A Distant Trumpet (1964)

Lt. Hazard, fresh out of West Point, arrives in Arizona Territory at hot, dusty, Fort Delivery. Appalled by the lax discipline of its troops, he restricts their privileges and subjects them... See full summary »

Director:

Raoul Walsh

Writers:

John Twist (screenplay), Richard Fielder (adaptation),

Stars:

Troy Donahue, Suzanne Pleshette, Diane McBain

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview:
Troy Donahue	...	2nd Lt. Matthew 'Matt' Hazard
Suzanne Pleshette	...	Mrs. Kitty Mainwarring
Diane McBain	...	Laura Frelief (Quaint's niece)
James Gregory	...	Maj. Gen. Alexander Upton Quaint
William Reynolds	...	1st Lt. Teddy Mainwarring
Claude Akins	...	Seely Jones
Kent Smith	...	Secretary of War
Judson Pratt	...	Capt. Cedric Gray MD
Bartlett Robinson	...	Maj. Hiram Prescott
Bobby Bare	...	Pvt Cranshaw
Larry Ward	...	Sgt. Kroger
Richard X. Slattery	...	Sgt. Fry
Mary Patton	...	Mrs. Jessica Prescott
Russell Johnson	...	Capt. Brinker (Judge Advocate's office)
Lane Bradford	...	Maj. Miller

Storyline

Lt. Hazard, fresh out of West Point, arrives in Arizona Territory at hot, dusty, Fort Delivery. Appalled by the lax discipline of its troops, he restricts their privileges and subjects them to arduous drills. At the same time, he finds himself falling in love with Kitty, the wife of his commanding officer. This romance is complicated when his fiancee from Back East decides to pay a visit. Troubles with the local Indians, however, soon force Hazard to concentrate on his military duties which sometimes conflict with his sympathy for the Indians' cause.

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Plot Keywords:

fort | arizona | romantic triangle | branding iron | indian attack | 

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 May 1964 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die blaue Eskadron

Filming Locations:

Leupp, Arizona, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min 96 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Final film of Raoul Walsh.

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Quotes

2nd Lt. Matthew 'Matt' Hazard: All right, now take a good look at them. It's going to make killing Apaches a lot easier They were buried alive. Those ants are eating their brains out!

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Connections

Featured in Reel Injun (2009)

User Reviews

An "A" movie with a "B" cast

This may have started out as an "A" production and its visual elements are certainly first-rate. The ever-reliable William Clothier contributes sparkling color photography which fills the wide-screen with some of the most impressive vistas you're ever likely to see in a western. Unfortunately, by casting Troy Donahue in the lead role, Warner Bros. indicated it was relegating this production to "B" status, and the result is just another cavalry-and-Indians movie. Suzanne Pleshette shows promise as "Kitty" but it's hard to do good work when one's leading man is of the Ken-doll variety. Diane McBain has little to work with as the fiancee and merely adds to the feeling that "A Distant Trumpet" is a spin-off from Warner Bros. stable of TV westerns. At least the cavalry soldiers actually get dusty in this movie, and there's a good scene of Bobby Bare being branded on the back for cowardice.