OK, up front, I'm a huge westerns fan & I've always loved Clint Walker. A lot of these reviews have focused on a comparison with John Wayne's "Hondo". Well, when "Hondo" was made, Wayne had been starring in films for almost 20yrs, so please - guys - cut Clint some slack, OK? He had been plucked from an everyday life only 3yrs before, with no previous acting experience, & this was his first starring role in films, in the lead no less. I think he carried it off pretty well. It's full of good action sequences, the scenes with Clint & child actor Richard Eyer are sweet & the tension between Clint & Brian Keith is pretty cool. The budding "romance" between Clint & Virginia Mayo doesn't come off so well, but I remember reading elsewhere that she wasn't too happy about being cast opposite a TV actor & that there was some resulting tension on the set. All in all, I found this to be a pretty good entry in the western pantheon; well worth watching. As usual, tho, it's too bad Warner skimped & didn't film in color. What a waste of gorgeous scenery, both landscape & their leading man!
27 Reviews
Entertaining Duster
gordonl5631 October 2014
Warning: Spoilers
FORT DOBBS – 1958
This Warner Brothers duster stars Clint Walker, Virginia Mayo and Brian Keith. Twenty minutes in and I thought I was watching a re-hash of the John Wayne classic, HONDO. Same idea, but it takes a different tact with Walker as a man running from the law for a killing. He flees out into the badlands to escape the posse in pursuit.
He manages to throw off the posse but is soon mixed up with a group of upset Indians, and a woman, Virginia Mayo and her young son, Richard Eyer. The rampaging Comanche burn out Mayo's ranch and the three are soon heading for a nearby fort.
On the trail they run into gunrunner, Brian Keith. Keith is hauling 100 of the latest repeating rifle to Santa Fe. Needless to say the man is a swine and makes moves on Mayo. Walker steps in and sends Keith on his way. Complicating matters is that Mayo thinks Walker might have killed her husband.
They make it to the fort but find the garrison has been overran and wiped out by an earlier Comanche attack. Then a group of civilians on the run from the Comanche, show up at the fort looking for shelter. Among these folks is the Sheriff who had been chasing Walker.
They manage to beat off several mass attacks but are running low on ammo. Walker sneaks out to try and go for help. He meets up with Keith and his cargo of rifles again. He suggests that Keith bring the rifles to the fort to help in defense of same. Keith is not happy with that idea and goes for his gun. Walker is quicker off the draw and Keith goes down.
Walker manages to get the rifles back to Fort Dobbs just as the Indians are massing for a large attack. The extra firepower does the trick and the Comanche are driven off with heavy losses.
The Sheriff looks the other way as Walker strikes out for Santa Fe with Mayo and Eyer. He figures everyone owes Walker their lives.
This Warner Brothers duster stars Clint Walker, Virginia Mayo and Brian Keith. Twenty minutes in and I thought I was watching a re-hash of the John Wayne classic, HONDO. Same idea, but it takes a different tact with Walker as a man running from the law for a killing. He flees out into the badlands to escape the posse in pursuit.
He manages to throw off the posse but is soon mixed up with a group of upset Indians, and a woman, Virginia Mayo and her young son, Richard Eyer. The rampaging Comanche burn out Mayo's ranch and the three are soon heading for a nearby fort.
On the trail they run into gunrunner, Brian Keith. Keith is hauling 100 of the latest repeating rifle to Santa Fe. Needless to say the man is a swine and makes moves on Mayo. Walker steps in and sends Keith on his way. Complicating matters is that Mayo thinks Walker might have killed her husband.
They make it to the fort but find the garrison has been overran and wiped out by an earlier Comanche attack. Then a group of civilians on the run from the Comanche, show up at the fort looking for shelter. Among these folks is the Sheriff who had been chasing Walker.
They manage to beat off several mass attacks but are running low on ammo. Walker sneaks out to try and go for help. He meets up with Keith and his cargo of rifles again. He suggests that Keith bring the rifles to the fort to help in defense of same. Keith is not happy with that idea and goes for his gun. Walker is quicker off the draw and Keith goes down.
