The Hallelujah Trail (1965)

On its way to Denver, a cargo of whiskey destined for the miners, is sought after by the Temperance League, the U.S. Cavalry, the local Indians and the miners themselves.

Director:

John Sturges

Writers:

William Gulick (novel) (as Bill Gulick), John Gay (screenplay)

Stars:

Burt Lancaster, Lee Remick, Jim Hutton

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Burt Lancaster	...	Col. Thaddeus Gearhart
Lee Remick	...	Cora Templeton Massingale
Jim Hutton	...	Capt. Paul Slater
Pamela Tiffin	...	Louise Gearhart
Donald Pleasence	...	'Oracle' Jones
Brian Keith	...	Frank Wallingham
Martin Landau	...	Chief Walks-Stooped-Over
John Anderson	...	Sgt. Buell
Tom Stern	...	Kevin O'Flaherty
Robert J. Wilke	...	Chief Five Barrels
Dub Taylor	...	Clayton Howell
Whit Bissell	...	Hobbs
Helen Kleeb	...	Henrietta
Val Avery	...	Denver bartender
Noam Pitlik	...	Interpreter

Storyline

A wagon train heads for Denver with a cargo of whisky for the miners. Chaos ensues as the Temperance League, the US cavalry, the miners and the local Indians all try to take control of the valuable cargo.

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Plot Keywords:

miner | u.s. cavalry | indian war | slapstick comedy | whiskey | 

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Taglines:

CINERAMA sends you roaring with laughter and adventure down that wide and wonderful fun-trail!

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Genres:

Comedy | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 June 1965 (USA)

Also Known As:

John Sturges' The Hallelujah Trail

Filming Locations:

Portal, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$4,000,000

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kappa,The Mirisch Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

165 min 156 min (TCM print) 146 min (Cinemax) 134 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Burt Lancaster was forced by United Artists to make four films for $150,000 a picture in the 1960s: The Young Savages (1961), Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), The Train (1964) and The Hallelujah Trail (1965) rather than his normal fee of $750,000, because of cost overruns at his production company, Hecht-Hill-Lancaster, for which he was personally responsible.

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Goofs

When Cora Massingale is in her bath 3 rapid cuts show her with her arms outside the bath, then inside, then outside again.

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Quotes

Col. Thaddeus Gearhart: [sitting in a bathtub when Mrs. Massingale enters his tent] Madam, I'm bathing!
Cora Templeton Massingale: The sight of a man bathing is not foreign to a woman widowed three times.
Col. Thaddeus Gearhart: You will pardon me if I don't rise.

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Connections

Referenced in To Tell the Truth: Episode dated 9 November 1964 (1964)

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Soundtracks

Hallelujah Trail
Written by Elmer Bernstein and Ernie Sheldon

User Reviews

A Taxpayer and a Good Republican

And that was Brian Keith's reason as to why he expected to get good service from the U.S. Cavalry. Ironically enough in post Civil War America that's about all it took.

Poor Burt Lancaster in one of his few ventures into comedy, as commander of a frontier army post, he's expected to provide good order between the conflicting demands of drunken townsman, Republican businessmen, temperance women, and a tribe of Indians looking to get their hands on white man's firewater.

Lancaster overacts outrageously, sort of a Sergeant Warden now an officer and hating every minute of it. Comedy is a little strange for the intense Mr. Lancaster. He's good, but I think Robert Mitchum would have been a natural fit for the lead.

Lee Remick is leader of the temperance workers and in our time they can certainly be made an object of fun. Their efforts led to Prohibition ultimately which produced far more evils than demon rum. But it should never be forgotten that with the second class position of women in the 19th century as homemakers and little more else, keeping the male breadwinner sober and working was not a humorous thing. The roots of the temperance movement are very real.

But this is a comedy and Lee Remick as a liberated woman of her time is expanding a bit on the part she played in Wheeler Dealers. Lots of similarity between this role as Cora Massingale and her part in Wheeler Dealers as Molly Thatcher, a pioneer woman stockbroker.

The rest of the cast is fine, I would single out Brian Keith as the choleric taxpayer and good Republican and Donald Pleasance the psychic and alcoholic scout.

John Sturges made some of the best action films of the 50s and 60s and this is certainly a good one. Also Elmer Bernstein's score is a winner.