War Paint (1953)

Director:

Lesley Selander

Writers:

Fred Freiberger (story) and
William Tunberg (story) ...

Release Date:

28 August 1953 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Plot:

Lieut. Billings and his army patrol are ordered to deliver a new peace treaty to the Indian Commissioner...

Plot Keywords:

Attack | Cavalry | Native American

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Robert Stack	...	Lt. Billings
Joan Taylor	...	Wanima
Charles McGraw	...	Sgt. Clarke
Keith Larsen	...	Taslik
Peter Graves	...	Trooper Tolson
Robert J. Wilke	...	Trooper Grady (as Robert Wilke)
Walter Reed	...	Trooper Allison
John Doucette	...	Trooper Charnofsky
Douglas Kennedy	...	Trooper Clancy
Charles Nolte	...	Cpl. Hamilton
James Parnell	...	Trooper Martin
Paul Richards	...	Trooper Perkins
William Pullen	...	Jeb
Richard H. Cutting	...	Commissioner Kirby (as Richard Cutting)

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Pathécolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Spain:13 | West Germany:16 (nf) | Finland:(Banned) (1954) | USA:Approved (PCA #16482) | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Death Valley National Park, California, USA

Company:

Bel-Air Productions

Soundtrack:

Elaine, My Sweet Elaine

Pinnacle of the genre

An unjustly-overlooked masterpiece. The almost-unrecognizably young Robert Stack plays the hardened CO of a company entrusted with delivering a treaty. If the chief for whom it is intended does not receive it within the week, he will declare war. Of course, complications ensue...Many of the characters and plot points seem cliched, but only because the film shows its age. Look past the vestiges of '50s moviemaking--blue-eyed squaws, etc.--for strikingly modern subject matter: divorce and Native American rage at continued injustices in particular. Tremendously taut and exciting, to boot. See this movie!