War Arrow ** (1953, Jeff Chandler, Maureen O’Hara, John McIntire, Suzan Ball) – Classic Movie Review 13,192

Director George Sherman’s moderate, standard 1954 American Western film War Arrow at least looks handsome in Technicolor. It stars Jeff Chandler, Maureen O’Hara, John McIntire and Suzan Ball.

The film was shot in Agoura, California, by Universal Pictures and is based on the true story of Seminole Indians being moved from Florida to Arizona.

Jeff Chandler stars as US Cavalry officer Major Howell Brady, who is sent by Washington to Indian Territory to recruit peaceful, relocated Seminoles to help the army to end the Kiowa Indian uprising in Texas, but he comes up against Colonel Jackson Meade (John McIntire), the obstinate commander of the post.

With both the story and the performances undynamic and uninspired, despite the interesting set-up and actors, the Technicolor cinematography by William Daniels, the music by Joseph Gershenson and the exterior location work are the best of it. Maureen O’Hara is stuck with a dull role as Chandler’s love interest Elaine Corwin, whose officer husband Captain Roger G Corwin (Jim Bannon) has disappeared after a scouting mission.

The original screen story is by John Michael Hayes who complained: ‘The director George Sherman took out four action scenes and replaced them with four talk scenes, which talked about the action but didn’t show it.’

Filming started on 2 March 1953.

O’Hara said: ‘Jeff Chandler was a nice man but a bad actor.’

Dennis Weaver plays an Indian called Pino and also plays an Indian in Column South (1953).

While filming War Arrow, Suzan Ball was told by doctors that her leg had developed tumors and on January 12, 1954, her leg was amputated. On April 4 1954, she married Richard Long in Santa Barbara and Jeff Chandler was a guest at her wedding. She died on August 5, 1955, aged 21,

The cast are Maureen O’Hara as Elaine Corwin, Jeff Chandler as Major Howell Brady, John McIntire as Colonel Jackson Meade, Suzan Ball as Avis, Noah Beery Jr (as Noah Beery) as Sgt Augustus Wilks, Charles Drake as 1st Sgt Luke Schermerhom, Henry Brandon as Chief Maygro, Dennis Weaver as Pino, Jay Silverheels as Santanta, Jim Bannon (as James Bannon) as Captain Roger G Corwin, Stephen Wyman (as Steve Wyman) as Captain Neil, and Bradford Jackson (as Brad Jackson) as Lieutenant.

© Derek Winnert 2024 – Classic Movie Review 13,192

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