Allegheny Uprising *** (1939, Claire Trevor, John Wayne, George Sanders) – Classic Movie Review 9504

John Wayne stars in director William A Seiter’s rousing 1939 Western action epic Allegheny Uprising [The First Rebel], set in 1759 in Pennsylvania’s Allegheny Valley.

Wayne plays an American frontier pioneer Jim Smith who leads his brave band of US rebels against an English military despot Captain Swanson (George Sanders) while battling evil gun-runner Trader Callendar (Brian Donlevy).

Wayne is sturdy in a notable portrayal and Trevor adds lustre as Janie MacDougall, the woman love struck by her Stagecoach co-star, though the strongly anti-English film is stolen by the two bad guys, played in much relished lip-smacking style by Donlevy and Sanders.

Producer P J Wolfson writes the screenplay based on the factual story The First Rebel by Neil H Swanson.

Also in the cast are Wilfrid Lawson, Robert Barrat, Moroni Olsen, Eddie Quillan, Chill Wills, Ian Wolfe, Wallis Clark, Monte Montague, Olaf Hytten, Clay Clement, Stanley Blystone, Ralph Dunn, Leyland Hodgson, Noble Johnson, Ethan Laidlaw, Tom London, Charles Middleton, Robert McKenzie and John F Hamilton.

The two stars reconvened for Dark Command (1940).

Allegheny Uprising [The First Rebel] is directed by William A Seiter, runs 81 minutes, is made and released by RKO Radio Pictures, is written by P J Wolfson, based on the factual story The First Rebel by Neil H Swanson, is shot in black and white by Nicholas Musuraca, is produced by P J Wolfson, is scored by Anthony Collins and designed by Van Nest Polglase.

Pennsylvania’s Allegheny Valley meaning little in the UK, they reverted to the story title for the movie.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9504

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