Buffalo Bill (1944)

The story of William "Buffalo Bill" Cody, legendary westerner, from his days as an army scout to his later activities as owner of a Wild West show.

Director:

William A. Wellman

Writers:

Æneas MacKenzie (screenplay), Clements Ripley (screenplay),

Stars:

Joel McCrea, Maureen O'Hara, Linda Darnell

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Joel McCrea	...	William Frederick 'Buffalo Bill' Cody
Maureen O'Hara	...	Louisa Frederici Cody
Linda Darnell	...	Dawn Starlight
Thomas Mitchell	...	Ned Buntline
Edgar Buchanan	...	Sgt. Chips McGraw
Anthony Quinn	...	Chief Yellow Hand
Moroni Olsen	...	Sen. Frederici
Frank Fenton	...	Murdo Carvell
Matt Briggs	...	Gen. Blazier
George Lessey	...	Mr. Schyler Vandervere
Frank Orth	...	Sherman - Shooting Gallery Owner

Storyline

A fictionalized account of the life of William F. "Buffalo Bill" Cody. A hunter and Army Scout in the early part of his life, he rescues a US Senator and his beautiful daughter, Louisa Frederici. Cody is portrayed as someone who admires and respects the Indians and is a good friend of Yellow Hand who will eventually become Chief of the Cheyenne. Everyone else, including the military, politicians and businessmen on the other hand hate the Indians and are perfectly prepared to trample on their lands and destroy their buffalo hunting grounds. He's eventually forced to fight the Cheyenne however. He's also met a writer, Ned Buntline, who writes about Cody's exploits and he becomes a sensation when he travels East. His career is not assured however, particularly when he attacks those in positions of authority over their maltreatment of the Native American population. He eventually establishes his wild west show that becomes an international sensation.

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Plot Keywords:

scout | wild west | senator | native american | hunting | 

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Genres:

Biography | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

April 1944 (USA)

Also Known As:

Aventuras de Buffalo Bill

Filming Locations:

House Rock Canyon, Arizona, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Sgt. Chips is delivering mail at the beginning of the film, one of the mailboxes he delivers to is labeled "2nd Lt. A. MacKenzie". Æneas MacKenzie was one of the film's writers.

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Goofs

When Bill receives the letter regarding his son's illness the letter is dated the 20th of Aug. and after that date he receives an invitation for an event dated Aug. 15.

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Quotes

William F. 'Buffalo Bill' Cody: What killed my son?
Doctor: Diptheria.
William F. 'Buffalo Bill' Cody: What's that?
Doctor: A germ.
William F. 'Buffalo Bill' Cody: Where does it come from?
Doctor: Water systems... and sewage. It's a crowd disease. A disease of civilization.

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Connections

Featured in Siege at Red River (1954)

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Soundtracks

"Taps"
(1862) (uncredited)
Written by Daniel Butterfield
Played offscreen by a bugler

User Reviews

Very dated but has its moments

Big, splashy spectacle benefits from absolutely beautiful photography and a truly outstanding finale that has hundreds of cavalrymen and Indians battling in the middle of a river. Joel McCrea's performance is okay--overacting is something he was never accused of--and Maureen O'Hara tries hard but is miscast (not, however, as badly as Linda Darnell, who is breathtaking to look at but totally wasted as an Indian maiden). The script takes liberties with the facts, which is to be expected, but its point of view is quite a bit more sympathetic to the Indians' plight than that of most westerns of the period. Overall it doesn't hold up all that well, but if you've never seen it it's worth a look.