Chuka (1967)

While Indians besiege a U.S. Army fort in 1876, residents of the fort, a gunfighter, a stagecoach driver, two Mexican women, and a motley company of soldiers, try to come to terms with their pasts.

Director:

Gordon Douglas

Writers:

Richard Jessup (novel), Richard Jessup (screenplay)

Stars:

Rod Taylor, Ernest Borgnine, John Mills

Cast

Cast overview:
Rod Taylor	...	Chuka
Ernest Borgnine	...	Sgt. Otto Hahnsbach
John Mills	...	Col. Stuart Valois
Luciana Paluzzi	...	Señora Veronica Kleitz
James Whitmore	...	Lou Trent
Victoria Vetri	...	Señorita Helena Chavez (as Angela Dorian)
Louis Hayward	...	Maj. Benson
Michael Cole	...	Spivey
Hugh Reilly	...	Capt. Carrol
Barry O'Hara	...	Slim - Cook
Joseph Sirola	...	Jake Baldwin
Marco Lopez	...	Hanu (as Marco Antonio)
Gerald York	...	Lt. Daly
Herlinda Del Carmen	...	Indian Girl
Lucky Carson	...	Stage Driver

Storyline

While Indians besiege a U.S. Army fort in 1876, residents of the fort, a gunfighter, a stagecoach driver, two Mexican women, and a motley company of soldiers, try to come to terms with their pasts.

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Plot Keywords:

arapaho indian | indian attack | indian massacre | army fort | 

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Taglines:

He's a man called Chuka and you don't forget it!

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Did You Know?

Goofs

For a story that occurs in 1876, there is a problem when the main characters arrive at the fort. There is a soldier being whipped for desertion. Whipping or flogging had been banned by the U.S. Army as of 5 August 1861.

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Quotes

Sgt. Otto Hansbach: Now you can pull that gun of yours and shoot me where I stand, or you can defend yourself as best you can, because I intend to beat you into the ground with my fists. Now, I'm waiting on ya!

User Reviews

One of Hollywood's final "traditional" westerns

When "Chuka" was released back in 1967, who knew it'd be one of the last of those westerns which used to come out of the studio system with annual regularity? As an example of the genre it's quite competent and it benefits from a better than average cast -- including Oscar winners John Mills and Ernest Borgnine -- but the market for this kind of movie was drying up in the late 1960s and has never really recovered. Look for a sweaty Michael Cole, (soon to achieve fame on TV's "Mod Squad), getting a flogging as the stagecoach rolls into the fort. This flogging ranks 15th in the book, "Lash! The Hundred Great Scenes of Men Being Whipped in the Movies." Also look for the scene near the end when a freshly-dug grave is mentioned. Opinions may differ as to just who is occupying this grave.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 July 1967 (USA)

Also Known As:

Chuka: The Gunfighter

Filming Locations:

Lake Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

New Art Film Company, Rodlor

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Pathécolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1