The Charge at Feather River (1953)

First thing I would like to know is: Why the Feather River? The only Feather River I could find reference to is in northern CA, hardly Cheyenne country. At one point, Guy Madison mentions a place called Three Forks. The Feather River famously has 3 main tributaries(forks) that come together at one point! I could find no reference to a Fort Darby: the main featured fort. From other info I have read, it's clear that this is a renaming of historic Fort Wallace: the western-most army fort in Kansas during the post-Civil War era...Chief Thunderhawk is a historically relevant name in this approximate era, but he was a Lakota chief, not Cheyenne! I'm sure these probably unnoticed tamperings with historical and geographic reality make no difference to 99% of audiences and don't materially impact my assessment of the film, as this was standard Hollywood shenanigans of this era.Apparently, the screen-play is somewhat based upon the historic Beecher Island conflict between Lakota/Cheyenne and frontiersmen, hired as army scouts, rather than inmates of the fort guardhouse, as depicted in the film. As in the film, they were issued Spencer repeating rifles instead of the standard single shot Springfield rifles of the era. Also, as in the film, when they were surrounded by Indians, they did send 2 scouts to distant Fort Wallace for relief, and cavalry did successfully relieve their dire situation. Their forced subsistence on the rotting bodies of their former horses, which also served as their ramparts on this river island, is deleted from the film. As in the film, the real Indian chief was killed, although hardly in the dramatic fashion in the film. His name was Roman Nose, not the seemingly more likely Thunderhawk in the film. This historical incident was motivated by continuing raids by several Indian tribes on frontier settlers and the new railway, not specifically to rescue two young women.The rescue/abduction of the two sisters was way too easy. Historically, successful rescues by stealth were extremely rare. If not discovered in a village massacre, the usual procedure was to barter for captives(as in the later Ford "Two Rode Together"). According to the dialogue , the sisters had been abducted 5 years ago, when their parents were murdered in a raid. One had been a late teen, while the other was around 10 when captured. As was customary among Great Plains tribes, the older teen(Anne, played by Helen Westcott) apparently had been gang raped during or after the raid. In most cases, they were then killed or perhaps held for ransom(as in the later "The Searchers"), presumably considered likely too difficult to assimilate as potential tribal members. The younger girl(Jennie, played by Vera Miles)had not been treated badly. In fact, she claimed she had been treated like a princess and was shortly to marry Chief Thunderhawk. It was clear that she considered herself a Cheyenne forever, and had to be forcefully abducted and kept foot and hands bound. Historical records indicate that it usually took less than a year in captivity before most children considered themselves members of their Indian village, resisted being 'rescued ' by Europeans, and had a difficult time readjusting to European culture, if rescued. Thus the apparently happy ending in "The Searchers", where the rescued young woman is ultimately happy in being returned to European culture was quite atypical. Unlike in this film, as well as in the subsequent "The Searchers", captive children usually forgot most of their natal language in a remarkably short time.Anne presented a quandary to the rescuers, as clearly inassimilable. At one point, they were considering trading her for their freedom from the surrounding Indians. But she died by accident, just after trying to kill her brother, who was one of the scouts.It's very unclear what was Anne's status in her Indian Village. She was found in the same tent as Jennie, when abducted. Her dress and hair styling were less squaw-like than those of Jennie, reflecting her lesser self identification as a Cheyenne. Was she a slave? a sex slave? Both? Initially, she had mixed feelings about being rescued/abducted. Clearly, she didn't like her situation in the Indian village. Yet, she was afraid her degradation by the Indians would negate any chance of having a normal life as a repatriated European: a problem initially experienced by Linda Crystal's character in the later "Two Rode Together". Fortunately, gallant Miles Archer(Guy Madison) partly put to rest this fear by offering to marry her and defend her against the prejudices of Europeans.Guy Madison certainly made a handsome and likable lead, whether as Miles Archer, or in his TV series "Wild Bill Hickok". Here, he depends as much on his knife as his rifle to defend himself. Dick Wesson and Henry Kulky try, not overly successfully, to add a bit of diversionary humor, as part of the scout party of mostly somewhat tarnished soldiers, disguised as an apparent party of bison hunters. Lingering Civil War animosities and woman jealousies among the scouts provide occasional cause for conflict.Filmed in Warnercolor in several places in the greater L.A. area. Warnercolor was cheaper, but inferior in quality and color preservation, to Technicolor, and was used for only a few years by Warner.

