The White Buffalo (1977)

In this strange western version of JAWS, Wild Bill Hickok hunts a white buffalo he has seen in a dream. Hickok moves through a variety of uniquely authentic western locations - dim, filthy,... See full summary »

Director:

J. Lee Thompson

Writers:

Richard Sale (novel), Richard Sale (screenplay)

Stars:

Charles Bronson, Jack Warden, Will Sampson

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charles Bronson	...	Wild Bill Hickok (James Otis)
Jack Warden	...	Charlie Zane
Will Sampson	...	Crazy Horse / Worm
Kim Novak	...	Mrs. Poker Jenny Schermerhorn
Clint Walker	...	Whistling Jack Kileen
Stuart Whitman	...	Winifred Coxy
Slim Pickens	...	Abel Pickney (Stage Driver)
John Carradine	...	Amos Briggs (Undertaker)
Cara Williams	...	Cassie Ollinger
Shay Duffin	...	Tim Brady (Bartender)
Clifford A. Pellow	...	Pete Holt (Sheriff, Cheyenne, Wyoming) (as Cliff Pellow)
Douglas Fowley	...	Amos Bixby (Train Conductor / narrator) (as Douglas V. Fowley)
Ed Lauter	...	Tom Custer
Martin Kove	...	Jack McCall
Scott Walker	...	Gyp Hook-Hand

Storyline

In this strange western version of JAWS, Wild Bill Hickok hunts a white buffalo he has seen in a dream. Hickok moves through a variety of uniquely authentic western locations - dim, filthy, makeshift taverns; freezing, slaughterhouse-like frontier towns and beautifully desolate high country - before improbably teaming up with a young Indian named Crazy Horse to pursue the creature.

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Plot Keywords:

buffalo | crazy horse | dream | wild bill hickok | cheyenne wyoming | 

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Taglines:

Two legendary enemies unite to fight the charging white beast!!

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

May 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hunt to Kill

Filming Locations:

Bronson Canyon, Griffith Park - 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dino De Laurentiis Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Charles Bronson was about fifty-five years of age when he appeared in this movie.

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Goofs

Throughout the movie, Charles Bronson's character switches between Colt Single Action revolvers and double action revolvers of modern design.

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Quotes

[after their stagecoach is attacked, Hickok and Pickney check for casualties]
Wild Bill Hickok: This lady's walkin' the streets of glory.
Abel Pinkney: God damn! Blue Whistler musta caught her right in the third eye.

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Connections

Referenced in Playboy: The Story of X (1998)

User Reviews

Like the song by Ted Nugent, this movie rocks!

I admire this odd, surreal, western monster movie. It has elements of Moby Dick more than Jaws or anything else, with its various characters pushed onward by fate, following nightmares and omens to their respective destinies, which is what attracted me to it in the first place. It also features some of the greatest western slang I have ever had the pleasure to hear.I grew up in a rural Pacific Northwest lumber town--I know my redneck and cowboy talk and their attendant mannerisms--so trust me when I say that the dialog alone in this film makes it worth viewing. But you also get this giant monster buffalo and it gets a lot of opportunities to make an impression. I even would venture to praise some of the quick-cutting and crazy dolly shots used in conjunction the animatronic beast, which comes across rather well along with the bellowing roar it is given by the sound effects department and John Barry's ominous score.I have seen this film several times and the buffalo always surprises me by its effectiveness.A real sense of force and power and movement is conveyed. One of the more interesting Charles Bronson films of the 1970s.