Walker manages to get the rifles back to Fort Dobbs just as the Indians are massing for a large attack. The extra firepower does the trick and the Comanche are driven off with heavy losses.
The Sheriff looks the other way as Walker strikes out for Santa Fe with Mayo and Eyer. He figures everyone owes Walker their lives.
a rugged hero (clint walker) and slimy villain (Brian Keith) vie over a woman (Virginia Mayo) and fight Indians
dougbrode16 March 2006
From the moment that kids of the 1950s got a look at Clint Walker on the opening episode of Cheyenne (fall, 1955), we knew that he would be the John Wayne of our generation, just as a year earlier Fess Parker as Davy Crockett became our combination of Jimmy Stewart and Gregory Peck. So why didn't filmmakers make use of their potential? At first, Warner Bros. didn't want Walker to do movies at all, perhaps thinking it would take away from the high ratings of his show. That was of course ridiculous. He threatened to walk out and they belatedly gave him the lead in this B+ black and white actioner. He's the strong silent type (what else?) who comes across a gorgeous woman (Virginia Mayo) and her little boy (Richard Eyer) on the prairie - after the success of Shane, every western had to have an adoring little boy! Eyer was a fabulous child actor, and there's a terrific performance by Brian Keith as the sort of friendly-enemy that Dan Duryea played in so many of the Audie Murphy oaters. The cast makes this routine western seem a cut above the average, and I can't remember any other cowboy getting off more shots per second with his Winchester (other than Chuck Connors on the Rifleman series, of course) than Keith does here. One bit you'll get a kick out of - at the end, Walker and company get to the title fort and are attacked by Indians. When they ride up, there is no water in sight. Anywhere! But when the Indians attack, they have to cross a large river. Wha? Here's the reason - the Indian attack footage is lifted from a 1954 big budget western called The Charge at Feather River. (guy 'wild bill hickock' madison was the star). And if Walker fans had a sense of deja vu, even in 1958, there was a good reason for that too: An early Cheyenne episode, titled "West of the River," was a remake of "The Charge at Feather River" with Walker substituted for Madison, and all the large scale action scenes taken from that film.
Better Than Expected
dougdoepke15 March 2010
Fugitive Gar Davis (Walker) flees from posse across hostile Comanche territory with woman and small boy (Mayo & Eyer), and encounters old foe, the gun-running Clett (Keith).
Fine eyeful of parched southwestern scenery—I counted only one interior (the "hospital" scene) for the entire movie. Sure, Big Clint (not Eastwood) has only one "Yes, ma'm, No, ma'm" demeanor for every scene, but that's okay, even if he didn't get to be the next Gary Cooper.
Putting old-pro Gordon Douglas in charge was a shrewd move. Note the stages the awakening Mayo goes through in discovering that, yes, Walker has stripped off her wet clothes. Note too how Douglas gets that infernal glint in Mayo's eyes when she first suspects Clint of murdering her husband—it's almost scary. I also like the way the Indians are credited with some military sense when overturning the wagons to make shooters' barricades. Most important, Douglas knows how to integrate the picturesque terrain into the storyline—catch that great framing of the Walker-Keith shoot-out.
Fortunately, Warners got Burt Kennedy to do the script— and on the eve of his outstanding work with the Boetticher-Scott ,(Ranown), cycle of Westerns. I suspect Bryan Keith's charming villain was Kennedy's inspiration since likable baddies was a standard Ranown feature. Yes indeed, Keith steals the show with his easy-going charm—a real contrast to the uptight Walker. At this early stage, Keith was an interesting actor, best at squinty-eyed cowpokes as Sam Peckinpah knew when casting him as lead in Peckinpah's brilliant but short-lived TV series The Westerner (1960).
The movie itself may have been a hurry-up job—probably that's why there's no Technicolor despite the great scenery, and probably why we get a recycled plot line from Hondo (1953). I guess the hurry-up was to take advantage of Walker's TV popularity. Still, the movie's a very watchable action-filled adventure. What's more, I don't care if the luscious Mayo was pushing 40, she could put her saddle on my horse any day.
