Westward Ho, the Wagons! (1956)

The adventures of a group of pioneers as their wagon train crosses the West.

Director:

William Beaudine

Writers:

Thomas W. Blackburn (screenplay), Mary Jane Carr (novel)

Stars:

Fess Parker, Kathleen Crowley, Jeff York

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Fess Parker	...	John 'Doc' Grayson
Kathleen Crowley	...	Laura Thompson
Jeff York	...	Hank Breckenridge
David Stollery	...	Dan Thompson
Sebastian Cabot	...	Bissonette
George Reeves	...	James Stephen
Doreen Tracey	...	Bobo Stephen
Barbara Woodell	...	Mrs. Stephen
John War Eagle	...	Wolf's Brother
Cubby O'Brien	...	Jerry Stephen
Tommy Cole	...	Jim Stephen
Leslie Bradley	...	Spencer Armitage
Morgan Woodward	...	Obie Foster
Iron Eyes Cody	...	Many Stars
Anthony Numkena	...	Little Thunder

Storyline

Wagon master James Stephen leads a wagon train of settlers, including his wife and children, across the vast plains. Prominent among the settlers is Doc Grayson, who though not really a doctor provides what medical care he can to the travelers. The wagon train is beset by Pawnees, determined to make off with the horses. A later encounter with presumably friendly Sioux takes a dark turn when the son of the chief appears to be dying, and only Doc Grayson can help.

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Plot Keywords:

horse | american indian | pawnee tribe | native american | family relationships | 

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Genres:

Western | Family

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 December 1956 (USA)

Also Known As:

Zug der Furchtlosen

Filming Locations:

Janss Conejo Ranch, Thousand Oaks, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The script called for an Indian attack on a wagon train, but producer Walt Disney told second-unit director Yakima Canutt that he didn't want it to be a typical Indian attack, as children would be watching the film and he didn't want them to see anyone killed or injured. Canutt objected, saying that in real life people were killed during Indian attacks and one in which no one gets hurt was so unrealistic that it shouldn't be filmed at all. Disney overruled his objection and told Canutt to shoot the attack as ordered. After screening the finished sequence, however, Disney told Canutt that he had been right and the attack looked too phony and unrealistic and ordered it to be reshot in a more realistic manner. Canutt said that it would add at least a week's extra time and several hundred thousand dollars to the budget, but Disney told him to re-shoot for as long as he needed in order to get it right.

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Connections

Edited into Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color: Westward Ho the Wagons!: White Man's Medicine (1961)

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Soundtracks

"Wringle Wrangle"
Written by Stan Jones
Sung by Fess Parker

User Reviews

Wagon train stops at Fort Laramie, where Anglo-Indian hostilities break out.

This is one of several westerns that the Walt Disney studio tailored for Fess Parker in the years immediately following Davy Crockett's success. The first half hour is an enjoyable but relatively routine wagon trail tale, involving a stalwart boy (David Stollery, of Spin and Marty fame) who, like the legendary John Colter, must run from hostile Indians on foot. The action-oriented first half culminates in a rugged shootout that action-western fans will enjoy. In the minds of many, Westward Ho slows down there as the train arrives in Fort Laramie and no further big battles occur. In fact, this is where the movie takes off dramatically, promoting the sort of racial tolerance and mutual acceptance so essential to the Disney vision. Parker is a doctor, and along with a Lakota medicine man (Iron Eyes Cody), helps a dying Indian boy. "Two medicines are better than one" is the message, and a beautiful one at that, suggesting that mutual cooperation is indeed possible between the races. Fess even gets to sing several sings, and one of them, "Wringle Wrangle," became a top ten hit. This is a forgotten treat, waiting to be rediscovered.