"Knute Rockne All American" director Lloyd Bacon's average American Civil War era oater "The Great Sioux Uprising" doesn't qualify as great in any sense of the word. This concise 81-minute horse opera about a former Union Army physician who exposes a dastardly rancher as a no-account horse thief who has rustled hundreds of steeds from the eponymous Indians amounts to a series of contrivances that a good cast and competent directing by veteran helmer Bacon, with as many as 130 feature films to his credit, cannot entirely offset. Rugged Jeff Chandler is believable as the humble army doctor who has lost confidence in his ability to perform surgery since he received a war wound in the hand. Lyle Bettger acquired a reputation during the 1950s playing treacherous villains in a number of westerns. Bettger was thoroughly convincing as an adversary whether he tangled with either Burt Lancaster's Wyatt Earp in "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" or challenged Clayton Moore's masked man in "The Lone Ranger." Bettger certainly gives Jeff Chandler a run for his money in "The Great Sioux Uprising" as a crooked rancher who struggles to corner the market on selling horses to the U.S. Cavalry. When he isn't rustling horses, he latches his lusty eyes latched onto the heroine, Faith Domergue, who provides him with only minor competition. Of course, our heroine wants nothing to do with Bettger and prefers the affections of Chandler. "The Great Sioux Uprising" alternates between the Universal back lot and the plains of Pendleton, Oregon.
The U.S. Cavalry desperately needs remounts and Major McKay (Alden 'Stephen' Chase of "When Worlds Collide") cannot get enough of them either from Stephen Cook (Lyle Bettger) or Joan Britton (Faith Domergue of "Escort West") to ship back east. McKay believes if the Union Army had more horses that General McClellan could have crushed General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia at the bloody battle of Antietam. Clearly, "Crime Ring" co-scribes J. Robert Bren and Gladys Atwater along with "The Robin Hood of El Dorado" scenarist Melvin Levy and "Chatterbox" writer Frank Gill Jr., who provided additional dialogue, knew nothing about the pusillanimous McClellan. McClellan constantly worried that Lee had him outnumbered even when McClellan's troops outnumbered Lee's men. Anyway, their loquacious screenplay has the villains conniving in what resembles an old B-movie western as Cook tries to hold onto his horse flesh monopoly. Joan makes a promise to round up substantially more horses for Major McKay. She convinces her Native American housekeeper to take her out to see Chief Red Cloud (Johnny War Eagle of "Tomahawk") and tries to persuade him to sell her his herd of horses so that lives on both sides of the fighting can be saved. Chief Red Cloud turns Joan down cold and warns Joan's housekeeper to never return with the white lady. The Chief has a very low opinion of whites because they speak with "forked tongues." Meanwhile, Cook and his second-in-command, Uriah (Stacy Harris of "Comanche") drool from afar over the hundreds of horses grazing on the slopes. After Joan and company ride off, Cook and his gunmen rustle the herd, kill some Indians, and hightail it. Uriah's horse catches an arrow the flank.
About a quarter-hour into the action, Jonathan Westgate, M.D. (Academy Award nominee Jeff Chandler of "Yankee Buccaneer"), rides into town and strikes up a Bible-quoted conversation with the local blacksmith, Ahab Jones (Peter Whitney of "Action in the North Atlantic"), and promptly finds himself with a place to stay. Westgate assures Ahab that he can operate on both man and beast. It doesn't take Ahab long to introduce Westgate to Joan and she takes a shine to him. She isn't the only one who takes a shine to him. The small ranchers complain about Cook dominating them and Westgate suggests that they band together and drive their horses to the fort. Cook and Uriah kidnap Westgate and hold him against his will at his ranch. Meantime, Cook rides out to see the small ranchers and bullies them into submission. One of them, the one-armed Joe Baird (Walter Sande of "Bad Day at Black Rock") refuses to cower and rides off with his string of mounts. The evil Uriah steals Westgate's operating scalpel and attacks Baird on the trail and murders him. A townsman loyal to Cook brings in Baird's body and shows the citizens the scalpel that belongs to Westgate. Not only does Cook release Westgate but he also gives him the horse of Westgate's choice. The horse turns out to be the one that was hit by the arrow. Back at Cook's ranch, Westgate wins his freedom when Cook has a seizure and Westgate operates on him. When he arrives in town, Westgate has to flee because the townspeople want to lynch him for killing Baird. Ahab disguises himself as Westgate and leads the lynch obsessed mob on a wild goose chase. Westgate believes that if he can bring in Red Cloud to identify the horse that he can get McKay to arrest the rancher. Later, the devious Cook learns about Westgate's plan and burns down the stable that houses the horse.