Fine eyeful of parched southwestern scenery—I counted only one interior (the "hospital" scene) for the entire movie. Sure, Big Clint (not Eastwood) has only one "Yes, ma'm, No, ma'm" demeanor for every scene, but that's okay, even if he didn't get to be the next Gary Cooper.
Putting old-pro Gordon Douglas in charge was a shrewd move. Note the stages the awakening Mayo goes through in discovering that, yes, Walker has stripped off her wet clothes. Note too how Douglas gets that infernal glint in Mayo's eyes when she first suspects Clint of murdering her husband—it's almost scary. I also like the way the Indians are credited with some military sense when overturning the wagons to make shooters' barricades. Most important, Douglas knows how to integrate the picturesque terrain into the storyline—catch that great framing of the Walker-Keith shoot-out.
Fortunately, Warners got Burt Kennedy to do the script— and on the eve of his outstanding work with the Boetticher-Scott ,(Ranown), cycle of Westerns. I suspect Bryan Keith's charming villain was Kennedy's inspiration since likable baddies was a standard Ranown feature. Yes indeed, Keith steals the show with his easy-going charm—a real contrast to the uptight Walker. At this early stage, Keith was an interesting actor, best at squinty-eyed cowpokes as Sam Peckinpah knew when casting him as lead in Peckinpah's brilliant but short-lived TV series The Westerner (1960).
The movie itself may have been a hurry-up job—probably that's why there's no Technicolor despite the great scenery, and probably why we get a recycled plot line from Hondo (1953). I guess the hurry-up was to take advantage of Walker's TV popularity. Still, the movie's a very watchable action-filled adventure. What's more, I don't care if the luscious Mayo was pushing 40, she could put her saddle on my horse any day.
Exciting B Western
Theo Robertson21 July 2013
After being accused of shooting a man Gar Davis leaves the town of Largo with a posse in hot pursuit . His problems intensify when he comes across the body of a man which means the Comanche tribe are on the war path and with a return to Largo not an option he has to trek through hostile territory on foot . He spots a homestead and tries to steal a horse
As someone who is not a fan of the Western genre I only watched FORT DOBBS because there was nothing else on but found myself enjoying the movie much more than I could possibly have expected . One reason for this is because it resembles the type of story that would attract a director like Walter Hill who made a career out of reworking Anabasis by the ancient Greek writer Xenophon which involves protagonists trying to reach sanctuary through hostile territory and this film makes the best of the scenario and just when the protagonists think safety is in sight another obstacle appears
Perhaps even stranger as someone who isn't keen on Westerns I did notice the genre conventions which could be interpreted as clichés were are the fore such as a man's got to do what a man's got to do , men in white hats against men in black hats and the Injuns are portrayed as violent savages . We even have a kid in the mix but none of this harms the movie probably because it's an involving and exciting tale . One flaw to it is that it's filmed in black and white and one thinks if you're to set a film in a vast landscape which is to all intents and purposes a co-star then the film would have worked even better if it was shot in colour
As someone who is not a fan of the Western genre I only watched FORT DOBBS because there was nothing else on but found myself enjoying the movie much more than I could possibly have expected . One reason for this is because it resembles the type of story that would attract a director like Walter Hill who made a career out of reworking Anabasis by the ancient Greek writer Xenophon which involves protagonists trying to reach sanctuary through hostile territory and this film makes the best of the scenario and just when the protagonists think safety is in sight another obstacle appears
Perhaps even stranger as someone who isn't keen on Westerns I did notice the genre conventions which could be interpreted as clichés were are the fore such as a man's got to do what a man's got to do , men in white hats against men in black hats and the Injuns are portrayed as violent savages . We even have a kid in the mix but none of this harms the movie probably because it's an involving and exciting tale . One flaw to it is that it's filmed in black and white and one thinks if you're to set a film in a vast landscape which is to all intents and purposes a co-star then the film would have worked even better if it was shot in colour
A cut-above average Warner Brother's Western.
keith-7318 February 2010
In the late 1950's, Warner Brothers was the studio responsible for more westerns on television than any other production company in town (the town being Hollywood, of course!) They made stars out Clint Walker, Ty Hardin, James Garner, Jack Kelly and a host of others who appeared in their half hour and then one hour western dramas, which later became parodies of themselves, as the long running Maverick will prove.
