Rocky Mountain (1950)

Information from IMDb

Plot Summary
A Confederate troop, led by Captain Lafe Barstow, is prowling the far ranges of California and Nevada
in a last desperate attempt to build up an army in the West for the faltering Confederacy.
Because the patrol saves a stagecoach, with Johanna Carterr as one of the passengers,
from an Indian attack, and is marooned on a rocky mountain, it fails in its mission
but the honor of the Old South is upheld.
Written by Les Adams

Full Cast
Errol Flynn ... Capt. Lafe Barstow (CSA)
Patrice Wymore ... Johanna Carter
Scott Forbes ... Lt. Rickey (USA)
Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams ... Pap Dennison (CSA) (as Guinn Williams)
Dickie Jones ... Jim (Buck) Wheat (CSA) (as Dick Jones)
Howard Petrie ... Cole Smith / California Beal
Slim Pickens ... Plank (CSA)
Chubby Johnson ... Gil Craigie, Stagedriver
Robert 'Buzz' Henry ... Kip Waterson (CSA) (as Buzz Henry)
Sheb Wooley ... Kay Rawlins
Peter Coe ... Pierre Duchesne (CSA)
Rush Williams ... Jonas Weatherby (CSA)
Yakima Canutt ... Trooper Ryan (USA) (uncredited)
Steve Dunhill ... Sgt. Ash (USA) (uncredited)
Alex Sharp ... Barnes (uncredited)
Nakai Snez ... Chief Man Dog (uncredited)
Marianne Stone ... Stage Passenger (uncredited)

Writing Credits
Winston Miller (screenplay) and
Alan Le May (screenplay)
Alan Le May (story "Ghost Mountain")

Original Music
Max Steiner

Cinematography
Ted D. McCord

Trivia
Film debut of Slim Pickens.

Errol Flynn's last western.

In 1949 Ronald Reagan complained to Warners about some of the films he was assigned to and asked to do a western. The studio agreed if he would bring them a good story. Reagan brought them "Ghost Mountain" by Alan Le May, author of "The Searchers". Despite their promise to him, they cast Errol Flynn in the lead.

Film debut of Sheb Wooley.

Goofs
Anachronisms
The pistols used were not made until after the Civil War.

Crew or equipment visible
During the Indian fight over the stagecoach, a small sign with someone's jacket shows in the lower left of the film....it also has the number 27 on it.

Filming Location
Gallup, New Mexico, USA

Watch this Clip

[extendedmedia]

Rocky Mountain is a 1950 western film directed by William Keighley
and starring Errol Flynn, in his last western
It takes place near the end of the American Civil War.

Look out for Duke 'Pals'

Yakima Canutt as Trooper Ryan (USA) (uncredited) and
Slim Pickens as Plank (CSA)

User Review

Quote

Enjoyable "John Ford Lite" Western - Great Taste, Less Filling
23 October 2006 | by ashew (United States)

This movie has a few surprises that make it far better than one might expect from a "forgotten film".

What I was surprised most about was the directing, which comes across as almost an homage (or "rip-off", if you're cynical) to the great John Ford. What Mr. Ford did for Monument Valley, William Keighley tries to do for Gallup, New Mexico. And, for my money, he does an extremely respectable job of it. The scenery is really beautiful, and all the more dramatic due to the fact this is shot in black and white. There are some great angled shots, clever compositions, and the director does well with the action sequences.

The screenplay dispenses with all the heavy-handed messages and over-the-top, unfunny comedy sequences one might find in a Ford film, and aims its sites on a human drama of confederate soldiers on a mission who are forced to go to Plan B, C, and D in order to not only complete their mission, but to get two Yankee civilians to safety in spite of entanglements with Union soldiers and Indians on the war path. I agree with another IMDb reviewer who commented on the middle of the film dragging, and the suspense that should have been building never quite gets a full head of steam, but there are some really nice moments that make it worth sitting through the few dull spots. And I must admit to being utterly shocked by the ending...I really never saw it coming...which made the final moments in this film extremely poignant.

For it being 1950, I was stunned to find so many real and honest performances. There was none of that obnoxious "Studio Acting" where everyone is chewing scenery and pretending to be their character...everyone in this movie WAS the character they were playing. Errol Flynn is one of my all-time favorites and his restrained performance here was wonderful. This was my first time seeing Patrice Wymore on screen and I really enjoyed her performance...it could have easily become an annoying, whiny, shrill character, but Ms. Wymore made some very nice acting choices and created a believable character. The supporting cast is all solid, but three must be mentioned as stand-outs: 1) The great Chubby Johnson as the stage driver has a small but wonderful role. You might not know his name, but you'll know his face and voice immediately...one of the all-time great Western character actors. 2) A very young Slim Pickens has a wonderful role and proves himself the master horseback rider he was in real life. Great riding, great acting, and pure fun to watch. 3) The real surprise here for me was young Dickie Jones. What an absolute pleasure he was. And, in my opinion, he steals the movie away from all of the far more experienced and well-seasoned actors. He is genuine and earnest throughout, with a great monologue in the middle of the film that sucked me right in and made me believe. He was absolutely wonderful in the part and it's a shame he quit the business to go into real estate...I really think he might have had an Oscar in his future had he continued making movies.

This is not a perfect film by any means, but with strong performances, beautiful scenery, and interesting direction, this "John Ford Lite" Western has enough going for it to make up for any of its shortcomings. It's a real tough movie to find, but if you run across it, I sincerely believe it is worth a viewing.

Hope you enjoy!

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