The Last of the Cavalry (1938)
"Army Girl" (original title)

A fight to keep cavalry horses from being replaced by tanks culminates in a great race between machine and beast.

Director:

George Nichols Jr.

Writers:

Charles L. Clifford (story), Barry Trivers (screenplay),

Stars:

Madge Evans, Preston Foster, James Gleason

Nominated for 3 Oscars.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Madge Evans	...	Julie Armstrong
Preston Foster	...	Capt. Dike Conger
James Gleason	...	Sgt. 'Three Star' Hennessy
H.B. Warner	...	Col. Armstrong
Ruth Donnelly	...	Leila Kennett
Neil Hamilton	...	Capt. Joe Schuyler
Heather Angel	...	Mrs.Gwen Bradley
Billy Gilbert	...	Cantina Pete
Ralph Morgan	...	Maj. Hal Kennett
Barbara Pepper	...	Riki Thomas
Ralph Byrd	...	Capt. Bob Marvin
Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams	...	Sgt. Harry Ross (as Guinn Williams)
Robert Warwick	...	Brig. Gen. Matthews
Allen Vincent	...	Capt. Bradley
Pepito	...	Pedro

Storyline

A fight to keep cavalry horses from being replaced by tanks culminates in a great race between machine and beast.

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Plot Keywords:

tank | horse | cavalry | fence | rivals for love | 

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Drama | Romance | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 August 1938 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Pequena do Exército

Filming Locations:

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Republic Pictures (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Old Oklahoma Plains (1952)

User Reviews

Interesting comedy/drama as tanks replace cavalry horses.

This is an interesting little film. It's a romantic comedy for two thirds of its length, then suddenly turns into drama. Set against tests involving the newly developed Army tanks and their suitability for replacing cavalry horses, is a romance between the tank's creator (Foster) and the Colonel's daughter (Evans). When the Colonel is killed in a tank accident, a court marshall develops and the ending will surprise you. It's the kind of story that usually was clever enough to get an Oscar nom but it failed to pick one up in this category. The Academy did think highly of it, though, nominating it in three categories: Cinematography (undeserved), Sound (deserved) and Score (deserved). The sound recording is excellent and the delightful score is both comic and dramatic in turns. Leading lady Madge Evans resembles Paulette Goddard both facially and in terms of her acting style - one would think them sisters. This is a good little film from Republic and worth a look.