If you haven't seen this movie as part of some Saturday afternoon matinée or aired on The Western Channel, you're really not missing much. Its the same ol' Injun bad...White Man good...Cavalry save day dreck that made the American Western such a box office success during the 40's and 50's, and such a throwaway genre in recent years. Still, Charge at Feather River remains slightly more enjoyable than most, and honestly if it ever arrives on DVD, its one Ill no doubt add to my western collection.The movie's most attractive aspect would have to be the gorgeous Helen Westcott (if you don't believe me, check out Abbot and Costello meet Dr Jeckyll and Mr Hyde. She's stunning!) and Vera Miles of Psycho fame.The movie is also notable to film geeks for its 3D presentation and the origin of the famous "Wilhelm Scream" that can be heard in all the Star Wars and Indianna Jones movies, as well as several other big Hollywood productions. You know when you hear it.

Other commentators here have done an admirable job in addressing where "Charge at Feather River" fits in within the canon of Western movies, its similarity to "The Dirty Dozen" and other films of that genre, the use of 3-D effects, and even the origin of the Wilhelm scream. But what about the climactic, epic-making confrontation between Miles Archer (Guy Madison) and Chief Thunderhawk (Fred Carson)? In the action/adventure movies of the 1950s and 1960s, one knows the leaders will meet and fight it out. But when and where and how will it happen?Thunderhawk has plenty of reasons to want to kill Archer himself. The whites are building a railroad through Cheyenne territory; their rescue effort has led to the death of Thunderhawk's bride-to-be. The cavalry troopers are occupying an island in the middle of the Feather River itself.In the first charge, the Cheyenne have been repulsed. Their bodies float about the river. Stray horses amble about without direction. But the calm following this is deceptive. The Cheyenne prepare for another charge and this time Thunderhawk will personally take command.At first, all goes well and a couple of the Guardhouse Brigade are picked off. Then, Thunderhawk commits his fatal mistake. At the head of about thirty to fifty braves, he veers off with only a half a dozen or so warriors to approach the island from the rear while the main bunch of Indians continues to hurl spears and to get shot, falling off their horses, and then bobbing in the river.Thunderhawk, recognizable in his eagle feather headdress, leads his handpicked braves slowly up an embankment, on their bellies, in preparation for this "stealth" attack. But when they reach the crest of the embankment, above the river's edge, all goes wrong. They are seen too soon and all but Thunderhawk get shot down. Meanwhile, the main war party is beginning to back off.Thunderhawk, without rifle or spear, cut off from all his men, draws his knife, preparing to do battle with Archer, one against one. Thunderhawk's very life now depends upon his skill with a knife. The bare-chested Cheyenne war chief, confident, powerful, motivated, eager for revenge and victory, squares off against Archer.After only a few moments, Archer has maneuvered the chief to a slight earthen rise above the embankment, so that the daring, risk-taking, bold Cheyenne war chief stands a little bit above the cavalry officer. Archer goes for Thunderhawk's proud, taut, copper-bronze, native leader belly. As the knife goes in (off camera), Thunderhawk grunts in disbelief and topples, about to fall over the embankment. In a very clever shot, Guy Madison is seen looking over the embankment as Thunderhawk might have seen the view, his last before his death. Thunderhawk gives out a scream of terror as he tumbles down the embankment, splashing into the river. His horse makes way, only slightly, as the chief disappears under the water.A valiant, determined, daring, native chief has lost his gamble.

Saw this film the first time in 1953 with my older brother. It was one of the great 3 Demension films released in that era. We saw it at least thirteen times and were proud of it. Scott does a typical western shoot em up job while surrounded by the Indian arrows rather than surround sound. Oh, for those polaroid lenses again.