''The Iroquois Trail'' is a 1950 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 id ...

film directed by

Phil Karlson Phil Karlson (born Philip N. Karlstein; July 2, 1908 – December 12, 1982) was an American film director. Later noted as a ''film noir'' specialist, Karlson directed ''99 River Street'', ''Kansas City Confidential'' and ''Hell's Island'', all ...

starring George Montgomery and Brenda Marshall. It is set during the French-Indian War. It is an adaptation of

James Fenimore Cooper James Fenimore Cooper (September 15, 1789 – September 14, 1851) was an American writer of the first half of the 19th century, whose historical romances depicting colonial and indigenous characters from the 17th to the 19th centuries brought h ...

's 1826 work ''

The Last of the Mohicans ''The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757'' is an 1826 historical romance novel by James Fenimore Cooper. It is the second book of the '' Leatherstocking Tales'' pentalogy and the best known to contemporary audiences. '' The Pathfinder'', ...

'', with significant alterations. As with the book, one of the major plot lines is based on the siege of Fort William Henry and the subsequent massacre.

Plot

In 1757 the French around

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

are poised to move south. A young American volunteer in the British Army, Sergeant Tom Cutler, is sent northwards carrying a dispatch which orders the garrison of Fort Williams to reinforce the vulnerable Crown Point outpost. Cutler is murdered on the way by two men acting as British scouts, one of whom is an Ogane, a French-allied Huron posing as a Mohawk. Crown Point is not relieved in time and falls to the French Returning home after two years away, Sergeant Cutler's elder brother Nat "Hawkeye" Cutler and his companion, a Delaware Indian Chief Sagamore, investigate the killing of Tom, who is now wrongly believed to have been a traitor by the authorities. Nat and Sagamore enlist as scouts for the reinforcements being sent out to Fort Williams. They escort the British Captain West carrying important despatches, and Marion Thorne, the daughter of the Fort's commander. They foil an attempt by Ogane to betray them to the Hurons and bring them safety to Fort Williams. However, their apparent insubordination leaves their commander's suspicious of their loyalty. General Montcalm is being supplied with information by a spy inside the Fort, which is carried out to him by Ogane. Montcalm

ambush An ambush is a surprise attack carried out by people lying in wait in a concealed position. The concealed position itself or the concealed person(s) may also be called an "". Ambushes as a basic military tactics, fighting tactic of soldi ...

es a force of American infantry and advances with the French Army to lay siege to the Fort. Hawkeye is able to expose the traitor as Captain Brownwell, a French-born officer serving as

quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land army, armies, a quartermaster is an officer who supervises military logistics, logistics and requisitions, manages stores or barracks, and distri ...

to the British forces, but is too late to stop further information passing out to Montcalm. Aware that the Fort is indefensible, Montcalm offers it favorable peace terms. This outrages Ogane who wants vengeance against the Anglo-Americans, and he leads his Hurons in a night attack in which they kill many of the Fort's defenders. Marion Thorne is kidnapped by Ogane who wants her as his wife. Hawkeye, Captain West and Sagamore follow the Hurons and rescue Marion. They are then pursued by Ogane until they reach the shelter of the

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

tribe, rivals of the Hurons. The Ottawa leader suggests they can go free if one of them can defeat Ogane in single combat. Hawkeye fights and kills Ogane, and they are allowed to return home. Hawkeye is appointed as chief scout to the British forces as they prepare a fresh offensive for the following year.

Cast

* George Montgomery as Nat "Hawkeye" Cutler * Brenda Marshall as Marion Thorne *

Glenn Langan Glenn Langan (July 8, 1917 – January 26, 1991) was an American character actor on stage and films. Early years Born in Denver, Colorado, Langan was the son of Thomas Langan and Kate Quinn Langan. He attended schools there. His early training i ...

as Capt. Jonathan West *

Monte Blue Gerard Montgomery Blue (January 11, 1887 – February 18, 1963) was an American film actor who began his career as a romantic lead in the silent era; and for decades after the advent of sound, he continued to perform as a supporting player ...

as Sagamore *

Paul Cavanagh William Grigs Atkinson (8 December 1888 – 15 March 1964), known professionally as Paul Cavanagh, was an English film and stage actor. He appeared in more than 100 films between 1928 and 1959. Life and career Cavanagh was born in Felling ...

as Col. Eric Thorne * Sheldon Leonard as Ogane * Reginald Denny as Capt. Brownell *

Dan O'Herlihy Daniel Peter O'Herlihy (1 May 1919 – 17 February 2005) was an Irish actor. His best-known roles included his Oscar-nominated portrayal of the title character in Luis Buñuel's ''Robinson Crusoe'' (1954), Brigadier General Warren A. Black in ...

as Lt. Blakeley * John Doucette as Sam Girty *

Stanley Blystone William Stanley Blystone (August 1, 1894 – July 16, 1956) was an American film actor who made more than 500 films appearances from 1924 to 1956. He was sometimes billed as William Blystone or William Stanley. Early years Blystone was born in ...

as Major (uncredited)

Production

Filming began June 1949.

References

Bibliography

* Barker, Martin & Sabin, Roger. ''The Lasting of the Mohicans''. University Press of Mississippi, 1995.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Iroquois Trail 1950 films 1950 Western (genre) films 1950s historical films 1950 war films American Western (genre) films American historical films American war films Films based on The Last of the Mohicans Films directed by Phil Karlson Films set in 1757 French and Indian War films Films produced by Edward Small United Artists films American black-and-white films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films Films with screenplays by Richard Schayer English-language Western (genre) films English-language war films English-language historical films