Here, they rework the "Hondo" plot (lone gunman rescues a woman and her son after finding her husband dead) and spend two thirds of the movie getting themselves to Fort Dobbs. I'll stop there, because actually, under the considered hand of director Gordon Douglas, this is actually an okay film. Walker gives a very quiet performance but it's his character, so you buy it. Virginia Mayo and Richard Eyer give better performances, one scene with the kid especially cool-- and the standard cowboys vs. Indians plot is made a bit more edgy by the presence of Brian Keith as the bad guy. He doesn't show up until the 30 minute mark, but he steals the show and has a great time playing the bad guy.
The final scene is laughable ( not in a good way, sorry to say) but prior to that, the action is okay, inter cut with some out takes from "The Searchers", which don't match the Fort Dobbs footage at all.
Contains all the usual Warner Brothers sound effects, gun shots and bodies hitting the ground you've heard hundreds of times. Also, the music was by Max Steiner, which notched it up to a 7 for me.
If you get a chance, give it a look. VERY LITTLE studio work, a whole lot out OUT DOOR SHOOTING, another high point.
Here, they rework the "Hondo" plot (lone gunman rescues a woman and her son after finding her husband dead) and spend two thirds of the movie getting themselves to Fort Dobbs. I'll stop there, because actually, under the considered hand of director Gordon Douglas, this is actually an okay film. Walker gives a very quiet performance but it's his character, so you buy it. Virginia Mayo and Richard Eyer give better performances, one scene with the kid especially cool-- and the standard cowboys vs. Indians plot is made a bit more edgy by the presence of Brian Keith as the bad guy. He doesn't show up until the 30 minute mark, but he steals the show and has a great time playing the bad guy.
The final scene is laughable ( not in a good way, sorry to say) but prior to that, the action is okay, inter cut with some out takes from "The Searchers", which don't match the Fort Dobbs footage at all.
Contains all the usual Warner Brothers sound effects, gun shots and bodies hitting the ground you've heard hundreds of times. Also, the music was by Max Steiner, which notched it up to a 7 for me.
If you get a chance, give it a look. VERY LITTLE studio work, a whole lot out OUT DOOR SHOOTING, another high point.
Brian Keith steals this tough, gritty western
NewEnglandPat16 September 2009
This western follows a familiar genre theme of a loner who comes to the aid of a woman and her son and guides them to safety through Indian country. The plot is spare with a twist of mistaken identity thrown in as an innocent man on the run scrambles to escape a hanging posse hot on his trail. Clint Walker is the reformed gunfighter whose reputation places him on the sheriff's wanted poster as fate takes him to a woman's ranch in the midst of an Indian uprising. Virginia Mayo is the widow and reluctant trail companion of Walker along with her son as they make their way to Fort Dobbs. Brian Keith steals the film as an unsavory gun runner whose rifles play a large part in the Indian attack on the fort. The film is not a polished feature but is a straightforward, no-frills drama and is worth watching.
Clint Walker is Having a Really Tough Day
Henchman_Number128 March 2020
Pretty good saddle-burner with Clint Walker as Gar Davis, a man on the run for the murder of one of the local townsfolk. With a posse on his tail Davis uses some trickery to shake the posse but finds himself on foot in Comanche Country. Desperate for a horse he crosses paths with a mother and her young son (Virginia Mayo, Richard Eyer) when he is caught trying to steal one of their horses. Unable to go back to town because of the murder he agrees to take them to the safety of Fort Dobbs. To get there Davis must avoid a Comanche War Party and deal with a former acquaintance (Brian Keith) a fellow of dubious character.
