The Fighting Kentuckian (1949)

Following Napoleon's Waterloo defeat and the exile of his officers and their families from France, the U.S.Congress, in 1817, granted four townships in the Alabama territory to the exiles. ... See full summary »

Director:

George Waggner

Writer:

George Waggner

Stars:

John Wayne, Vera Ralston, Philip Dorn

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
John Wayne	...	John Breen
Vera Ralston	...	Fleurette De Marchand
Philip Dorn	...	Col. Georges Geraud
Oliver Hardy	...	Willie Paine
Marie Windsor	...	Ann Logan
John Howard	...	Blake Randolph
Hugo Haas	...	Gen. Paul De Marchand
Grant Withers	...	George Hayden
Odette Myrtil	...	Madame De Marchand
Paul Fix	...	Beau Merritt
Mae Marsh	...	Sister Hattie
Jack Pennick	...	Capt. Dan Carroll
Mickey Simpson	...	Jacques
Fred Graham	...	Carter Ward
Mabelle Koenig	...	Marie

Storyline

Following Napoleon's Waterloo defeat and the exile of his officers and their families from France, the U.S.Congress, in 1817, granted four townships in the Alabama territory to the exiles. Led by Colonel Georges Geraud and General Paul DeMarchand, the struggling settlers have made a thriving community, called Demoplis, by the summer of 1819. On a shopping trip to Mobile, Fleurette DeMarchand, the General's daughter, meets John Breen, a Kentucky rifleman, who detours his regiment through Demopolis to court her. But Fleurette, despite her wish to marry for love, must bow to the needs of her fellow exiles, who are at the mercy of the rich and wealthy Blake Randolph, and who wants her as his bride. But John Breen has no intention of allowing that to happen, resigns from his regiment, and takes up the fight against Randolph and his hirelings.

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Plot Keywords:

exile | kentucky | alabama | settler | waterloo | 

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Taglines:

ROUGHER, TOUGHER, MORE ROMANTIC THAT EVER! (original and reissue posters)

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Genres:

Adventure | Romance | War | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 September 1949 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Strange Caravan

Filming Locations:

Republic Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Republic Pictures (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

John Wayne was so pleased with the chemistry between himself and Oliver Hardy that he offered Hardy the role of "permanent comic sidekick" in subsequent movies. By the time this picture was released, Stan Laurel had recovered from illness and was able to return to the Laurel & Hardy team, so Hardy (graciously, of course) declined Wayne's offer.

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Goofs

The "2nd Kentucky Regiment" is shown marching in step. Frontier militia units of that day were rarely trained in formal marching, being raised in response to a specific, short-term need, and disbanded as soon as possible to save money. Also, no unit would march in step unnecessarily, as it was tiring to the men.

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Quotes

[repeated line]
Willie Paine: I'll see to the horses.

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Connections

Featured in The John Wayne Anthology (1991)

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Soundtracks

"Let Me Down, Oh Hangman"
(uncredited)
Traditional
Music Arranged by George Antheil
New Lyrics by George Waggner

User Reviews

One of John's better films

John Wayne plays a frontiersman, who partners up with Oliver Hardy! This seems strange at first, but they have a great rapport and act well together. Vera Ralston is the love interest, and while she's pretty, she's not a great actress and is merely passable in the role. There's lots of fighting and heroic action in this movie, and it's a way to pass an enjoyable hour or two. John is at his most charismatic here.