Details
Movie Description
André de Toth's Civil War Western is a counter-espionage tale featuring Gary Cooper in the same year as his stunning turn in HIGH NOON, and at the height of his popularity as Hollywood's icon of the American West. At the U.S. (Union) Army's Fort Hedley, the 5th Cavalry is in crisis mode after raiders steal thousands of horses in transit to waiting Union cavalry units. Commanding officer Lt. Colonel Hudson (Paul Kelly) fears a Confederate spy is in their midst and tipping off the raiders. When Major Lex Kearney (Cooper) attempts another drive, the raiders strike again, but Kearney decides to retreat without a fight. Ambitious Captain Tennick (Philip Carey) accuses Kearney of cowardice and Southern sympathies, calling for Kearney's court-martial. Kearney is kicked out the army with a yellow stripe painted on his back, but for his own reasons, decides to stick around and work for local rancher, Austin McCool (David Brian). De Toth's historical tale contains surprising plot twists, a dramatic final shootout with the titular Springfield rifles, and the always-commanding presence of tall, heroic and eminently watchable Cooper.
Synopsis
During the Civil War, the Union troops try to bust a conspiracy that constantly results in the ambush of the Union cavalry and the theft of Union horses. Major Lex Kearney realizes he must put a stop to this, so he goes undercover and joins the outlaws who are perpetrating the crime. In the process, he risks both his life and career. Complicating matters is the fact that his wife and son are unaware of Kearney's secret activities. Can Kearney succeed in discovering the guilty parties before it's too late?
Film Notes
Filmed on location at Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, CA.
Gary Cooper ("Coop"), one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, had a very diverse career, reflected by the roles for which he received Oscar nominations: as Mr. Deeds in Capra’s comedy MR DEEDS GOES TO TOWN, as Lou Gehrig in the touching biopic, THE PRIDE OF THE YANKEES, in SERGEANT YORK as a pacifist fighting in WWI, and as Will Kane in the quintessential Western, HIGH NOON.
Alan Hale, Jr. (Mizzell) and Philip Carey (Captain Tennick) would go on to stardom in television: Hale as The Skipper on the 1960s cult comedy GILLIGAN’S ISLAND, and Carey, playing the role of Asa Buchanan since 1979 on the popular daytime soap, ONE LIFE TO LIVE.
Both Lon Chaney, Jr. (Pete Elm) and Alan Hale, Jr. (Mizzell) came from Hollywood royalty, bearing the same names as their famous actor fathers. Chaney, Sr., was the silent film star called "The Man of a Thousand Faces" and best known for his title role in PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, while actor/director Hale, Sr. was a character actor in hundreds of films from the silent era on, often as a sidekick to Errol Flynn.
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