Mind you, there is no seeming shortage of plot here. Eventually, Westgate proves that Cook is the culprit that stole from the Indians. Indeed, Westgate talks the Sioux and other Indian nations out of joining the Confederacy when Southern General Stan Watie (Glenn Strange of "Gunsmoke") furnishes them with carbines and tries to incite them against the Union. The villains get their comeuppance and our hero recovers and puts back on his uniform. Again, Bacon keeps the contrived plot moving along at a steady pace with some action scenes. There isn't a lot of time for romance between Chandler and Domergue. Peter Whitney shines as the garrulous Ahab and Bettger makes a menacing villain with a shred of humanity. "The Great Sioux Uprising" is a standard-issue horse opera with an interesting plot but it lacks a larger-than-life clout.
The U.S. Cavalry desperately needs remounts and Major McKay (Alden 'Stephen' Chase of "When Worlds Collide") cannot get enough of them either from Stephen Cook (Lyle Bettger) or Joan Britton (Faith Domergue of "Escort West") to ship back east. McKay believes if the Union Army had more horses that General McClellan could have crushed General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia at the bloody battle of Antietam. Clearly, "Crime Ring" co-scribes J. Robert Bren and Gladys Atwater along with "The Robin Hood of El Dorado" scenarist Melvin Levy and "Chatterbox" writer Frank Gill Jr., who provided additional dialogue, knew nothing about the pusillanimous McClellan. McClellan constantly worried that Lee had him outnumbered even when McClellan's troops outnumbered Lee's men. Anyway, their loquacious screenplay has the villains conniving in what resembles an old B-movie western as Cook tries to hold onto his horse flesh monopoly. Joan makes a promise to round up substantially more horses for Major McKay. She convinces her Native American housekeeper to take her out to see Chief Red Cloud (Johnny War Eagle of "Tomahawk") and tries to persuade him to sell her his herd of horses so that lives on both sides of the fighting can be saved. Chief Red Cloud turns Joan down cold and warns Joan's housekeeper to never return with the white lady. The Chief has a very low opinion of whites because they speak with "forked tongues." Meanwhile, Cook and his second-in-command, Uriah (Stacy Harris of "Comanche") drool from afar over the hundreds of horses grazing on the slopes. After Joan and company ride off, Cook and his gunmen rustle the herd, kill some Indians, and hightail it. Uriah's horse catches an arrow the flank.
About a quarter-hour into the action, Jonathan Westgate, M.D. (Academy Award nominee Jeff Chandler of "Yankee Buccaneer"), rides into town and strikes up a Bible-quoted conversation with the local blacksmith, Ahab Jones (Peter Whitney of "Action in the North Atlantic"), and promptly finds himself with a place to stay. Westgate assures Ahab that he can operate on both man and beast. It doesn't take Ahab long to introduce Westgate to Joan and she takes a shine to him. She isn't the only one who takes a shine to him. The small ranchers complain about Cook dominating them and Westgate suggests that they band together and drive their horses to the fort. Cook and Uriah kidnap Westgate and hold him against his will at his ranch. Meantime, Cook rides out to see the small ranchers and bullies them into submission. One of them, the one-armed Joe Baird (Walter Sande of "Bad Day at Black Rock") refuses to cower and rides off with his string of mounts. The evil Uriah steals Westgate's operating scalpel and attacks Baird on the trail and murders him. A townsman loyal to Cook brings in Baird's body and shows the citizens the scalpel that belongs to Westgate. Not only does Cook release Westgate but he also gives him the horse of Westgate's choice. The horse turns out to be the one that was hit by the arrow. Back at Cook's ranch, Westgate wins his freedom when Cook has a seizure and Westgate operates on him. When he arrives in town, Westgate has to flee because the townspeople want to lynch him for killing Baird. Ahab disguises himself as Westgate and leads the lynch obsessed mob on a wild goose chase. Westgate believes that if he can bring in Red Cloud to identify the horse that he can get McKay to arrest the rancher. Later, the devious Cook learns about Westgate's plan and burns down the stable that houses the horse.
Mind you, there is no seeming shortage of plot here. Eventually, Westgate proves that Cook is the culprit that stole from the Indians. Indeed, Westgate talks the Sioux and other Indian nations out of joining the Confederacy when Southern General Stan Watie (Glenn Strange of "Gunsmoke") furnishes them with carbines and tries to incite them against the Union. The villains get their comeuppance and our hero recovers and puts back on his uniform. Again, Bacon keeps the contrived plot moving along at a steady pace with some action scenes. There isn't a lot of time for romance between Chandler and Domergue. Peter Whitney shines as the garrulous Ahab and Bettger makes a menacing villain with a shred of humanity. "The Great Sioux Uprising" is a standard-issue horse opera with an interesting plot but it lacks a larger-than-life clout.