Cheyenne Autumn (1964)

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

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

Release Date:

3 October 1964 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | Western

Tagline:

LAND-GRABBING DOLLAR PATRIOTS!

Plot:

When the government agency fails to deliver even the meager supplies due by treaty to the proud Cheyenne tribe in their barren desert reserve...

Plot Keywords:

Cavalry | Starving | Journey | Indian Chief | Doc Holliday

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

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
Judson Pratt	...	Mayor Dog Kelly
Carmen D'Antonio	...	Pawnee Woman
Ken Curtis	...	Joe
James Stewart	...	Wyatt Earp
Edward G. Robinson	...	the Secretary of the Interior
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Walter Baldwin	...	Jeremy Wright (uncredited)
Danny Borzage	...	Trooper (uncredited)
Willis Bouchey	...	Colonel at Victory Cave (uncredited)
Lee Bradley	...	Cheyenne (uncredited)
Joe Brooks	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Harry Carey Jr.	...	Trooper Smith (uncredited)
Dan Carr	...	Trooper (uncredited)
Dave Dunlop	...	Corp. Levy (uncredited)
Jeannie Epper	...	Entertainer (uncredited)
Stephanie Epper	...	Entertainer (uncredited)
Shug Fisher	...	Skinny (uncredited)
James Flavin	...	Ft. Robinson Sergeant of the Guard (uncredited)
William Forrest	...	Senator (uncredited)
Jerry Gatlin	...	Trooper (uncredited)
Donna Hall	...	Entertainer (uncredited)
Sam Harris	...	Dodge City Townsman (uncredited)
Chuck Hayward	...	Trooper (uncredited)
William Henry	...	Infantry Captain (uncredited)
Harry Hickox	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Bryan 'Slim' Hightower	...	Trooper (uncredited)
Harry Holcombe	...	Senator (uncredited)
Nancy Hsueh	...	Little Bird (uncredited)
Michael Jeffers	...	Bartender on Platform (uncredited)
Ben Johnson	...	Trooper Plumtree (uncredited)
Eddie Juaregui	...	Trooper (uncredited)
Syl Lamont	...	Infantryman (uncredited)
Steven Manymules	...	Point Man (uncredited)
Ted Mapes	...	Trooper (uncredited)
Mae Marsh	...	Woman (uncredited)
Philo McCullough	...	Man (uncredited)
Joe McGuinn	...	General (uncredited)
John McKee	...	Trooper (uncredited)
David Miller	...	Trooper (uncredited)
Louise Montana	...	Woman (uncredited)
Montie Montana	...	Trooper (uncredited)
Charles Morton	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Nanomba 'Moonbeam' Morton	...	Running Deer (uncredited)
Many Muleson	...	Medicine Man (uncredited)
Zon Murray	...	Colonel (uncredited)
James O'Hara	...	Trooper (uncredited)
Denver Pyle	...	Sen. Henry (uncredited)
John Qualen	...	Svenson (uncredited)
Walter Reed	...	Lt. Peterson (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson	...	Jessie (uncredited)
Bing Russell	...	Braden's Telegraph Operator (uncredited)
Charles Seel	...	Newspaper Publisher (uncredited)
Dean Smith	...	Trooper (uncredited)
Cap Somers	...	Soldier on Train (uncredited)
Mary Statler	...	Entertainer (uncredited)
Bert Stevens	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Harry Strang	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Bill Williams	...	Trooper (uncredited)
Jack Williams	...	Trooper (uncredited)
Carleton Young	...	Carl Schurz's Aide (uncredited)

Directed by
John Ford

Writing credits
Mari Sandoz		(suggested by "Cheyenne Autumn")
James R. Webb		(screenplay)
Howard Fast		(novel "The Last Frontier") uncredited

Produced by
Bernard Smith	....	producer
John Ford	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Alex North

Cinematography by
William H. Clothier		(director of photography) (as William Clothier)

Film Editing by
Otho Lovering
David Hawkins		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Richard Day

Set Decoration by
Darrell Silvera		(as Darryl Silvera)

Costume Design by
Frank Beetson Jr.		(uncredited)
Ann Peck		(uncredited)

Makeup Department
Norman Pringle	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Russell Saunders	....	assistant director (as Russ Saunders)
Wingate Smith	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Francis E. Stahl	....	sound

Special Effects by
Ralph Webb	....	special effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Eli Bo Jack Blackfeather	....	stunts (uncredited)
Steven Burnett	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jeannie Epper	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Epper	....	stunts (uncredited)
Stephanie Epper	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jerry Gatlin	....	stunts (uncredited)
Donna Hall	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Hayward	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bryan 'Slim' Hightower	....	stunts (uncredited)
Loren Janes	....	stunts (uncredited)
Eddie Juaregui	....	stunts (uncredited)
Cliff Lyons	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ted Mapes	....	stunts (uncredited)
John McKee	....	stunts (uncredited)
Louise Montana	....	stunts (uncredited)
Montie Montana	....	stunts (uncredited)
Rudy Robbins	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dean Smith	....	stunts (uncredited)
Neil Summers	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bill Williams	....	stunts (uncredited)
Jack Williams	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Gerald Perry Finnerman	....	camera operator (uncredited)
George R. Schrader	....	grip (uncredited)

