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IMDbPro

Trooper Hook

  • 1957
  • Approved
  • 1h 21m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
923
YOUR RATING
Barbara Stanwyck and Joel McCrea in Trooper Hook (1957)
DramaWestern

When Apache chief Nanchez is captured by the cavalry, his white squaw and infant son are returned to civilization by Sergeant Hook, but Nanchez escapes custody and attempts to re-claim his s... Read allWhen Apache chief Nanchez is captured by the cavalry, his white squaw and infant son are returned to civilization by Sergeant Hook, but Nanchez escapes custody and attempts to re-claim his son.When Apache chief Nanchez is captured by the cavalry, his white squaw and infant son are returned to civilization by Sergeant Hook, but Nanchez escapes custody and attempts to re-claim his son.

  • Director
    • Charles Marquis Warren
  • Writers
    • Jack Schaefer
    • David Victor
    • Martin Berkeley
  • Stars
    • Joel McCrea
    • Barbara Stanwyck
    • Earl Holliman
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.6/10
    923
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Charles Marquis Warren
    • Writers
      • Jack Schaefer
      • David Victor
      • Martin Berkeley
    • Stars
      • Joel McCrea
      • Barbara Stanwyck
      • Earl Holliman
    • 24User reviews
    • 6Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos7

    Barbara Stanwyck and Joel McCrea in Trooper Hook (1957)
    Earl Holliman in Trooper Hook (1957)
    Barbara Stanwyck, Rodolfo Acosta, and Joel McCrea in Trooper Hook (1957)
    Barbara Stanwyck and Joel McCrea in Trooper Hook (1957)
    Barbara Stanwyck and Joel McCrea in Trooper Hook (1957)
    Barbara Stanwyck, Earl Holliman, and Joel McCrea in Trooper Hook (1957)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Joel McCrea
    Joel McCrea
    • Sgt. Clovis Hook
    Barbara Stanwyck
    Barbara Stanwyck
    • Cora Sutliff
    Earl Holliman
    Earl Holliman
    • Jeff Bennett
    Edward Andrews
    Edward Andrews
    • Charlie Travers
    John Dehner
    John Dehner
    • Fred Sutliff
    Susan Kohner
    Susan Kohner
    • Consuela
    Royal Dano
    Royal Dano
    • Mr. Trude
    Celia Lovsky
    Celia Lovsky
    • Señora Sandoval
    Stanley Adams
    Stanley Adams
    • Heathcliff
    Terry Lawrence
    • Quito
    Rodolfo Acosta
    Rodolfo Acosta
    • Nanchez
    • (as Rudolfo Acosta)
    Richard Shannon
    Richard Shannon
    • Trooper Ryan
    Sheb Wooley
    Sheb Wooley
    • Cooter Brown
    Jeanne Bates
    Jeanne Bates
    • Ann Weaver
    Patrick O'Moore
    Patrick O'Moore
    • Col. Adam Weaver
    Cyril Delevanti
    Cyril Delevanti
    • Junius
    • (as Cyril Delivanti)
    Rush Williams
    Rush Williams
    • Cpl. Stoner
    Alfred Linder
    • Undetermined Secondary Role
    • Director
      • Charles Marquis Warren
    • Writers
      • Jack Schaefer
      • David Victor
      • Martin Berkeley
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

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    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The last of six films co-starring Barbara Stanwyck and Joel McCrea as well as the only one in which McCrea gets top billing over Stanwyck. The previous are Gambling Lady (1934), Banjo on My Knee (1936) Internes Can't Take Money (1937), Union Pacific (1939) and The Great Man's Lady (1941).
    • Goofs
      Even though the story takes place some time soon after the Civil War, Barbara Stanwyck's hair style is strictly a 1957 perm.
    • Quotes

      Ann Weaver: Adam, what would your feelings be if I were in her place?

      Col. Adam Weaver: That doesn't even deserve an answer.

      Ann Weaver: Doesn't it?

      Col. Adam Weaver: You'd have killed yourself before you'd let it happen to you.

      Ann Weaver: I wonder?

    • Connections
      Referenced in Woman with a Whip (2018)
    • Soundtracks
      Trooper Hook
      Written by Gerald Fried, Mitzi Cummings

      Sung by Tex Ritter

    User reviews24

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    Worthy
    Another fine McCrea Western with more substance than most. Cavalry sergeant McCrea must get white Indian squaw Stanwyck and little half-breed son past bigoted whites and hostile Apaches to her former husband Dehner. Along the way, they encounter many difficulties from both whites and Indians.

    Those scenic Utah vistas, even in b&w, lend real credibility to the proceedings. And catch that opening scene. Note the brutality from both cavalry and Apaches, as latter execute prisoners, while former lays waste to Indian encampment. Throughout, the subtext hints at an underlying commonality between the two races despite the hostility. Or, as Apache Nanchez and cavalryman McCrea observe during a peace parley, there's a little of each in both of them.

    Now, the question logically arises—given the warfare and brutality, why is McCrea so basically kind to enemy Stanwyck and son. Sure, she was captured and made a squaw and still has white skin, but she's also born Nanchez's son, captivity or no captivity. That's enough for most whites to hate her. Thanks to an intelligent script (except for the contrived ending), we find out. McCrea was a captive during the Civil War and stayed alive by imitating a dog, of all things. So, he knows what it's like to humiliate oneself in order to stay alive, which is what the unrepentant Stanwyck has done as a captive of the Apaches. It's a solid psychological point and a credit to McCrea that his character would risk such a demeaning episode in his background.

    There's also the suspenseful stand-off around the fallen stagecoach. It's pretty clear that McCrea will shoot the boy if Nanchez attacks. It's also a pretty cold-blooded gamble. What's rather surprising is that McCrea shows no doubts or compunctions about risking the boy's life. Not too many Westerns of the time showed the hero holding a gun (through Holliman) to a little boy's head, amounting to an unusual departure, particularly for McCrea's apparent lack of feeling. Of course, what's going on underneath the steely resolve is likely entirely different.

    Stanwyck is excellent as the stoical Cora Sutcliff. Her career had fallen off since there weren't many A-pictures available to a middle-aged star. But being the down-to-earth person she was known to be, she gives this B-Western her best, and it shows. I just wish Earl Holliman had more screen time. Some people are born to play certain parts, and he was born to play a good-natured, slightly oafish cowboy. His scenes with McCrea amount to little gems of unspoken affection. At the same time, I'm guessing young lady Kohner's part was added to Holliman's to give the movie more youth appeal. But most of all, the film has the great Joel McCrea. No actor brought more quiet dignity and less egotism to the traditional cowboy role than he. Unfortunately, I expect it's that very low-key approach that has lowered his public profile over the years. Too bad.

    This 1957 release came at a time when both movies and TV were saturated with cowboys and six-guns. As a result, many quality Westerns got lost in the crowd, and, I expect, this humane little effort is one of them. Nonetheless, the ending is much too conventional and conveniently pat to distinguish the results completely from the pack. I just wish the script showed the same imagination in the last 5 minutes that it showed in the other 70-some. Then we would have had a complete little gem.
    helpful•25
    2
    • dougdoepke
    • Nov 11, 2009

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 24, 1958 (Finland)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Sergeant Houck
    • Filming locations
      • Mojave Desert, Arizona, USA
    • Production companies
      • Filmaster Productions
      • Sol Baer Fielding
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 21 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White

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