After three years of the Cheyenne television series Walker got his first shot at a leading role on the big screen. This is the first of three Warner Brothers films that teams Walker with director Gordon Douglas. Walker known more his for screen presence than his thespian skills does a more than an adequate job in the role. The script by Burt Kennedy is a tailor fit for Walker. The dialogue is kept compact and lets the action carry the story. We find Walker alternately eluding a posse, crossing hostile tribal lands and looking back over his shoulder to ward off an old nemesis, all the while trying to help a mother, who is already distrustful of Walker, and her son reach Fort Dobbs. Talk about an exhausting day..
For a modestly produced western programmer the Fort Dobbs story line has quite a bit going on. That can often result in plot holes and sub plots that seem to go nowhere. Fortunately no such problem here as it all ties up quite nicely and even provides a twist or two in the end. Good action western.
After three years of the Cheyenne television series Walker got his first shot at a leading role on the big screen. This is the first of three Warner Brothers films that teams Walker with director Gordon Douglas. Walker known more his for screen presence than his thespian skills does a more than an adequate job in the role. The script by Burt Kennedy is a tailor fit for Walker. The dialogue is kept compact and lets the action carry the story. We find Walker alternately eluding a posse, crossing hostile tribal lands and looking back over his shoulder to ward off an old nemesis, all the while trying to help a mother, who is already distrustful of Walker, and her son reach Fort Dobbs. Talk about an exhausting day..
For a modestly produced western programmer the Fort Dobbs story line has quite a bit going on. That can often result in plot holes and sub plots that seem to go nowhere. Fortunately no such problem here as it all ties up quite nicely and even provides a twist or two in the end. Good action western.
Fifteen Bullets from Fort Dobbs.
hitchcockthelegend28 December 2013
Fort Dobbs is directed by Gordon Douglas and written by George W. George and Burt Kennedy. It stars Clint Walker, Virginia Mayo, Brian Keith, Richard Eyer, Russ Conway and Michael Dante. Music is by Max Steiner and cinematography by William H. Clothier.
After his appealing run in the TV series Cheyenne, it was inevitable that Clint Walker would make the transition to big screen fare. Here for his first feature length outing, we get the marker for his career that would follow. Never blessed with great acting talent, Walker was however a mighty presence, and handsome to boot, and he is the prime reason why Fort Dobbs is a better than average experience.
Plot basically has Walker as Gar Davis, a fugitive of justice who hooks up for a travelogue with Celia Grey (Mayo) and her son Chad (Eyer). Along the way there is Comanche peril, shifty companionship in the form of Clett (Keith) and a cunning twist that strains the relationship between Gar and the Greys. The wonderful Henry Repeater Rifle comes into play, very much so, and it provides some kinetic excitement, and it all builds to a rousing finale of explosions and stunts, while of course redemption and the truths will out. Clothier and Steiner further cement their reputations as skilled craftsmen, with the former beautifully realising the Kanab locations in black and white, and Douglas knows his way around a good honest Oater. 7/10
After his appealing run in the TV series Cheyenne, it was inevitable that Clint Walker would make the transition to big screen fare. Here for his first feature length outing, we get the marker for his career that would follow. Never blessed with great acting talent, Walker was however a mighty presence, and handsome to boot, and he is the prime reason why Fort Dobbs is a better than average experience.
Plot basically has Walker as Gar Davis, a fugitive of justice who hooks up for a travelogue with Celia Grey (Mayo) and her son Chad (Eyer). Along the way there is Comanche peril, shifty companionship in the form of Clett (Keith) and a cunning twist that strains the relationship between Gar and the Greys. The wonderful Henry Repeater Rifle comes into play, very much so, and it provides some kinetic excitement, and it all builds to a rousing finale of explosions and stunts, while of course redemption and the truths will out. Clothier and Steiner further cement their reputations as skilled craftsmen, with the former beautifully realising the Kanab locations in black and white, and Douglas knows his way around a good honest Oater. 7/10
Exciting Rugged western
coltras3514 January 2022
A wanted man saves a widow and her son from an Apache attack and leads them to the safety of a cavalry fort, but the mother soon suspects their rescuer may be responsible for her husband's recent death.
