The Hallelujah Trail (1965)

Director:

John Sturges

Writers:

William Gulick (novel)
John Gay (screenplay)

Release Date:

23 June 1965 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Western

Tagline:

See How The West Was Fun!

Plot:

A wagon train heads for Denver with a cargo of whisky for the miners. Chaos ensues as the Temperance League...

Plot Keywords:

Sergeant | Whiskey | Native American | Beautiful Woman | Based On Novel

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Burt Lancaster	...	Col. Thaddeus Gearhart
Lee Remick	...	Cora Templeton Massingale
Jim Hutton	...	Capt. Paul Slater
Pamela Tiffin	...	Louise Gearhart
Donald Pleasence	...	'Oracle' Jones
Brian Keith	...	Frank Wallingham
Martin Landau	...	Chief Walks-Stooped-Over
John Anderson	...	Sgt. Buell
Tom Stern	...	Kevin O'Flaherty
Robert J. Wilke	...	Chief Five Barrels
Dub Taylor	...	Clayton Howell
Whit Bissell	...	Hobbs
Helen Kleeb	...	Henrietta
Val Avery	...	Denver bartender
Noam Pitlik	...	Interpreter

Also Known As:

John Sturges' The Hallelujah Trail (UK) (complete title) (USA) (complete title)

Runtime:

165 min | 156 min (TCM print) | USA:146 min (Cinemax) | West Germany:134 min (cut version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:PG (TV rating) | Norway:12 | West Germany:6 (nf) | USA:Approved (certificate #20607) | Australia:G | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:11 | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, California, USA

Company:

Mirisch Corporation, The

Trivia:

Burt Lancaster was forced by United Artists to make four films for $150,000 a picture in the 1960s: The Young Savages (1961), Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), The Train (1964) and The Hallelujah Trail (1965) rather than his normal fee of $750,000, because of cost overruns at his production company, Hecht-Hill-Lancaster, for which he was personally responsible.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Col. Gearhart comes back to his shave after confronting Cora in her bath the trooper acting as barber puts shaving soap in selected spots on his face. When they go to a full face shot of the Col. his chin is fully lathered and then the lather is only in selected spots again as they cut back to the side view.

Quotes:

Capt. Paul Slater: Protect both rears simultaneously!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (#4.21)" (1991)

Too long, but with great bits

From the era of "epic" comedies like The Great Race and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, The Hallelujah Trail was the entry in the western category. Lots of funny stuff, but just too long to sustain the hilarity.

A favorite bit concerns temperance leader Lee Remick unsuccessfully trying to convince cavalry officer Burt Lancaster of the rightness of her cause:

LEE: Three of the women in my movement have lost their husbands to alcohol. The men literally drank themselves to death!

BURT: One can only wonder why.

There are enough gems like this to make it worth watching, but not up to the standards of Blazing Saddles or Support Your Local Sheriff.