The Guns of Fort Petticoat (The Guns of Fort Petticoat, Spain Import, See Details for Languages)

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What an absolute blast this picture is, for sure it's steeped in "B" movie tropes, but led by the amiable Audie Murphy as Hewitt, the picture is certainly most engaging and never lets the discerning viewer down. Perhaps struggling to shake off the need to be overtly serious, it is none the less dramatic at times and not without serious moments that put the ladies of the piece firmly in a good light. It's not a feminist picture of course because the characters still need their men to be with them, while Hewitt naturally creates a little pitter-patter amongst some of the women. What the picture chiefly portrays is that these gals can step up to the plate when required, and more crucially, the film doesn't rely on sentimentality to raise the story's worth. Dirty Coward: Emmett is the only capable man left in the town and he does everything he can to get out of participating in its defense, up to convincing one of the women of his affections and then heartlessly throwing her off after she helps him escape prison. While this was playing in theaters Kathryn Grant became the second Mrs. Bing Crosby. I happened to meet her a few years ago when she was on a book tour promoting a book about her marriage with Bing. She mentioned that she liked The Guns at Fort Petticoat and wished she owned a copy of the film. If I had known I would have bought my VHS copy and given it to her. She should be proud of her work in this film.

On television, Pryor portrayed Dr. William Beaumont in the "Who Search for Truth" episode of Medic (1956). [6] He also appeared in the series' Ford Star Jubilee, Steve Donovan, Western Marshal, Lux Video Theatre, Front Row Center, You Are There, Medic, Wire Service, Sheriff of Cochise, Meet McGraw, Sugarfoot, Gunsmoke (In 1957 as “Cole Yankton”, an outlaw who had been Kitty’s first love in S3E4’s Kitty’s Outlaw”), Suspicion, Cheyenne, Studio One, General Electric Theater, Playhouse 90 and The Adventures of Hiram Holliday. [7] Personal life and death [ edit ] The Guns of Fort Petticoat is a 1957 American Western film produced by Harry Joe Brown and Audie Murphy for Brown-Murphy Pictures. It was based on the 1955 short story " Petticoat Brigade" by Chester William Harrison (1913–1994) [2] that he expanded into a novelization for the film's release. It was directed by George Marshall, distributed by Columbia Pictures and filmed at the Iverson Movie Ranch and at Old Tucson. Before Pryor acted in films, he performed on stage. [2] He organized a school and community theater while he worked in Greenville. [3] He also managed and directed a little theater group in Raleigh, North Carolina. [2] For three years he acted in The Lost Colony in Manteo, North Carolina, where he befriended Andy Griffith. His performances there, observed by actor Charles Laughton and producer Paul Gregory, led to his Broadway debut as the prosecuting attorney in The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial. [5] Film and television [ edit ]His command includes a former girlfriend named Stella, a spunky brunette named Anne, a religious woman named Cora, an older southern belle named Charlotte, an unmarried pregnant woman named Mary, and a tough-as-nails older woman named Hannah, who has outlived three husbands and earns the rank of “sergeant.” In July 1955 Murphy announced he would make the film, which then had the working title Petticoat Brigade, after The World in My Corner and a biopic of Charles Marion Russell. He called the movie a "Destry-style Western." [4] The Guns at Fort Petticoat is one of Audie Murphy's best B westerns in his career. Murphy turned out to be a real acting talent, if he hadn't been, his career wouldn't have lasted as long as it did. The working title of the film was Petticoat Brigade; screenwriter and television director Walter Doniger was originally set to have directed the film. [6] Hewitt’s return makes Stella realize she doesn’t really love the Rebel soldier she married after Hewitt marched off to join the Union Army. Anne soon develops strong feelings for her commanding officer as well.

