Cheyenne Autumn (1964)

When the government agency fails to deliver even the meager supplies due by treaty to the proud Cheyenne tribe in their barren desert reserve, the starving Indians have taken more abuse ... See full summary »

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Mari Sandoz (suggested by "Cheyenne Autumn"), James R. Webb (screenplay),

Stars:

Richard Widmark, Carroll Baker, Karl Malden

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Widmark	...	Capt. Thomas Archer
Carroll Baker	...	Deborah Wright
Karl Malden	...	Capt. Wessels
Sal Mineo	...	Red Shirt
Dolores del Rio	...	Spanish Woman (as Dolores Del Rio)
Ricardo Montalban	...	Little Wolf
Gilbert Roland	...	Dull Knife
Arthur Kennedy	...	Doc Holliday
Patrick Wayne	...	Second Lieut. Scott
Elizabeth Allen	...	Miss Plantagenet
John Carradine	...	Jeff Blair
Victor Jory	...	Tall Tree
Mike Mazurki	...	Sr. First Sergeant
George O'Brien	...	Major Braden
Sean McClory	...	Dr. O'Carberry

Storyline

When the government agency fails to deliver even the meager supplies due by treaty to the proud Cheyenne tribe in their barren desert reserve, the starving Indians have taken more abuse than it's worth and break it too by embarking on a 1,500 miles journey back to their ancestral hunting grounds. US Cavalry Capt. Thomas Archer is charged with their retrieval, but during the hunt grows to respect their noble courage, and decides to help them.

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Plot Keywords:

cavalry | starving | journey | indian chief | doc holliday | 

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Taglines:

1,500 miles of heroism and incredible adventure!

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Genres:

Drama | History | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 October 1964 (USA)

Also Known As:

John Ford's Cheyenne Autumn

Filming Locations:

Magma Arizona Railroad, Superior, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros, Ford-Smith Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

154 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Mono (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Spencer Tracy was first cast as the secretary of interior Karl Shultz, but had a heart attack and was replaced by Edward G. Robinson, whose scenes were entirely photographed in studios, including the climatic meeting scene between Shultz and the Cheyenne chiefs, in which the background had to be done with screen process.

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Goofs

James Stewart and Arthur Kennedy are clearly both far too old to be Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday.

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Quotes

Deborah Wright: Dull Knife, the old chief is much too sick. He'll never make such a trip. Listen...
Dull Knife: If he lives to ride even a mile closer to home, he will die as a man should. There will be no more dying in this place.

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Connections

Featured in 100 Years of the Hollywood Western (1994)

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Soundtracks

"The Yellow Rose of Texas"
(uncredited)
Traditional
Played on the banjo during the saloon

User Reviews

John Ford changes his tone...

This film is the perfect counterpoint to early John Ford films such as Stagecoach. In Stagecoach every indian was painted as a bloodthirsty savage, out to menace all of the civilized folk. Cheyenne Autumn, on the other hand is a very revealing film... behind it all you can almost feel John Ford questioning himself and his previous views on American history. In this film it is the US soldiers who are painted as the brutal savages, and the indians are the civilized folk. It's amazing to see Ford, who practically built his career glorifying the chivalry of the western hero, do a complete 360 to end up de-glorifying it. I have the feeling that this was a very personal film for Ford and in that light it really does make him one of the great auteurs of cinema.