Distant Drums (1951)

Director:

Raoul Walsh

Writers:

Niven Busch (screenplay) and
Martin Rackin (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

29 December 1951 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Western

Plot:

After destroying a Seminole fort, American soldiers and their rescued companions must face the dangerous Everglades and hostile Indians in order to reach safety

Plot Keywords:

Seminole | Scout | Florida | Fort | Filmed On Location

Cast

Gary Cooper	...	Capt. Quincy Wyatt
Mari Aldon	...	Judy Beckett
Richard Webb	...	Lt. Richard Tufts
Ray Teal	...	Pvt. Mohair
Arthur Hunnicutt	...	Monk
Robert Barrat	...	Gen. Zachary Taylor

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (MPAA rating: certificate #5280) | UK:U | West Germany:12 (nf) | Norway:16 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Castillo de San Marcos National Monument - One S. Castillo Drive, St. Augustine, Florida, USA

Company:

United States Pictures

Trivia:

WILHELM SCREAM: This film contains the first known instance of "The Wilhelm Scream" (a sound effect of a man screaming, since used in over 149 other movies). During a scene in which the soldiers are wading through a swamp in the everglades, one of them is bitten and dragged underwater by an alligator. The scream for that character was recorded later. Six short pained screams were recorded in a single take, which was slated "man getting bit by an alligator, and he screams." The fifth scream was used for the soldier - but the 4th, 5th, and 6th screams recorded in the session were also used earlier in the film when three Indians are shot, one after another, during a raid on a fort. Although the "signature" or "classic" screams, takes 4 through 6 on the original recording, are the most recognizable, all of the screams are referred to as "Wilhelm" by those in the sound community. Ben Burtt, sound effects designer on Star Wars (1977), named it "Wilhelm" after the character that let out the scream in The Charge at Feather River (1953). He discovered a file at Warner Bros. for this movie, which contained paperwork that was left over from the picture editor when the film was completed. One of the papers was a short list of names of actors who were scheduled to come in to perform various lines of dialogue for miscellaneous roles in the movie. After reviewing the names and even listening to their voices, one person seemed to be the most likely suspect: Sheb Wooley. Sheb played the uncredited role of Private Jessup in "Distant Drums", and was one of the few actors assembled for the recording of additional vocal elements for the film. It is very likely he was asked on the spot to perform other things for the film, including the screams for a man being bitten by an alligator.

Goofs:

Continuity: The uniforms, besides being anachronistic, don't stay the same throughout the movie. At the beginning, Captain Wyatt wears trousers with Infantry white stripes on them. The "sergeant" (actually Sergeant Major chevrons) and corporal's chevrons are Cavalry yellow. The Captain appears wearing trousers with Cavalry yellow stripes and, shortly afterwards, Artillery red ones. The sergeant and the corporal also appear briefly wearing Artillery red chevrons.

Quotes:

Monk: [to Tufts] Shakin' hands with an Indian's like pumpin' a well!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Tacones lejanos (1991)

"Objective Burma" as an eastern western.

Niven Busch wrote such great stories as "Pursued" and "Duel in the Sun", so when you see his name on this film you expect something unusual. What you get instead is "Objective Burma" on a different time and location. Also Max Steiner's music is not at its best, nothing to compare with what he wrote for "They Died With Their Boots On". The good things here are the color cinematography showing the wild Florida Everglades, the underwater fight, Cooper's performance, and specially the sensual beauty of Mari Aldon. Where "Drums" differs from "Burma" is with this very good inclusion of the feminine element. The romance between Cooper and Aldon, with their different points of view about "holding a grudge" saves this film from boredom.