Under Southern Stars (1937)

Set in the springtime of 1863 in Chancellorsville, Virginia during the War Between the States, this colorful short profiles the heroic Confederate General Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" ... See full summary »

Director:

Nick Grinde

Writers:

Forrest Barnes (screenplay), Forrest Barnes (story)

Stars:

Fred Lawrence, Jane Bryan, Fritz Leiber

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Fred Lawrence	...	George Wilbert
Jane Bryan	...	Arlene
Fritz Leiber	...	Stonewall Jackson
Gordon Hart	...	Major Hawks
John Sheehan	...	Number Thirteen
Wayne Morris	...	Dallas
Pierre Watkin	...	Robert E. Lee
Olive Tell	...	Mrs. Jackson
Myrtle Stedman	...	Arlene's Mother

Storyline

Set in the springtime of 1863 in Chancellorsville, Virginia during the War Between the States, this colorful short profiles the heroic Confederate General Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson the night before he would meet his fate in battle.

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Plot Keywords:

stonewall jackson | battle | general | friendly fire | battle strategy | 

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Genres:

Short | Biography | Drama | History | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 February 1937 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

17 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Vitaphone release #7792-7793.

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Connections

Edited into March On, America! (1942)

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Soundtracks

"Arkansas Traveler"
(uncredited)
Music by Sanford Faulkner
Played during the square dance

User Reviews

Nice Civil War Short

Under Southern Stars (1937)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Mildly entertaining, if rather confused docu-drama about "Stonewall" Jackson (Fritz Leiber) and his final battle, which cost him his life. The film also centers on a young man in love with his daughter who must prove that he has no more feelings for the North, which is where he comes from. This is a pretty strange film because the thing is all over the map in terms of one trying to understand what it's trying to do. We start off with what appears to be a musical because we have some fancy singing at a party. Things then take a turn when the "hero" General Lee shows up and a battle is going to follow. We then learn that Stonewall has a great sense of humor. We then see the battle finally happened but Stonewall is injured. Things switch again back to the good singer who just happens to need to prove himself to the dying man. The movie never knows if it wants to focus on the war, the young man or Stonewall. On that level the movie is all over the place but the production values are high enough to keep on entertained throughout the 16-minute running time. The performances are pretty good as are the brief battle scenes. The music isn't too bad either but it's the beautiful Technicolor that steals the film.