Springfield Rifle (1952)

Major Lex Kearney becomes the North's first counterespionage agent as he tries to discover who's behind the theft of Union cavalry horses in Colorado during the Civil War.

Director:

André De Toth (as Andre DeToth)

Writers:

Charles Marquis Warren (screenplay), Frank Davis (screenplay)

Stars:

Gary Cooper, Phyllis Thaxter, David Brian

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gary Cooper	...	Maj. Alex 'Lex' Kearney
Phyllis Thaxter	...	Erin Kearney
David Brian	...	Austin McCool
Paul Kelly	...	Lt. Col John Hudson
Philip Carey	...	Capt. Edward Tennick
Lon Chaney Jr.	...	Pete Elm (as Lon Chaney)
James Millican	...	Matthew Quint
Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams	...	Sgt. Snow
Alan Hale Jr.	...	Mizzell
Martin Milner	...	Pvt. Olie Larsen
Wilton Graff	...	Col. George Sharpe

Storyline

Major Lex Kearney, dishonorably discharged from the army for cowardice in battle, has actually volunteered to go undercover to try to prevent raids against shipments of horses desperately needed for the Union war effort. Falling in with the gang of jayhawkers and Confederate soldiers who have been conducting the raids, he gradually gains their trust and is put in a position where he can discover who has been giving them secret information revealing the routes of the horse shipments.

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Plot Keywords:

american civil war | freebooter | new mexico territory | courage | cavalry | 

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Taglines:

The Gun... The Girl... They Made One Man The Equal Of Five!

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

Released the same year as Gary Cooper's most famous Western "High Noon (1952)," which also starred Lon Chaney Jr. in a secondary role.

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Goofs

As they are unstrapping the rifles from the wagon section before attacking the raiders, Major Kearney says, "Sgt. Snow, Lieutenant, come with me." Then his mouth keeps moving but no dialog is heard.

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Quotes

Col. George Sharpe: Just before I left Washington, Halleck gave me the latest high command opinion on organizing a group like ours. They laughed at the general. Said the word "counterespionage" wasn't even in the dictionary. It seemed ridiculous to try to create something that couldn't even be defined. Well, we're defining it for him and in great big capital letters!

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Connections

Remade as Cheyenne: Test of Courage (1957)

User Reviews

4 out of 5 action rating

See it- This is a diamond in the rough. It is relatively unknown but a must-see for Gary Cooper fans. Cooper plays his usual character of a man on a mission to redeem himself, but this is not a typical western. Exciting from start to finish, it's the story of the inception of counterintelligence used by the Union in the Civil War. It is not necessarily James Bond with a cowboy hat. It is still very much a western, and a refreshingly good Civil War movie for a change. Movie buffs will also get a kick out of a young Fess Parker. Full of twists and lots of battle scenes, it's a good old-fashioned, fun movie. 4 action rating

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 October 1952 (USA)

Also Known As:

Springfield Rifle

Filming Locations:

Mount Whitney, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (WarnerColor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1