Music Department
Alex North	....	conductor
Henry Brant	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Gil Grau	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Ray Kellogg	....	associate director
David Miller	....	Indian technical advisor (as David H. Miller)
Jean-Michel Causse	....	press attache: France (re-release: 2003 ) (uncredited)
Bill Cornford	....	location manager (uncredited)
Elise Girard	....	press attache: France (re-release: 2003 ) (uncredited)
Jean-Michel Rodon	....	press attache: France (re-release: 2003 ) (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Warner Bros (presents)
• Ford-Smith Productions (as A John Ford - Bernard Smith Production)

Distributors

• Warner Bros (1964) (USA) (theatrical) (as Warner Bros. Pictures A TimeWarner Company)
• Warner Bros. (1964) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1964) (France) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1968) (USA) (TV)
• Action Gitanes (2003) (France) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Warner Bros. Films (1965) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video France (2006) (France) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video France (2010) (France) (DVD) (as Warner Bros. Environmental)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (Germany) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (????) (USA) (VHS)

Also Known As:

"John Ford's Cheyenne Autumn" - UK (complete title), USA (complete title)

Runtime:

154 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

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

Certification:

Sweden:11 | Argentina:13 | UK:U | Canada:PG (Ontario) | West Germany:12 (f) | USA:Approved (certificate #20635) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Germany:12 (DVD rating) | UK:U (video rating: 124m) (1988) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-11 (n) | France:U | UK:U (tv rating)

Filming Locations:

Janss Conejo Ranch, Thousand Oaks, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros

Trivia:

Finnish certificate # 71202 delivered on 12-2-1965.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: The Navajos travel 1500 miles but never seem to leave Monument Valley, except for some snow scenes.

Quotes:

Capt. Thomas Archer:You claim to be a doctor. You gonna let him put those women and children in a warehouse at 10 below zero? What are you gonna do about it?
Dr. O'Carberry:What are you gonna do about it?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Bed & Board (1970)

Soundtrack:

Oh, Dem Golden Slippers

Excellent last film by the great John Ford with epic battles , intense drama and spectacular scenes

Historical and overlong movie recounting the legendary Cheyenne trek led by the Indian chiefs , Little Wolf and Dull Knife . The picture is an epic portrait of the historic story about celebrated Cheyenne (they are actually Navajo, telling dirty jokes in their native tongue) and their legendary feat leading the tribe on a journey to freedom , uprooting them from the Yellowstone and resettling them in distant Oklahoma . This majestic flick illustrates the callous disregard with which the government treated the Cheyenne in the 1880s as the US agency fails to deliver even the meager provisions due by peace treaty to the stubborn tribe in their stark desert reserve without proper supplies for survival ; then the starving Indians have taken more abuse than it's worth and break it too by embarking on a 1,500 miles trek back to their ancestral hunting grounds , being led by Little Wolf and Dull Knife (Ford was urged to cast Richard Boone and Anthony Quinn , as both had Native American blood ; Ricardo Montalban and Gilbert Roland, who were of Mexican descent, were cast instead) . Meanwhile , proud Cheyenne tribe square off US cavalry commanded by Thomas Archer (Richard Widmark) who leads his army on a wild chase across the barren plains in this saga of the old west . Red Shirt (Sal Mineo , John Ford would not allow Sal to speak any English dialog in the movie due to the actor's Bronx accent) , a rebel Indian does the first shot against cavalry . Captain Thomas Archer goes to deal with Secretary of Interior Schulz about the unfortunate Indians (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). The tribe refuses to surrender in this chronicle of a bitter fight between the tribe and the US cavalry in the struggle for the west.

This sprawling epic film displays action Western , shootouts , drama and spectacular battles . It's a thoughtful piece for its time that had an original tragic ending and imbued with moments of sensitive poetry . This nice Western contains interesting characters , full of wide open space and dramatic moments . This classic , sturdy picture ranks as one of the most sentimental of John Ford's work .Thought-provoking , enjoyable screenplay portraying in depth characters and brooding events with interesting issues running beneath script surface and suggested by Mari Sandoz in "Cheyenne Autumn¨ with screenplay by James R. Webb and based on a novel titled Last Frontier by Howard Fast who also wrote Spartacus . This excellent film featuring a magnificent performance by whole casting , including a top-notch support cast . Awesome Richard Widmark in a larger-than-life character along with a gorgeous Carrol Baker and a magnificent Karl Malden as deranged captain Wessels . In the film appears , as usual , Ford's favourite actors as Ben Johnson , Harry Carey Jr , Mike Mazurki , George O'Brien , Mae Marsh , Patrick Wayne , Dolores Del Rio , Ken Curtis , Elizabeh Allen , Willis Bouchey , and of course James Stewart as obstinate sheriff Earp . Ford added the segment with Stewart in place of an intermission , he didn't want people leaving the auditorium to go the bathroom or concessions counter, even though the film was long, and so he came up with the Wyatt Earp segment ; Ford later quipped to Stewart that the actor was the "best intermission" in the movies . Outdoors are pretty good and well photographed in Super Panavision 70mm by William H Clothier and filmed on location in Moab, Utah,Fort Laramie, Wyoming, Monument Valley, Utah , Gunnison Canyon, Colorado . Rousing and an impressive musical score by Alex North who composed other masterpieces as Spartacus and Cleopatra.

This may not be Ford's best Western , as many would claim , but it's still head ad shoulders above most big-scale movies .You'll find the ending over-dramatic according to your tastes , though it's lovingly composed by John Ford who really picks up battle , drama and sensibility towards the ending . Rating : Better than average , worthwhile watching . The motion picture well produced by Bernard Smith was brilliantly directed by John Ford at his last film . This powerful movie will appeal to Indian Western fans