Cheyenne Autumn (1964)

Cheyenne Autumn (1964) Epic/Western. Cast: Richard Widmark, Carroll Baker, James Stewart, and Edward G. Robinson. The film was the last western to be directed by John Ford, who proclaimed it an elegy. Much of the film was shot in Monument Valley Tribal Park on the Arizona-Utah border, where Ford had filmed scenes for many of his films, Stagecoach and The Searchers. The tribal leaders were played by Ricardo Montalban and Gilbert Roland , Dolores del Río and Sal Mineo , Ford hired members of the Navajo tribe for extras in this film.

This beautiful film begins with the Cheyenne Indians in 1970 being moved from their Wyoming home to a Oklahoma reservation. After waiting for a year for Federal aid , the tribe is losing the battle to survive and are dying off from disease and starvation. Wanting to save what is left of their tribe they decide to make a 1,500-mile journey to their Yellowstone hunting grounds. Traveling with them is their friend Deborah Wright, a Quaker schoolteacher. Hot on their trail is a cavalry troop headed by Captain Thomas Archer, Deborah's fiancee, who hopes to end what they believe is an uprising without bloodshed. Cheyenne brave Red Shirt, starts trouble in which several U. S. soldiers are killed. Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday are pressured into organizing a war party. Sympathetic Earp, purposely leads his posse in the wrong direction. With winter coming on, the Cheyennes split into two groups. Half continue on their long journey and half surrender to the heartless Captain Wessels, at Fort Robinson. Will the Indians survive this historic ordeal.

Films similar to Cheyenne Autumn, try to show that Geronimo, Sitting Bull and others were not criminals, they were only defending the land where they were born and raised.

FUN FACTS:

Ford added the segment with Stewart in place of an intermission. Ford didn't want people leaving the auditorium to go the bathroom or concessions counter, even though the film was long, and so he came up with the Wyatt Earp segment.

John Ford was urged to cast Richard Boone and Anthony Quinn as the Little Wolf and Dull Knife characters, as both had Native American blood. Ricardo Montalban and Gilbert Roland, who were of Mexican descent, were cast instead.

Spencer Tracy was first cast as the secretary of interior Karl Shultz, but had a heart attack and was replaced by Edward G. Robinson.

The Man from Laramie (1955)

The Man from Laramie (1955). Director: Anthony Mann. Cast: James Stewart. In their seventh movie. It was adapted from a story of the same title by Thomas T. Flynn first published in The Saturday Evening Post in 1954, and a novel by publisher Ward Lock in 1955.

Will Lockhart, after delivering supplies ends up in trouble with the Waggomans, an influential ranching family, as he continues his search for someone selling rifles to the local Apaches after his brother was killed.. In one of my favorite scenes: Cattle baron Alec Waggomanis comes to get Will out of jail. He confides to Will that he is haunted by visions of a stranger who intends to do him harm and is losing his eyesight and can't count on his son Dave.
 Movie clip: Do you dream much?

Back to work Lockhart, believes he can collect salt for free, but Dave Waggoman accuses him of stealing and destroys every thing he owns. Lockhart returns to town, looking for Dave and ranch foreman Vic. After their fight, he goes to Alec Waggoman for payment for his loss. Alec sides with his son. Vic rides after Dave and catches him trying to sell guns to the Apaches. Vic shoots him and lets Alec believe that Lockhart was the one to shoot his son.. Lockhart takes refuge with rancher, Kate Canady. Alec wants to know for himself, if his son Dave was selling rifles to the Apaches. He is stopped by Vic, who pushes Waggoman from his horse and down a hill. Kate takes in Waggoman and tends to his wounds. Vic is worried because Waggoman is still alive and can identify him. He tries again to kill Alec but is stopped by Lockhart, who goes after Vic.Vic ends up attacked by the Apaches and is killed. Lockhart leaves town, but hints to Barbara Waggoman that some day he may return.

Another wonderful western by a man who gave some of his best performances.

Fun facts:

James Stewart starred in five classic western movies by director Anthony Mann. In all five, he plays a man who is haunted by the past. The films are famous for their use of the landscape to portray the characters' feelings.
Winchester '73 (1950)
Bend of the River (1952)
The Naked Spur (1953)
The Far Country (1954)
The Man from Laramie (1955)

Broken Arrow (1950)

Broken Arrow (1950). Director: Delmer Daves. Cast: James Stewart and Jeff Chandler. The film was nominated for three Academy Awards, and won a Golden Globe award for Best Film Promoting International Understanding. It made history as the first major Western since the Second World War to side with the Indians.

