She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

James Warner Bellah (stories)
Frank S. Nugent (screenplay)

Release Date:

22 October 1949 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

Wayne's greatest role as an Indian fighting Captain !

Plot:

Captain Nathan Brittles, on the eve of retirement, takes out a last patrol to stop an impending massive Indian attack...

Plot Keywords:

Last Stand | Native American Chief | Loneliness | Gift | Retirement

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 1 nomination

Cast

John Wayne	...	Capt. Nathan Cutting Brittles
Joanne Dru	...	Olivia Dandridge
John Agar	...	Lt. Flint Cohill
Ben Johnson	...	Sgt. Tyree
Harry Carey Jr.	...	2nd Lt. Ross Penell
Victor McLaglen	...	Top Sgt. Quincannon
Mildred Natwick	...	Abby Allshard aka Old Iron Pants
George O'Brien	...	Major Mac Allshard, Commanding Officer Fort Starke
Arthur Shields	...	Dr. O'Laughlin
Michael Dugan	...	Sgt. Hochbauer
Chief John Big Tree	...	Chief Pony That Walks
Fred Graham	...	Sgt. Hench
Chief Sky Eagle	...	Chief Sky Eagle
Tom Tyler	...	Cpl. Mike Quayne, Leader of Paradise River Patrol
Noble Johnson	...	Chief Red Shirt

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | France:U | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Finland:K-3 (new rating: 2001) | West Germany:12 (f) | Finland:K-12 | Germany:12 | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Kanab Movie Fort, Kanab, Utah, USA

Company:

Argosy Pictures

Trivia:

When Sgt. Quincannon (Victor McLaglen) is addressing the troops and warning them to "watch them words," he asks who owns a dog, without receiving an answer. He concludes, "Nice dog! Irish setter!" The scene was improvised on the spot by director John Ford. The dog was an unnamed Navajo pet that had fallen asleep during the setup. Multiple takes were required because McLaglen kept blowing the line, calling the dog a "cocker spaniel."

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The film says that news of the Battle of Little Big Horn (1876) was spread by the Pony Express - which went out of business in 1861.

Quotes:

Abby Allshard: [Capt. Brittles is retiring after tonight] Where will you go, Nathan?
Captain Nathan Brittles: Oh, West, I guess, Abby... California... new settlements.
Captain Nathan Brittles: [to Olivia] "Old soldiers...", Miss Dandridge... hah! Someday you'll learn how they hate to give up. Captain of the troop one day: every man's face turned towards you; lieutenants jump when I growl! Now, tomorrow, I'll be glad if a blacksmith asks me to shoe a horse.
[he leaves]

Movie Connections:

Featured in 100 Years at the Movies (1994) (TV)

Color Is Magnificent; Story Is So-So

I got interested in seeing this film not because I like westerns (which I do) but because I read where this was a spectacular visual film.. Well, that it is, with some drop-dead gorgeous color in spots that looks super on VHS or DVD, the latter being better, of course. Director John Ford has some nice shots of his favorite locale, Monument Valley, along with other nice shots.

For a western, there isn't much action in this film. However, the beautiful colors and the magnetism of John Wayne, who dominates this film, still make it interesting. Victor McLaghlen adds some humor to the tale with with whiskey- drinking, hard-fighting Irishman role and Ben Johnson is good as the key scout.

I couldn't believe how young Johnson looked as I am used to seeing him as a grizzled veteran. In fact, I wouldn't have known it was him but for his distinct voice and accent. At any rate, I thought he was the best character in the film.

A good part of the story is about two guys - John Agar and Harry Carey Jr. fighting over Joanne Dru. That gets annoying after awhile and, after three looks at this movie, was a contributing factor in me trading this movie for another.

All in all, a "decent" western that those who don't like a lot of violence might like because there are no villains to hate and a surprising non-violent ending.