Oh! Susanna (1951)

A cavalry unit defends settlers against rampaging Sioux Indians.

Director:

Joseph Kane

Writer:

Charles Marquis Warren (story and screenplay)

Stars:

Rod Cameron, Lorna Gray, Forrest Tucker

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rod Cameron	...	Captain Webb Calhoun
Lorna Gray	...	Lia Wilson (as Adrian Booth)
Forrest Tucker	...	Lieutenant Colonel Unger
Chill Wills	...	Sergeant Barhydt
William Ching	...	Corporal Donlin
Jim Davis	...	Ira Jordan
Wally Cassell	...	Trooper Muro
Jimmy Lydon	...	Trumpeter Benton (as James Lydon)
Douglas Kennedy	...	Trooper Emers
William Haade	...	Trooper Riorty
John Compton	...	Lieutenant Cutter
James Flavin	...	Captain Worth
Charles Stevens	...	Charlie Grass
Al Bridge	...	Jake Ledbetter (as Alan Bridge)
Marion Randolph	...	Mrs. Worth

Storyline

In 1875, a peace treaty between the United States and the Sioux Nation brings calm to the Black Hills of the Dakota Territory. However, a rumor about gold in the hills starts a gold-rush. Many settlers and prospectors invade the Black Hills in violation of the peace treaty. The Army tries its best to keep the gold-rushers out of the Sioux lands in order to avoid renewed confrontations between the Sioux and the Whites. A small fort with a small garrison is entrusted with policing the region. Captain Webb Calhoun is especially strict about keeping the gold seekers out of the Indian lands. This earns him the enmity of the settlers and the gold-rushers. Often times, Calhoun's men get into fist fights with the prospectors in the local saloon. The saloon owner, Ira Jordan, encourages gold-digging on Sioux lands. He figures that sooner or later, the Sioux will attack the train wagons carrying settlers and gold-rushers and trigger a new war between the Sioux and the USA. With the Sioux killed...

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Plot Keywords:

b western | 1880s | song | singer | singing | 

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Genres:

Action | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Quotes

[The troopers find Charlie Grass, their Indian scout, shot full of arrows]
Sgt. Barhydt: You notice he's still got his hair? That's so when he walks around in the hereafter, everybody will know he wasn't even worth scalping.

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Soundtracks

The Regular Army, Oh
Written by Ed Harrigan

User Reviews

A colorful but slow-moving western

The U.S. cavalry has the task of keeping white settlers out of the gold-rich Black Hills, thus maintaining a treaty with the Indians, the storyline of which has been done in countless other westerns. Rod Cameron and Forrest Tucker and Jim Davis head a good cast, but character development gets the edge over action and prevents the film from being a cut above the norm. Cameron and Tucker have starred together in other western films and their pairing always results in mutual dislike and creates tense moments. Chill Wills has several good scenes as a cavalry sergeant and the film has excellent technicolor values. There is a good cavalry-Indian skirmish but the slow, meandering plot development of angry and greedy citizens who want to ignore the treaty and mine gold deposits on Indian land results in an average movie.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 March 1951 (USA)

Also Known As:

Massacre

Filming Locations:

Republic Studios - 4024 Radford Avenue, North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Republic Pictures Corporation (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (Trucolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1