In 1870, Tom Jeffords, a former soldier in the Union Army, is called to Tucson by Colonel Bernall. While riding through the territory of the Chiricahua Apache,(who have been at War with the settlers), Tom crosses paths and saves the live of an injured fourteen-year-old Chiricahua boy.

When Machogee is well enough to travel, he gives Tom a necklace in friendship and says that he must return home because he knows his mother will be wondering what happened to him. Tom for the first time learns that Apache mothers cry for their children. Then Machogee's father, Pionsenay, and a group warriors, finds them. The warriors capture Tom, then release him after they learn that he helped Machogee. At first, Tom believes that they may become friends, but soon changes his mind when they tie him to a tree and gag him while they kill the approaching miners.


Now back in Tucson, Bernall is convinced that he can win the war against Cochise in six months, but Tom believes that Cochise, will put up a good fight..Tom decides to negotiate with Cochise to allow the mail to pass through Apache territory unharmed.

Tom travels to Cochise's home in the mountains. During his meeting with Cochise, Tom agrees that the Americans have done the Apache harm, but believes they can live together as brothers. Cochise invites Tom to stay for a ceremonial dance and is pleasantly surprised by Tom's knowledge of the sunrise ceremony. Cochise introduces Tom to the beautiful Sonseeahray, who will be honored at the sunrise ceremony. Will the Settlers and the Indians be able to put their grievance and hatred behind them?

I thought broken arrow was a beautiful movie. Stewart gives a wonderful performance. The romance between Stewart's Indian maiden is totally believable. Jeff Chandler was wonderful in his performance as Cochise.
Broken Arrow Movie Clip.
FUN FACTS:

Filmed in Sedona Arizona.

At 41, James Stewart was 25 years older than Debra Paget, who was barely 16 at the time of filming.

Filmed in 1949 but released after Stewart's next western, Winchester '73(1950).

The film was considered groundbreaking because it portrayed the Native American Indians in a humane light, something that had scarcely happened since silent days. However, years later the film was criticized because the Indians were still played by white actors.

Destry Rides Again (1939) is an exciting and comical western...one of the best films ever made

Another winner from that golden year of 1939 was this classic western, Destry Rides Again, that mixed comedy with gunplay quite effectively. This film was labeled as Marlene Dietrich's comeback film. She plays Frenchy, the saloon singer of the corrupt town called Bottleneck. And Dietrich is absolutely amazing. She belts out about 3 songs with the first one being the energetic Little Joe and then later on she sings See What The Boys in the Back Room Will Have. Of course this movie is called Destry and he is the character every one talks about. Truth is Jimmy Stewart who plays Tom Destry Jr, doesn't even show up until about 20 minutes into the movie. But once he arrives at the bequest of his father's old friend, he pretty much makes the movie his own. Stewart is so effortless in his acting ability that it seems like he's just hanging out with friends, having a good time. His Destry doesn't believe in guns, since they didn't do his father any good, who was gunned down in the streets. But Tom does believe in law and order and sets to clean up the town of Bottleneck. He runs into trouble in the form of Kent, a sleazy Brian Donlevy, who owns the saloon, and has a scam of cheating land owners out of their property with some crooked poker games. Kent then charges for cattlemen who come through the town a hefty price to pass through with their cattle. The former sheriff of Bottleneck was killed because he was about to shut Kent down, and the mayor, who is corrupt too, appoints the town drunk as the next sheriff, so their won't be any trouble from the law. But the surprise is when the sheriff calls in Tom Destry to be his deputy. When Destry first meets everyone at the saloon, he becomes the butt of their jokes. But he makes an impact on Frenchy, not in a good way. He breaks up her fight with Lily Belle (played by the hilarious Una Merkel) who husband (the equally hilarious Mischa Auer) was cheated by Frenchy in a card game. Their cat fight is a riot and Tom politely breaks it up by pouring a bucket of water on them. One of many funny scenes from this enjoyable movie. Destry Rides Again is one of the best films to come out ever, and the fact that it came out in 1939 only emphasizes that point of how good it really is.