An earlier reviewer writes that the title of this Audie Murphy oater suggests a comedy--"F Troop" meets "Petticoat Junction." He can be forgiven this wit since both of those sitcom inanities post-date this western by many years. The fictional story tells the tale of an Army deserter training a disparate group of women to become Indian fighters climaxing in a Battle of the Alamo-type action. Love Triangle: Frank's affections are split between his childhood sweetheart Stella Leatham, who married a Confederate soldier after Frank left to go fight for the Union, and Anne Martin, a spitfire tomboy he first meets when he's warning everyone. As heroic characters having an extramarital affair was a no-no in a 1957 American movie, Anne wins Frank's heart in the end, while he tells Stella that the two of them together would be wrong.

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It's the Civil War period and Colonel Chivington has just wiped out an Indian village. This brutality puts the white man in disfavor with the Comanche and provides them with a revenge motive. Lieutenant Audie Murphy deserts his command and rides to Texas to warn the settlers. He winds up at a decrepit mission in the middle of nowhere. It's occupied only by about two dozen women and a few kids. Murphy's job? To whip these women out of their winsome civilian ways and make soldiers out of them. My TV Guide, with which I sometimes find myself in agreement, gave this three stars out of four and I thought, "Why not?" It wasn't a masterpiece. It had no poetry. It was worth three stars, I guess, if you consider the genre -- inexpensive Western with no bankable big stars. But, really, the plot is rudimentary and derivative. By 1957 the war movies had played themselves out, but this film simply transposes the story of a small heroic band of soldiers finally triumphing over a horde of savage enemy soldiers, only in this case the heroic soldiers are all women and the savage enemy is the Comanche instead of the Japanese or Germans.

Pitts, Michael R. (4 June 2003). Charles Bronson: The 95 Films and the 156 Television Appearances. McFarland. p.299. ISBN 978-0-7864-1702-5 . Retrieved April 15, 2022. But in a way he was not far wrong. While not a comedy it has comedic elements, as all good action films should, and it's a merger of two stories that could be described as "The Alamo" meets "Westward the Women".He appeared in the films The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing, Ransom!, Walk the Proud Land, Four Girls in Town, The Shadow on the Window, The Guns of Fort Petticoat, The Left Handed Gun, Kathy O' and Onionhead. One dead body seems to change their thinking. Hewitt convinces them to take refuge in an old mission, then begins the chore of teaching them how to defend themselves. The photography looks hasty, and probably was. The settings -- Old Tucson with its faux adobe walls -- is attractive enough, but there is a scene in which Sean McClory, as a cowardly traitor, is talking to his girl friend through the barred windows of a jail. The young lady is standing outside and is adequately lighted but McClory is in this dark dump and no viewer could help experiencing a susurrus of disquiet while thinking, "Hey, that guy in the jail has an orange light shining on him from inside!" What I mean is, it's pretty clumsy. When Col. Chivington launches the Sand Creek Massacre, Lt. Frank Hewitt (Audie Murphy) deserts, convinced the massacre will start an Indian war that will threaten his home-state of Texas. Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: Frank slaps one of the women to calm her down when she gets hysterical after seeing another murdered by the Indians.

Pryor's early entertainment activities came in radio when he worked as an announcer at stations in New Haven, Connecticut, and New York City. He also was program director at WJPR radio in Greenville, Mississippi. [3] Stage [ edit ] LAUGHTON SIGNED FOR OFFICER ROLE: He Is First of 4 to Be Cast in Leading Parts in 'Bridge Over the River Kwai' a b c d "Ainslie Pryor dies; 'Caine' prosecutor". The New York Times. Associated Press. May 29, 1958. p.27 . Retrieved April 15, 2022. a b c d "Little theatre names director". The News and Observer. North Carolina, Raleigh. August 10, 1947. p.4 . Retrieved April 15, 2022. Asshole Victim: Emmet Kettle is a despicable coward and manipulator, so it's not very sad when he runs into three outlaws and gets murdered by them after he (falsely) convinces them there's gold in the town he left behind.Wilson, Earl (June 8, 1954). "Pryor's Aspiring Director". The News and Observer. North Carolina, Raleigh. p.24 . Retrieved April 15, 2022– via Newspapers.com. None of the performances stand out, although Hope Emerson, who is roughly the size of the Colossus of Rhodes, is unforgettable as always. Man, you ought to see her in "Cry of the City." Whew.