''Allegheny Uprising'' (released in the UK as ''The First Rebel'') is a 1939 American

Adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extr ...

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US * Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that i ...

film directed by William A. Seiter and starring Claire Trevor and John Wayne. Based on the 1937 novel ''The First Rebel'' by Neil H. Swanson, with a screenplay by the film's producer,

P. J. Wolfson Pincus Jacob Wolfson (May 22, 1903 – April 16, 1979s) was an American pharmacist, novelist, screenwriter, film producer, and film director. Early life Pincus Jacob Wolfson was born to Russian-Jewish immigrants in New York City. His father work ...

, the film is loosely based on the historical event known as the Black Boys Rebellion of 1765, after the conclusion of the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War (1754–1763) was a theater of the Seven Years' War, which pitted the North American colonies of the British Empire against those of the French, each side being supported by various Native American tribes. At the st ...

. It was produced by

RKO Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orph ...

. Clad in buckskin and a coonskin cap (as he would be a decade later in '' The Fighting Kentuckian''), Wayne plays real-life James Smith, an American coping with British rule in colonial America. The supporting cast includes Brian Donlevy, George Sanders and Chill Wills. Claire Trevor and John Wayne also headed the cast of

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...

's ''

Stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...

'' the same year, and in both films as well as ''

Dark Command ''Dark Command'' is a 1940 Western film starring Claire Trevor, John Wayne and Walter Pidgeon loosely based on Quantrill's Raiders during the American Civil War. Directed by Raoul Walsh from the novel by W. R. Burnett, ''Dark Command'' is th ...

'' the following year, Trevor is top-billed over Wayne due to her greater name value at the time. The film did not fare well in its initial release. The superficially similar

film '' Drums Along the Mohawk'' had been released only one week prior. In the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, where the film kept the original title, it was initially banned by the Ministry of Information for placing the British, already at war against

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

, in a bad light.

Plot

In the southwestern Pennsylvania region, of colonial America, in the 1760s, colonial distaste and disapproval of the British government is starting to surface. Many local colonists have been killed by Native Americans, who are armed with rifles supplied by white traders. Local adventurer James Smith and his followers complain to British officials, pressuring them to make it illegal to trade weapons to the Indians. Trader Ralph Callender and other businessmen are not happy with the new law, as it cuts into their profit. They continue to trade with the local Native American population, hiding rifles and rum inside military supply trains. When the British authorities fail to do anything to prevent this, James Smith organizes his men and heads out to intercept the wagon train. Smith's spirited and bold girlfriend, Janie McDougall, assists him and his men in posing as Indians to intercept the gun shipments. Captain Swanson, a British army officer, is sent to protect the wagon train at all costs, following a complaint lodged by Callender, that Smith and his men intend to rob the wagon train, while neglecting to state that the train contains guns and liquor. Captain Swanson considers the involvement of Smith and his men as a revolt against his authority, and in retaliation, he jails more than half of the local colonists, holding them without trial. This sets Smith and Swanson on a collision course.

Cast

* Claire Trevor as Janie MacDougall * John Wayne as James Smith * George Sanders as Capt. Swanson * Brian Donlevy as Trader Ralph Callendar * Wilfrid Lawson as "Mac" MacDougall * Robert Barrat as Magistrate Duncan *

John F. Hamilton John F. Hamilton (November 7, 1893 – July 11, 1967) was an American-born actor who worked for many years in the theatre but only occasionally on film. He is probably best-remembered as Pops, father of Eva Marie Saint's character, in Elia Kaz ...

as the Professor * Moroni Olsen as Tom Calhoon * Eddie Quillan as Will Anderson * Chill Wills as John M'Cammon * Ian Wolfe as Mr. Poole * Wallis Clark as Sgt. McGlashan * Monte Montague as Magistrate Morris * Olaf Hytten as General Gage * Eddy Waller as Jailer in Carlisle * Clay Clement as John Penn

Context

''Allegheny Uprising'' was one of only four films in which John Wayne wore a buckskin suit with a coonskin cap, the others being the 1930

widescreen Widescreen images are displayed within a set of aspect ratios (relationship of image width to height) used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than t ...

epic '' The Big Trail'' (in the

Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon (, yuf-x-yav, Wi:kaʼi:la, , Southern Paiute language: Paxa’uipi, ) is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a ...

sequence shot on location), ''The Fighting Kentuckian'' (1949) with

Oliver Hardy Oliver Norvell Hardy (born Norvell Hardy; January 18, 1892 – August 7, 1957) was an American comic actor and one half of Laurel and Hardy, the double act that began in the era of silent films and lasted from 1926 to 1957. He appeared with his c ...

as Wayne's sidekick, and briefly as

Davy Crockett David Crockett (August 17, 1786 – March 6, 1836) was an American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier, and politician. He is often referred to in popular culture as the "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S. House of ...

in ''

The Alamo The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo Mission near San Anto ...

'' (1960). ''Allegheny Uprising'' and ''The Fighting Kentuckian'' are frequently confused with each other since they were filmed only a decade apart and Wayne looks much the same in both pictures.

Reception

The film recorded a loss of $230,000.

Colorization

The film was colorized in the late 1980s and released on VHS. New DVD copies are in black and white only.

References

External links

* *
Turner Classic Movies review and plot synopsis
{{William A. Seiter 1939 films 1930s historical films American historical films American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films RKO Pictures films Films directed by William A. Seiter Films set in Pittsburgh Films set in Pennsylvania Films set in the Thirteen Colonies Films set in the 1760s Films based on American novels 1930s American films