Fort Dobbs is a formula western lifted by the excellent direction of the underrated Gordon Douglas, who had directed some really good westerns and was an expert in executing well-staged action sequences, Virginia Mayo, the rugged terrain, the exciting action sequences and, of course, by its lead star, Clint Walker, who in Gary Cooper fashion, is a man of few words- strong and silent, and for me, he is the quintessential western star. Loved Cheyenne Bodie TV series, and he weaved his towering presence in this feature film. Pity he didn't make a slew of consistent run of westerns like Randolph Scott and Audie Murphy did. He fitted the genre like a glove.
Fort Dobbs is a vigorous western with familiar themes and elements that western diehards would be used to, but it's done with an infusion of skill, grit and excellent performances- and the stark black and white photography lends to the action and suspense played out in the rugged terrain. A solid western starring Clint Walker but the best was yet to come in Yellowstone Kelly.
Fort Dobbs is a formula western lifted by the excellent direction of the underrated Gordon Douglas, who had directed some really good westerns and was an expert in executing well-staged action sequences, Virginia Mayo, the rugged terrain, the exciting action sequences and, of course, by its lead star, Clint Walker, who in Gary Cooper fashion, is a man of few words- strong and silent, and for me, he is the quintessential western star. Loved Cheyenne Bodie TV series, and he weaved his towering presence in this feature film. Pity he didn't make a slew of consistent run of westerns like Randolph Scott and Audie Murphy did. He fitted the genre like a glove.
Fort Dobbs is a vigorous western with familiar themes and elements that western diehards would be used to, but it's done with an infusion of skill, grit and excellent performances- and the stark black and white photography lends to the action and suspense played out in the rugged terrain. A solid western starring Clint Walker but the best was yet to come in Yellowstone Kelly.
Good of its type.
Hey_Sweden31 May 2020
Clint Walker received his initial starring vehicle with this reasonably engaging B Western from Warner Bros. Often compared to "Hondo" with The Duke, its story (by Burt Kennedy and George W. George) is entertaining in its own right, if not exemplary. Basically, a man on the run named Gar Davis (Mr. Walker) rescues a farm woman, Celia Gray (the gorgeous Virginia Mayo), and her young son Chad (Richard Eyer) from a Comanche attack, and accompanies them to the not-too-far-away Fort Dobbs, which they believe will be a safe haven. Along the way, they meet Clett (Brian Keith), an old associate of Gars' who sells repeating rifles to the highest bidder.
"Fort Dobbs" serves up action, suspense, beautiful scenery, and human drama with a fair amount of panache. It helps that the versatile director Gordon Douglas ("Them!") is in the directors' chair; Douglas dabbled in a number of genres during his career, and typically did a solid job no matter what. Most notable is the opening 10 minutes or so, which don't have much in the way of dialogue. Tension mounts between the jut-jawed hero and his leading lady since circumstances (erroneously) lead her to believe that Gar shot her husband in the back. It's really Keith that gives the story a little shot in the arm as soon as he turns up. He has the most colourful role in the picture as a lusty, no-good type who tends to look out for number one.
The hunky Walker is a stoic type with a quiet manner of speaking, but it serves his character. Child actor Eyer does a good job without getting overly "cutesy" as some acting kids tend to do. Mayo is okay as Celia, but supposedly wasn't happy at having to work with an actor like Walker who had started in TV; it can't help but affect her performance. Giving a solid supporting portrayal is Canadian-born character actor Russ Conway as the Sheriff.
One major asset is a majestic soundtrack composed by Max Steiner; it helps this perfectly agreeable Western pass the time quite well.
Seven out of 10.
"Fort Dobbs" serves up action, suspense, beautiful scenery, and human drama with a fair amount of panache. It helps that the versatile director Gordon Douglas ("Them!") is in the directors' chair; Douglas dabbled in a number of genres during his career, and typically did a solid job no matter what. Most notable is the opening 10 minutes or so, which don't have much in the way of dialogue. Tension mounts between the jut-jawed hero and his leading lady since circumstances (erroneously) lead her to believe that Gar shot her husband in the back. It's really Keith that gives the story a little shot in the arm as soon as he turns up. He has the most colourful role in the picture as a lusty, no-good type who tends to look out for number one.
