him escape in exchange for a share of the hidden loot. When the riot erupts, the chaos turns fatal for LeGoff, ending his corruption scheme and creating a power vacuum that leads to Lopeman's appointment as the new warden.

Foreshadowing: LeGoff's corrupt deal with Pitman creates tension among the inmates, which foreshadows the violent uprising that eventually claims his life.

  • warden legoff
  • killed
  • riot
  • corruption
  • escape plan
Q6

Why does Pitman get bitten by a rattlesnake at the end?

Pitman is bitten because he buried the loot in a rattlesnake den to make it impossible for anyone else to retrieve the money without risking deadly harm. When he returns to claim the treasure, the snakes defend their nest and bite him. The very method he used to protect his fortune becomes the instrument of his death, adding a cruel poetic irony to his downfall.

Foreshadowing: Early in the story, Pitman specifically chooses a rattlesnake den as the hiding spot, knowing it would deter anyone from pursuing the money.

  • rattlesnake bite
  • pitman death
  • money
  • desert
  • fate
Q7

Why does Warden Lopeman steal the money and escape to Mexico?

After catching the bitten and dying Pitman, Lopeman retrieves both the money and Pitman's body. However, instead of turning the loot over to the authorities, Lopeman sends Pitman's corpse back to the prison on a mule and takes the money himself. He then flees to Mexico. This twist reveals that Lopeman's reformist exterior masked a corrupt heart, he succumbs to the same greed that defined the criminals he supposedly reformed, making him the true "crooked man" the title references.

Foreshadowing: The meta notes highlight the story's theme of moral decay and the bleak ending where "the seemingly upright warden succumbs to corruption," which is foreshadowed by Lopeman's unexpected transformation from lawman to criminal.

  • lopeman
  • mexico
  • theft
  • money
  • twist ending
  • corruption
Q8

Why does Pitman's escape plan ultimately fail?

Pitman's plan fails because of the rattlesnake bite that slows him at the critical moment. Though he uses the governor's visit as a distraction and kills several associates to protect his escape, the venom from the snake bite incapacitates him before he can fully retrieve the money. This allows Lopeman to catch up and claim the fortune that Pitman spent years planning to reclaim.

Foreshadowing: The rattlesnake den was always a dangerous double-edged sword, Pitman's insurance against others becoming the very thing that dooms him.

  • pitman failure
  • escape plan
  • loot
  • rattlesnake
  • lopeman pursuit
Q9

What happens to Mr. Lomax after the robbery?

After losing his $500,000 fortune, Lomax drifts aimlessly and eventually becomes a regular at a bordello. Without money or purpose, he spends his days there, watching other men, including Pitman, through the peephole. His descent into the bordello represents the complete destruction of his former life and his inability to recover from the financial and emotional devastation wrought by the robbery.

  • mr lomax
  • bordello
  • ruined
  • poverty
  • obsession
Q10

How does Pitman attempt to bribe his way to freedom?

When Pitman is imprisoned, he tries to use his hidden wealth to buy his freedom. The corrupt warden LeGoff offers him a deal: help orchestrate an escape in exchange for a share of the loot. Pitman agrees to the scheme, but the plan collapses when LeGoff is killed during the uprising. This marks the beginning of Pitman's elaborate alternate escape plan involving the governor's visit.

Foreshadowing: The existence of the hidden loot motivates multiple characters throughout the story, with bribery attempts being just the first of several failed schemes.

  • pitman
  • bribery
  • prison
  • wardens
  • escape attempt

Movie threads

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Curated lists built around what makes There Was a Crooked Man... tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Gritty prison break films like There Was a Crooked Man...

Desperate inmates scheme for freedom in corrupt, unforgiving penitentiaries. If you enjoyed the desperate escape plans and corrupt prison system in There Was a Crooked Man..., you'll find similar tension in these movies. This list features stories of cunning inmates navigating brutal penitentiaries, where freedom is the ultimate prize and betrayal is always nearby.

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  • Pacing: steady, methodical build
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative typically follows a clever but morally ambiguous inmate who masterminds a complex escape from a harsh prison. The plot builds methodically as alliances are formed and tested, leading to a climax where the plan is put into action, often with bleak or morally complex consequences.

Why they belong together: These movies are grouped by their claustrophobic setting, the central theme of a desperate escape, and a cynical tone that questions the very concepts of justice and redemption within a corrupt system.

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Cynical and bleak Westerns similar to There Was a Crooked Man...

Western stories where greed and moral ambiguity lead to grim conclusions. Fans of the moral ambiguity and bleak ending in There Was a Crooked Man... will appreciate these Westerns. Discover movies that deconstruct the genre's myths, featuring anti-heroes, themes of greed and corruption, and stories that conclude on a somber, unforgiving note.

  • gritty
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  • Tone: dark, bleak, morally ambiguous
  • Pacing: steady, character-driven
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative journey follows an anti-hero's pursuit of wealth or freedom through morally dubious means, set against the unforgiving backdrop of the West. Their plans inevitably unravel due to their own flaws or a corrupt world, culminating in a defeat that highlights the futility of their ambitions.

Why they belong together: They share a deconstruction of the traditional Western mythos, a dominant dark tone, themes of greed and corruption, and ultimately a bleak or bittersweet ending that leaves a heavy emotional impact.

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Every angle

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