Run of the Arrow (1957)

When the South loses the war, Confederate veteran O'Meara goes West, joins the Sioux, takes a wife and refuses to be an American but he must choose a side when the Sioux go to war against the U.S. Army.

Director:

Samuel Fuller

Writer:

Samuel Fuller

Stars:

Rod Steiger, Sara Montiel, Brian Keith

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rod Steiger	...	O'Meara
Sara Montiel	...	Yellow Moccasin (as Sarita Montiel)
Brian Keith	...	Capt. Clark
Ralph Meeker	...	Lt. Driscoll
Jay C. Flippen	...	Walking Coyote
Charles Bronson	...	Blue Buffalo
Olive Carey	...	Mrs. O'Meara
H.M. Wynant	...	Crazy Wolf (as H. M. Wynant)
Neyle Morrow	...	Lt. Stockwell
Frank DeKova	...	Red Cloud (as Frank De Kova)
Tim McCoy	...	Gen. Allen (as Colonel Tim McCoy)
Stuart Randall	...	Col. Taylor
Frank Warner	...	Banjo Playing Singer
Billy Miller	...	Silent Tongue
Chuck Hayward	...	Corporal

Storyline

A Rebel vet, O'Meara has refused to surrender when Lee does at Appomattox. O'Meara travels west and after escaping from, he joins the Sioux and takes a wife. After denouncing himself as an American, he must make a choice when the Army and Sioux go to battle.

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Plot Keywords:

year 1865 | indian burial ground | comanche indian | u.s. cavalry | travois | 

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Taglines:

The strange saga of the Johnny Reb who turned Sioux to wage a one-man war against the Yankees !

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of the first movies to used blood squibs to simulate gunshot wounds

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Goofs

The bulk of the film is in a very arid desert area, not the landscape in Sioux territory.

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Quotes

Banjo Playing Singer: But the best news... the best news was when your ma said that you come home... in one piece.
Pvt. O'Meara, 6th Virginia Volunteers Sharpshooter: The best news I got was when Lincoln was dead. What's the matter mama?
Mrs. O'Meara: A man shows respect even if it's for a dead damn Yankee president!
Pvt. O'Meara, 6th Virginia Volunteers Sharpshooter: Have you lost your reason? That baboon was shot too late.
Mrs. O'Meara: The bullet which killed him converted Trust into the north.
Pvt. O'Meara, 6th Virginia Volunteers Sharpshooter: You talk like you sick in the head.
Mrs. O'Meara: well he said he was going to take us back in the Union didn't he?
Pvt. O'Meara, 6th Virginia Volunteers Sharpshooter: Who cares about the Union?
Mrs. O'Meara: Lots of us do son. I know it ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

The movie closes with the following statement: "The end of this story can only be written by you."

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Connections

Remade as Dances with Wolves (1990)

User Reviews

When the arrow hits the ground, start running!

When Samuel Fuller convinced R.K.O. to make this film they wanted Gary Cooper for the main role. Fuller stated that he wanted a loser, not a hero. Rod Steiger was chosen but Fuller had quite a hard time with him, because Steiger wanted to do the scenes his way. It was quite a battle of personalities. Steiger is a confederate soldier with an Irish accent, who cannot conform to the fact that he lost the war. A man tells him that many like him have gone to South America, but Steiger decides to stay and joins the Sioux, thinking that because they have a common enemy, they are alike. He marries Sarita Montiel,who did not speak much English, so they had to use Angie Dickinson's voice in all her scenes. The Sioux chief is Charles Bronson. Through the film we see the interesting ceremony of the "run of the arrow" a couple of times. The film end abruptly, even though it shows very well its story and the conflicting feelings of Steiger. It could have been a budget cut, but considering Fuller's constant search for originality, both factors counted.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 September 1957 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Last Bullet

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Globe Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1