THE SCALPHUNTERS
DIRECTED BY SYDNEY POLLACK
PRODUCED BY BURT LANCASTER
MUSIC BY ELMER BERNSTEIN
BRISTOL FILMS/NORLAN PRODUCTIONS
UNITED ARTISTS
INFORMATION FROM IMDb
Plot Summary
Trapper Joe is on his way to the town with all of his gain of hides of the last winter.
However a group of Indians stops him and takes all of his hides,
leaving him the escaped slave Joseph instead.
But Joe has no use for Joseph and is determined to get his property back and follows them.
Before he can do anything, the Indians are raided themselves
by a group of scalphunters under the greedy Howie.
Not only the hides, but also Joseph falls into their hands.
Now Joe follows them alone and tries to trick the numerical superior group out of his hides.
Written by Tom Zoerner
Cast
Burt Lancaster ... Joe Bass
Shelley Winters ... Kate
Telly Savalas ... Jim Howie
Ossie Davis ... Joseph Lee
Dabney Coleman ... Jed
Paul Picerni ... Frank
Dan Vadis ... Yuma
Armando Silvestre ... Two Crows
Nick Cravat ... Yancy
Tony Epper ... Scalphunter
Chuck Roberson ... Scalphunter
John Epper ... Scalphunter
Jack Williams ... Scalphunter
and many more...
Directed
Sydney Pollack
Writing Credits
William W. Norton ... (written by) (as William Norton)
Produced
Arthur Gardner ... producer
Arnold Laven ... producer
Jules V. Levy ... producer (as Jules Levy)
Roland Kibbee ... producer (uncredited)
Burt Lancaster ... producer (uncredited)
Music
Elmer Bernstein
Cinematography
Duke Callaghan ... director of photography
Richard Moore
Trivia
Burt Lancaster first met Sydney Pollack when Pollack worked as a dialogue director
on the Luchino Visconti epic The Leopard (1963), in which Lancaster starred.
This was the second of three movies that they made together in quick succession.,
the others being The Swimmer (1968) and Castle Keep (1969).
This was by far the most successful of the three.
Burt Lancaster and Shelley Winters reputedly had a two-year affair in the mid-'50s.
Goofs
Anachronisms
Set in 1860, Joseph mentions the planet Pluto, discovered in 1930.
All of the weapons shown came into use after the Civil War.
Audio/visual unsynchronised
At c.34 minutes the guitarist plays only open strings despite the more elaborate soundtrack.
Character error
While discussing astrology Joseph Lee tells Kate that Napoleon and her lover
Jim Howie share the same birthday of July 27th. Napoleon was born on August 15th.
Continuity
During the fight in the water, Joseph hits Joe on the head with the big rock.
Joseph's hands come apart without the rock and then the rock reappears in his hands.
Crew or equipment visible
During the fight scene between Joe and Joseph, the white wire used to pull
Joe out of the ditch is clearly visible.
Revealing mistakes
When Joe starts the avalanche, the first large boulder is rolling alone.
It takes a bounce on a ledge, and rocks 20 feet on each side begin to roll,
indicating they were all pushed by the crew.
Filming Locations
Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico
Quartzsite, Arizona, USA
Parker, Arizona, USA
Barranca del Cobre, Chihuahua, Mexico
Harquahala Mountains, Arizona, USA
Durango, Mexico
Sierra de Organos, Sombrerete, Zacatecas, Mexico (location)
Watch the Movie
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