Drum Beat (1954)

Director:

Delmer Daves

Writers:

Delmer Daves (screenplay)
Delmer Daves (story)

Release Date:

8 April 1955 (West Germany)

Genre:

Western | Adventure

Plot:

President Grant orders Indian fighter MacKay to negotiate with the Modocs of northern California and southern Oregon...

Plot Keywords:

Ambush | Oregon | Captain | Peace | Wild West

Cast

Alan Ladd	...	Johnny MacKay
Audrey Dalton	...	Nancy Meek
Marisa Pavan	...	Toby
Robert Keith	...	Bill Satterwhite
Rodolfo Acosta	...	Scarface Charlie
Charles Bronson	...	Kintpuash, aka Captain Jack
Warner Anderson	...	Gen. Canby
Elisha Cook Jr.	...	Blaine Crackel
Anthony Caruso	...	Manok
Richard Gaines	...	Dr. Thomas
Hayden Rorke	...	President Ulysses S. Grant
Frank DeKova	...	Modoc Jim
Perry Lopez	...	Bogus Charlie
Isabel Jewell	...	Lily White
Peggy Converse	...	Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant
Pat Lawless	...	O'Brien
Frank Ferguson	...	Mr. Dyar
George J. Lewis	...	Capt. Alonzo Clark (as George Lewis)
Peter Hansen	...	Lt. Goodsall
Willis Bouchey	...	Gen. Gilliam
Strother Martin	...	Scotty
Edgar Stehli	...	Jesse Grant
Richard H. Cutting	...	Col. Meek
Michael Daves	...	Young Boddy (as Mike Lawrence)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Rico Alaniz	...	Medicine Man (uncredited)
Jonas Applegarth	...	Indian (uncredited)
Rayford Barnes	...	Captain Summer (uncredited)
Oliver Blake	...	Minister (uncredited)
Danny Borzage	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Dee Carroll	...	Young Widow (uncredited)
Juney Ellis	...	Mrs. Boddy (uncredited)
Frank Gerstle	...	Grant's Officer (uncredited)
James Griffith	...	Veteran One-Legged Soldier at White House gate (uncredited)
Richard Hale	...	General Sherman (uncredited)
Ron Hargrave	...	Singing Soldier (uncredited)
Gene Jackson	...	Child Street Dancer (uncredited)
Maurice Jara	...	Indian (uncredited)
Kenner G. Kemp	...	Grant's Clerk (uncredited)
Kay E. Kuter	...	Veteran Soldier (uncredited)
George Lloyd	...	Settler (uncredited)
Victor Millan	...	Indian (uncredited)
Felix Noriego	...	Indian (uncredited)
Carol Nugent	...	Nellie Grant (uncredited)
Leonard Penn	...	Miller - a Settler (uncredited)
Denver Pyle	...	Fairchild (uncredited)
George Ross	...	Sentry (uncredited)
Arthur Space	...	Army Doctor (uncredited)
John Veitch	...	Young Soldier (uncredited)
Paul Wexler	...	William Boddy (uncredited)
Norman Willis	...	Guard (uncredited)

Directed by
Delmer Daves

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Delmer Daves		screenplay
Delmer Daves		story

Produced by
Delmer Daves	....	producer
Alan Ladd	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Victor Young

Cinematography by
J. Peverell Marley

Film Editing by
Clarence Kolster

Art Direction by
Leo K. Kuter

Set Decoration by
William L. Kuehl

Sound Department
C.A. Riggs	....	sound

Stunts
Robert Bradshaw	....	stunts (uncredited)
Robert F. Hoy	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Sidney Hickox	....	director of photography: second unit

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Moss Mabry	....	wardrobe

Music Department
Sidney Cutner	....	orchestrator
Leo Shuken	....	orchestrator

Other crew
Ben Corbett	....	technical advisor
George Ross	....	technical advisor

Production Companies

• Jaguar Productions

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1954) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1955) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1955) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1955) (France) (theatrical)

Also Known As:

"Delmer Daves' Drum Beat" - USA (complete title)

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Warnercolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.55 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (RCA Sound Recording) (magnetic prints) | Mono (optical prints)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Portugal:M/6 | Finland:K-16 | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Cathedral Rock, Sedona, Arizona, USA

Company:

Jaguar Productions

Trivia:

General Edward Canby, whose death is depicted in this movie, was in reality the only U.S. army general killed during the American Indian Wars. "General" G. A. Custer, killed at the Battle of Little Big Horn in 1876, was not in fact a general at the time of his death. After the Civil War, he held the permanent rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Captain Jack meets with the peace commission and asked by Johnny MacKay what it would take to make peace, he responds "all of the Lost River to the Klamath." He was in fact a Modoc.

Quotes:

Nellie Grant:Have you ever seen Indians bit the dust?
Johnny MacKay:They don't really bite, it, Miss - they hit it.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The Good Life (2007)

A Bronson Breakthrough

Catch the two great bookend sequences. They may be the most memorable part of this nicely produced Western purportedly based on fact. That opening sequence with McKay (Ladd) walking in unchallenged to meet President Grant is based on the historical fact that presidents have only been removed from the public in later times. Citizens back then could essentially walk in and talk to the president without a dozen pre-screens.

Also, for this Bronson fan, that jail cell ending may well be the high point of his acting career. He shows more unforced good humor and naturalness there than any scene I've seen him in. In fact, he easily steals the movie from the rest of the cast, positioning himself as a real Hollywood comer.

This is an A-production from Warner Bros. For example, scope out the well stocked cavalry troop. No corner-cutting there. Then too, lavish use is made of Sedona's familiar red rock locations adding real scenic value. Also, there's a much larger than usual supporting cast of familiar faces, even down to bit parts. Producers Daves and Ladd (uncredited) do a bang-up job assembling the many components.

Surprisingly, for plot developments, the Indians actually get to win a battle and rejoice on- screen. However, the film's impact is damaged by being over-long, probably to accommodate a romantic interest to broaden audience appeal. Then too, Ladd, the actor, appears not nearly as interested in the film as Ladd, the co-producer. Frankly, he looks glum throughout the nearly two-hour running time, and I don't think it's from under-playing the part. Plus having him over-power the muscular, extremely fit looking Bronson is quite a stretch.

Despite these several drawbacks, it's still a good scenic, action flick, the first of director Daves' series of superior Westerns.