''Flaming Frontier'' is a 1958 Canadian-American

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 produced and directed by Sam Newfield in his final credited

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

, from a screenplay by Louis Stevens. Produced by

Regal Pictures Lippert Pictures was an American film production and distribution company controlled by Robert L. Lippert. History Robert L. Lippert (1909-1976) was a successful exhibitor, owning a chain of movie theaters in California and Oregon. He was frustrate ...

in Canada, where Newfield was shooting his ''

Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans ''The Last of the Mohicans'', later retitled ''Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans'' is a 1957 historical drama television series made for syndication by ITC Entertainment and Normandie Productions. It ran for one season of 39 half-hour monochro ...

'' TV series, it was distributed by

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film studio, film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm o ...

and opened in August 1958. The film stars

Bruce Bennett Bruce Bennett (born Harold Herman Brix, also credited Herman Brix; May 19, 1906February 24, 2007) was an American film and television actor who prior to his screen career was a highly successful college athlete in football and in both interco ...

and Jim Davis.

Plot

When food supplies to the Union forces from the Midwest are interrupted by an Indian uprising, Abraham Lincoln sends Capt. James Huston to intervene. Huston is half-Sioux, and he and the leader of the uprising, Little Crow, grew up as friends. Huston heads to

Fort Ridgely Fort Ridgely was a frontier United States Army outpost from 1851 to 1867, built 1853–1854 in Minnesota Territory. The Sioux called it Esa Tonka. It was located overlooking the Minnesota river southwest of Fairfax, Minnesota. Half of the ...

in Minnesota, which is under the command of Col. Hugh Carver, who despises the Sioux. Carver's brother, Dan Carver, owns the local trading post, and is one of the leading land dealers in the area. Dan and the local Indian agent, Jeff Baxter, want to exterminate the Sioux so that they can take over their lands to sell it to settlers. Huston arrives at the fort just in time to stop Running Bear, a Sioux, from being tortured by Col. Carver to reveal Little Crow's location. Carver is infuriated that Huston has been sent to meddle in his command. In addition, Huston meets Mrs. Felice Carver, who is planning to leave her husband, who beats her. There is an instant attraction between Felice and Huston, which only rankles Col. Carver more. Huston convinces Running Bear to take him and Sgt. Haggerty, one of the Colonel's men, to meet with Little Crow. On their way they are ambushed by two Chippewa Indians. In the ensuing battle, one of the Chippewas is killed, and Running Bear is poisoned by an arrow. Haggerty draws the poison out of Running Bear's wound, and the group continues on to Little Crow's camp. Little Crow lets Huston know that the Sioux are rebelling because Baxter and Dan Carver have been stealing money and supplies meant for the Sioux. Huston gets Little Crow to agree to stop the attacks, with a promise to bring the two white men to justice. Returning to the fort, Felice confides to Huston that she intends to leave Carver. Meanwhile, giving in to the influence of his brother and Baxter, Col. Carver leads a troop to plunder a Sioux village in retaliation for a fight at the local trading post during which two Indians and three white men, including Baxter's brother, had been killed. When Col. Carver balks at holding a meeting of the local traders where Huston intends to confront the thievery of Baxter and Dan Carver, Huston pulls rank on him, showing him a letter from the Governor giving him the authority to do so. That night, the Colonel, his brother, and Baxter plot to kill Huston, but he is warned by Felice. Tensions escalate between the Indians and the white settlers, with several battles and ambushes occur. During one such ambush, Col. Carver is shot, and later dies, after which Huston takes charge at the fort. Little Crow demands that Baxter and Carver be turned over to them for justice, but Huston refuses. Little Crow and his followers attempt several attacks on the fort, but are repulsed each time. Worried that the soldiers under Huston's command might take matters into their own hands and turn them over to the Indians, Baxter and Carver escape from the fort. However, they are captured by Little Crow, who has them tortured to death. His anger assuaged with the death of the two thieves, Little Crow calls an end to the hostilities. With his mission successful, Huston takes Felice as his bride.

Cast

(cast list as per AFI database)

Production

In August 1957 it was announced that Regal Productions would be shooting two films in Canada: '' Wolf Dog'' (originally titled ''A Boy and His Dog'') and ''The Flaming Frontier''. Twentieth Century was set to distribute the pictures, with Sam Newfield at the helm for both. The film is a fictionalized account of the

Battle of Fort Ridgely The Battle of Fort Ridgely was an early battle in the Dakota War of 1862. Built between 1853–1855 in the southern part of what was then the territory of Minnesota, Fort Ridgely was the only military post between the Dakota Reservation an ...

, which occurred in August 1862. Many of the Indian extras who appeared in the film were descended from those who took part in the battle. Most of the picture was filmed in Canada. Production on the film was completed by the end of January 1958. In late March it was scheduled for release in April, but it was delayed and rescheduled for an August release. It was finally released on August 1, 1958. The film was classified "A-1" by the

Legion of Decency The National Legion of Decency, also known as the Catholic Legion of Decency, was a Catholic group founded in 1934 by Archbishop of Cincinnati, John T. McNicholas, as an organization dedicated to identifying objectionable content in motion pictu ...

, meaning it was suitable for all audiences. It was partially filmed in

Wildwood Regional Park Wildwood Regional Park is a suburban regional park in the western Simi Hills and Conejo Valley, in Ventura County, California. It is located in western Thousand Oaks, northern Newbury Park, and southern Moorpark. Wildwood is home to over 27 mi ...

Thousand Oaks, California Thousand Oaks is the second-largest city in Ventura County, California, United States. It is in the northwestern part of Greater Los Angeles, approximately from the city of Los Angeles and from Downtown. It is named after the many oak trees ...

Reception

Motion Picture Daily ''Motion Picture Daily'' was an American daily magazine focusing on the film industry. It was published by Quigley Publishing Company, which also published the ''Motion Picture Herald''. The magazine was formed by the merging of three existing Qui ...

'' gave the film a mediocre review, calling the cast "spirited", with acknowledging the superior performance of Bennett. They did not give Newfield's direction either a positive or negative review, instead saying, "...he strives mightily to incorporate as much vital entertainment values as attainable." ''

Harrison's Reports ''Harrison's Reports'' was a New York City-based motion picture trade journal published weekly from 1919 to 1962. The typical issue was four letter-size pages sent to subscribers under a second-class mail permit. Its founder, editor and publisher ...

'' also was lukewarm to the film, saying the plot was a "cliché-ridden tale", with "few surprises". They felt it would only appeal to "undiscriminating audiences", and the acting and directing lived up to the routine script. They did however, compliment the black and white photography.

References

External links