Duel at Diablo (1966)

Lieutenant McAllister is ordered to transport several ammunition wagons to another fort through Apache territory with only a small troop of rookie soldiers to guard them. Along for the ride... See full summary »

Director:

Ralph Nelson

Writers:

Marvin H. Albert (screenplay), Michael M. Grilikhes (screenplay),

Stars:

James Garner, Sidney Poitier, Bibi Andersson

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
James Garner	...	Jess Remsberg
Sidney Poitier	...	Toller
Bibi Andersson	...	Ellen Grange
Dennis Weaver	...	Willard Grange
Bill Travers	...	Lt. Scotty McAllister
William Redfield	...	Sgt. Ferguson
John Hubbard	...	Maj. Novac
Ralph Nelson	...	Col. Foster (as Alf Elson)
Bill Hart	...	Cpl. Harrington
John Hoyt	...	Chata
Eddie Little Sky	...	Alchise
John Crawford	...	Clay Dean

Storyline

Lieutenant McAllister is ordered to transport several ammunition wagons to another fort through Apache territory with only a small troop of rookie soldiers to guard them. Along for the ride is ex-scout Jess Remsberg who is trying to track down Ellen Grange, who, having recently been freed from Apache captivity, has mysteriously run off again to rejoin them. Remsberg frees Ellen again and leaves her with the embattled soldiers as he rides off to the fort, not only for help, but to find the man who killed and scalped his Indian wife.

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Plot Keywords:

soldier | ambush | loss of husband | disarming someone | gunslinger | 

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Taglines:

Afraid to turn their backs on each other they fought side by side against the Indian!

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Genres:

Action | War | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 July 1966 (UK)

Also Known As:

Ralph Nelson's Duel at Diablo

Filming Locations:

Johnson Canyon, Kanab, Utah, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cherokee Productions, Rainbow Releasing

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

As James Garner and others descend a rock wall via ropes under a full moon, the men each cast two shadows.

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Quotes

Willard Grange: You mean you like living with a bunch of savages?
Ellen Grange: You don't understand.
Willard Grange: Well, no, I don't understand. Lots of white women have been grabbed off by an Indian, and many a decent one of them would have killed herself before she let them turn her into an Indian squaw.
Ellen Grange: I'm not that decent, I guess!
Willard Grange: Oh, don't shout. They'll hear ya.
Ellen Grange: You don't care what happens to me... but only what people think about you.
Willard Grange: I do business with them people.
Ellen Grange: The same people who treat your wife like dirt. I was better off...

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Crazy Credits

The United Artists logo is sliced off the screen with a bloody knife, slicing an "X" across the screen, revealing the opening scene. At the end, the same knife slices the live picture away, as (sort of) a fade out.

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Connections

Referenced in American Masters: Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light (2000)

User Reviews

A diverting old-school western adventure

United Artists' western is a rough-and-tumble affair of vengeance, pitched battles between cavalry and Indians, and torture. The action, and there's plenty of it, takes place in the beautiful expanses of southern Utah, the landscape of which consists of every earthen color, to brilliant effect. The main plot has an army scout searching high and low for his Indian wife's killer, and events conspire to have the two men riding with a cavalry troop, although each man is unaware of exactly what drives the other. James Garner and Sidney Poitier head a good cast, but Poitier's character seems out of place in the film. Garner is smitten with a white woman who was captured by the Indians, which creates further tensions in the cavalry patrol. The cinematography is excellent and the stunning vistas of the old west are on grand display. The only drawback to this adventure is Neal Hefti's music score. The jazzy musical accompaniment seems more suited to a made-for-television special than a major western film.