DRUM BEAT
WRITTEN, PRODUCED & DIRECTED BY DELMER DAVES
PRODUCED BYMALAN LADD
MUSIC BY VICTOR YOUNG
JAGUAR PRODUCTIONS
WARNER BROS.
INFORMATION FROM IMDb
Plot Summary
President Grant orders Indian fighter MacKay to negotiate with the Modocs of northern California and southern Oregon. On the way he must escort Nancy Meek to the home of her aunt and uncle. After Modoc renegade Captain Jack engages in ambush and other atrocities, MacKay must fight him one-on-one with guns, knives and fists.
Written by Ed Stephan
Cast
Alan Ladd ... Johnny MacKay
Audrey Dalton ... Nancy Meek
Marisa Pavan ... Toby
Robert Keith ... Bill Satterwhite
Rodolfo Acosta ... Scarface Charlie
Charles Bronson ... Kintpuash, aka Captain Jack
Warner Anderson ... Gen. Canby
Elisha Cook Jr. ... Blaine Crackel
Anthony Caruso ... Manok
Richard Gaines ... Dr. Thomas
Hayden Rorke ... President Ulysses S. Grant
Frank DeKova ... Modoc Jim
Perry Lopez ... Bogus Charlie
Isabel Jewell ... Lily White
Peggy Converse ... Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant
Pat Lawless ... O'Brien
Frank Ferguson ... Mr. Dyar
George J. Lewis ... Capt. Alonzo Clark (as George Lewis)
Peter Hansen ... Lt. Goodsall
Willis Bouchey ... Gen. Gilliam
Strother Martin ... Scotty
Edgar Stehli ... Jesse Grant
Richard H. Cutting ... Col. Meek
Michael Daves ... Young Boddy (as Mike Lawrence)
Danny Borzage ... Soldier (uncredited)
Denver Pyle ... Fairchild (uncredited)
And many more...
Directed
Delmer Daves
Writing Credits
Delmer Daves ... (screenplay)(story)
Produced
Delmer Daves
Alan Ladd
Music
Victor Young
Cinematography
J. Peverell Marley
Trivia
General Edward Canby, whose death is depicted in this movie, was in reality the only U.S. army general killed during the American Indian Wars. "General" G. A. Custer, killed at the Battle of Little Big Horn in 1876, was not in fact a general at the time of his death. After the Civil War, he held the permanent rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
Actor Charles Buchinsky (his birth name) changed his name to Charles Bronson,using his new moniker for the first time in this film,and remained so for the rest of his acting career.
Goofs
Character error
When Captain Jack meets with the peace commission and asked by Johnny MacKay what it would take to make peace, he responds "all of the Lost River to the Klamath." He was in fact a Modoc.
Crew or equipment visible
When the woman on the stagecoach is shot by a Modoc arrow, if you look closely you can see the filament wire used to "guide" the prop arrow to its target.
Incorrectly regarded as goofs
This movie was based on the 1869 Modoc Indian uprising in northern California, yet they show 44-40 lever action Winchester rifles, which were not introduced until 1873.
Memorable Quotes
Filming Locations
Sedona, Arizona, USA
Cathedral Rock, Sedona, Arizona, USA
Coconino National Forest, Arizona, USA
Iverson Ranch - 1 Iverson Lane, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA
Peaks Ranger District, Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
Red Rock Crossing, Sedona, Arizona, USA
Sedona Ranger District, Sedona, Arizona, USA
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