Revolt at Fort Laramie

Revolt at Fort Laramie
Revolt at Fort Laramie
	Theatrical film poster
Directed by	Lesley Selander
Written by	Robert C. Dennis
Produced by	Howard W. Koch; Aubrey Schenck
Starring	John Dehner; Gregg Palmer; Frances Helm; Don Gordon
Cinematography	William Margulies
Edited by	John F. Schreyer
Music by	Les Baxter
Production; company	Bel-Air Productions
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date	March 1957;
Running time	73 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Revolt at Fort Laramie is a 1957 American Color by Deluxe Western film directed by Lesley Selander and starring John Dehner, Gregg Palmer, Frances Helm and Don Gordon. The film was shot in Kanab, Utah with Harry Dean Stanton making his debut in the film.

Plot

In 1861, the undermanned garrison of Fort Laramie, Wyoming Territory attempts to keep the peace with the Sioux Nation led by Chief Red Cloud. As part the Treaty with the Indians, the United States government pays Red Cloud in gold to keep the peace and support his people. However Red Cloud comes up with the idea of stealing the gold and using the resulting non-payment as an excuse to go to war.

Meanwhile, as the United States faces events that lead to the American Civil War, the garrison of the fort is split in their sympathies. A third of the men, led by Sgt Darrach, support the Confederate States of America. The rest, led by Sgt Serrell, support the Union. When the garrison hears about the Battle of Fort Sumter, the Confederate faction not only wants to leave the army, but take the gold shipment due to be paid to Red Cloud to Texas.

One of the Southerners warns Capt. Tenslip and Lt. Waller on the Southerner's plan to mutiny, for which he is murdered for betraying the cause with his screams covered by the men singing Dixie. Tenslip is worried that his commander, Major Bradner, a Virginian, may side with the South. Bradner sends Tenslip to get the latest gold shipment with a mix of Southern and Northern troops, and Tenslip worries the Southern troops will try to steal it. They are attacked by Red Cloud but manage to get the gold back to the fort, where Bradner puts it into his safe.

The next day Major Bradner receives word that any soldier with Southern sympathies may leave the service with an honorable discharge and go home to fight for the Confederacy. Bradner resigns his commission and turns command of the fort over to Tenslip. He and the other Southern soldiers leave, dressed in civilian clothes. Red Cloud attacks them, refusing to believe they are no longer soldiers. He surrounds them and is on the brink of killing them all. Word of their situation gets back to the fort. Tenslip and a group of volunteers go to their aid. They succeed in driving Red Cloud away, but Bradner is killed in the battle. The surviving Southern loyalists continue on their journey home, while Tenslip leads his troops back to the fort.

Cast

John Dehner as Maj. Seth Bradner
Gregg Palmer as Capt. James 'Jamie' Tenslip
Frances Helm as Melissa Bradner
Don Gordon as Jean Salignac
Kenne Duncan as Capt. Foley
Robert Knapp as 1st. Lt. Chick Waller
Robert Keys as Sgt. Darrach
Bill Barker as Cpl. Hendrey
Clay Randolph as Cpl. Caswell
William 'Bill' Phillips as Serrell (as Wm. "Bill' Phillips)
Sterling Franck as Ezra (as Cain Mason)
Fritz Ford as Frederick Ford
Eddie Little Sky as Red Cloud (as Eddie Little)
Harry Dean Stanton as Rinty (uncredited)

Production

Parts of the film were shot at the Kanab movie fort and Kanab Creek in Utah.^[1]

Notable quotes

"The bitterest choice of all; to break your oath or your heart"—Major Seth Bradner^[2]

Soundtrack

Two well known and historical songs are included in the soundtrack of film:

John Brown's Body

Lyrics: James E. Greenleaf, C. S. Hall, C. B. Marsh, and others, 1861
Music: American folk song, 1856

Dixie

Lyrics and music: Daniel Decatur Emmett

References

^ D'Arc, James V. (2010). When Hollywood Came to Town: A History of Moviemaking in Utah (1st ed.). Layton: Gibbs Smith. p. 289. ISBN 978-1-4236-0587-4. Wikidata Q123575108.
^ Wills, Brian Steel. Gone with the Glory: The Civil War in Cinema. Rowman & Littlefield, 1 Oct 2011. p. 92.

External links

Revolt at Fort Laramie at IMDb
‹The template AllMovie title is being considered for deletion.› Revolt at Fort Laramie at AllMovie
Revolt at Fort Laramie at the TCM Movie Database

[1] D'Arc, James V. (2010). When Hollywood Came to Town: A History of Moviemaking in Utah (1st ed.). Layton: Gibbs Smith. p. 289. ISBN 978-1-4236-0587-4. Wikidata Q123575108.

[2] Wills, Brian Steel. Gone with the Glory: The Civil War in Cinema. Rowman & Littlefield, 1 Oct 2011. p. 92.

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