Fury at Furnace Creek (1948)

Two sons of a general try to prove that he did not give an order that resulted in the Indian massacre of a wagon train and army fort.

Director:

H. Bruce Humberstone (as Bruce Humberstone)

Writers:

Charles G. Booth (screenplay), David Garth (story)

Stars:

Victor Mature, Coleen Gray, Glenn Langan

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Victor Mature	...	Cash Blackwell / Tex Cameron
Coleen Gray	...	Molly Baxter
Glenn Langan	...	Capt. Rufe Blackwell / Sam Gilmore
Reginald Gardiner	...	Capt. Grover A. Walsh
Albert Dekker	...	Edward Leverett
Fred Clark	...	Bird
Charles Kemper	...	Peaceful Jones
Robert Warwick	...	Gen. Fletcher Blackwell
George Cleveland	...	Judge
Roy Roberts	...	Al Shanks
Willard Robertson	...	Gen. Leads
Griff Barnett	...	Appleby

Storyline

The Arizona wilderness, 1880. Gen. Fletcher Blackwell sends a message telling Capt. Walsh, who is escorting a wagon-train through Apache territory, heading for the fort at Furnace Creek, that he should cancel the escort and rush to another town. Apache leader "Little Dog" is leading the attack on the wagon-train and massacring everyone at the poorly manned fort. As a result the treaty is broken with the Indians and the white settlers take over the territory with the help of the calvary, as the Apaches are wiped out and only "Little Dog" remains at large. Gen. Fletcher Blackwell is court-martial-led for treason. The general's 2 sons, Cash Blackwell and Capt. Rufe Blackwell, each with a different disposition, go about trying to find evidence to clear their father's name.

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Plot Keywords:

arizona territory | massacre | alias | 1880s | lynch mob | 

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

"The Screen Guild Theater" broadcast a 30 minute radio adaptation of the movie on February 10, 1949 with Victor Mature, Charles Kemper and Reginald Gardiner reprising their film roles.

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Goofs

When Tex Cameron was driving the open buggy through the desert talking to Molly, the carriage seemed to be moving at about 40 miles an hour. Yet there was not even breeze of wind on their faces, indicating they were on a sound stage.

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Connections

Referenced in Svengoolie: The Leech Woman (2013)

User Reviews

Victor Mature in a Western

I'm not sure if Victor Mature is suited to a Western. I didn't think much of him in 'My Darling Clementine'. He was okay in 'Kiss of Death', but it was Richard Widmark that made that film, not Mature. What this film lacked was someone for Mature to play off and react to rather than just being the lead. In 'Samson and Delilah' he had a good script and a good director. This film doesn't have a good script, although you could argue that the direction was good. If Mature had a good script, or a good actor to play off, then maybe it would have lifted his performance. If a film totally relies on Mature then it's not going to stand the test of time. Such is the case with this film.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 August 1948 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

The Ballad of Furnace Creek

Filming Locations:

Kanab Movie Fort, Kanab, Utah, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1