Alvarez Kelly (1966)

During the Civil War, Mexican cattleman Alvarez Kelly supplies the Union with cattle until Confederate Colonel Tom Rossiter's hungry men force Kelly to change his customers.

Director:

Edward Dmytryk

Writer:

Franklin Coen

Stars:

William Holden, Richard Widmark, Janice Rule

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
William Holden	...	Alvarez Kelly
Richard Widmark	...	Col. Tom Rossiter
Janice Rule	...	Liz Pickering
Patrick O'Neal	...	Major Albert Stedman
Victoria Shaw	...	Charity Warwick
Roger C. Carmel	...	Capt. Angus Ferguson
Richard Rust	...	Sergeant Hatcher
Arthur Franz	...	Capt. Towers
Don 'Red' Barry	...	Lt. Farrow (as Donald Barry)
Duke Hobbie	...	John Beaurider
Harry Carey Jr.	...	Cpl. Peterson
Howard Caine	...	McIntyre
Mauritz Hugo	...	Ely Harrison
Barry Atwater	...	General Kautz (as G. B. Atwater)
Robert Morgan	...	Capt. Williams

Storyline

Suave Mexican cattleman Alvarez Kelly has little interest in the Civil War except to make some money. But after a long drive to deliver cattle to the Unionists he finds himself kidnapped by Confederate Colonel Tom Rossiter. With his hungry troops surrounded in Richmond the Colonel intends, one way or the other, to persuade Kelly to help steal the herd and move it into town.

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Plot Keywords:

colonel | confederate | mexican | cattle | general | 

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Taglines:

The renegade adventurer and the reckless colonel !

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

October 1966 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Richmond Story

Filming Locations:

Plantation Village Studios - 4626 Highway 68, Jackson, Louisiana, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sol C. Siegel Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

116 min 110 min (Sony print)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Whilst dining in Baton Rouge, William Holden and Richard Widmark ran into Steve McQueen, who was filming Nevada Smith (1966) in the same area. McQueen and Holden wound up drinking together for the rest of the evening.

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Goofs

Despite the firepower of the Union Cavalry at the bridge, not one steer is seen to fall down dead or wounded. There are fallen cattle seen after the herd has crossed the bridge, but these are obviously live cattle with their legs tied, as can be seen when they struggle to stand up.

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Quotes

Alvarez Kelly: God deliver me from dedicated men.

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue: In every war................... In every age.................... The forgotten weapon is.................... Food. For to kill, soldiers must live................... to live, they must eat.................... And a herd of cattle is as vital as a herd of cannon...................

The United States in 1864.

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Soundtracks

Alvarez Kelly
Music by Johnny Green (as John Green)
Lyrics by Johnny Mercer
Sung by The Brothers Four

User Reviews

"The slickest piece of cattle-rustling I've heard tell of" A. Lincoln

"Alvarez Kelly", made in 1966, supposedly tells the story of a cattle herd that was headed for Union lines during the latter months of the Civil War but was stolen by Confederate raiders, and ended up in Richmond, or so the movie says. That brings the quote listed in my summary to bear. While this may have been a fictitious event in the American Civil War, the movie does give a decent look at life during those turbulent years when one side was simply using might to slowly beat down the other side.

William Holden plays the owner of the cattle herd who has arranged, for a price, to deliver a prime beef herd to Union lines during the latter year of the War, 1864. As Kelly, he'll do anything that can be done, as long as there is a handsome fee at the end of the task. Richard Widmark plays the leader of the Confederate raiders who is just as determined to get the herd delivered, but not to Yankees, but instead to starving Confederate soldiers and citizens. His Southern accent is a bit contrived, but bearable. Widmark is able to convince Holden to change the route of the herd; however, the Union army is going to have to be contended with, as they know this herd was intended for them.

An easy film to watch, just don't put much historical truth with it.