The hunky Walker is a stoic type with a quiet manner of speaking, but it serves his character. Child actor Eyer does a good job without getting overly "cutesy" as some acting kids tend to do. Mayo is okay as Celia, but supposedly wasn't happy at having to work with an actor like Walker who had started in TV; it can't help but affect her performance. Giving a solid supporting portrayal is Canadian-born character actor Russ Conway as the Sheriff.
One major asset is a majestic soundtrack composed by Max Steiner; it helps this perfectly agreeable Western pass the time quite well.
Seven out of 10.
One of the very finest Westerns to ever grace the Siver Screen?
bear022013-588-69610111 November 2010
I do not enjoy rating anything with a number.It somehow,cheapens what one has to say about something so close to the heart as a film that moves a grown man to actually stop and write about his feelings.
Fort Dobbs is "an experience."The film must be seen in quiet surroundings,meaning no distractions.
You can read a summation anywhere,but like anything of quality, this movie,owned by TBS,is impossible to find.
Clint Walker Is the story and Brian Keith/Virginia Mayo are along for the ride.Moab,Utah provides the backdrop and only THE TALL T comes close.
I do not know why Clint Walker was not a megastar,but perhaps politics was the reason.
Ken Curtis,a fine Western Actor married John Ford's daughter,I believe?
Fort Dobbs is "an experience."The film must be seen in quiet surroundings,meaning no distractions.
You can read a summation anywhere,but like anything of quality, this movie,owned by TBS,is impossible to find.
Clint Walker Is the story and Brian Keith/Virginia Mayo are along for the ride.Moab,Utah provides the backdrop and only THE TALL T comes close.
I do not know why Clint Walker was not a megastar,but perhaps politics was the reason.
Ken Curtis,a fine Western Actor married John Ford's daughter,I believe?
Few Trimmings
bkoganbing1 March 2013
Clint Walker and Virginia Mayo star in Fort Dobbs, a Warner Brothers western that bears more than a passing resemblance to John Wayne's classic Hondo. At the time Walker was starring in the Warner Brothers TV western Cheyenne and Mayo was serving out her contract with the studio.
It's a wanted man that Walker is for killing someone who had been trifling with his woman and fleeing his town of Largo he comes upon Mayo and her son Richard Eyer on their ranch. But they all have to flee there as the Comanches are on the warpath.
Fort Dobbs is a clean and unpretentious western. Walker had he been born 10 to 20 years earlier would have been a western star in the tradition of Gary Cooper. He certainly fills the screen in Fort Dobbs like Cooper at 6'6" Walker didn't look up to too many people. Far from the glamor parts she did for Sam Goldwyn, Virginia Mayo does well as the frontier wife caught in a real bad situation.
Brian Keith is here also as a shady gunrunner who's not got any scruples about whom he sells his wares to. No matter what he does as hero or villain Keith is always interesting to watch on the screen.
It's a rather overused plot that Fort Dobbs employs, still it's served up very well with few trimmings.
It's a wanted man that Walker is for killing someone who had been trifling with his woman and fleeing his town of Largo he comes upon Mayo and her son Richard Eyer on their ranch. But they all have to flee there as the Comanches are on the warpath.
Fort Dobbs is a clean and unpretentious western. Walker had he been born 10 to 20 years earlier would have been a western star in the tradition of Gary Cooper. He certainly fills the screen in Fort Dobbs like Cooper at 6'6" Walker didn't look up to too many people. Far from the glamor parts she did for Sam Goldwyn, Virginia Mayo does well as the frontier wife caught in a real bad situation.
Brian Keith is here also as a shady gunrunner who's not got any scruples about whom he sells his wares to. No matter what he does as hero or villain Keith is always interesting to watch on the screen.
It's a rather overused plot that Fort Dobbs employs, still it's served up very well with few trimmings.
OK Western
jpdoherty10 August 2010
Warning: Spoilers
FORT DOBBS is a minor western from the stable of Warner Bros. Produced by Martin Rackin for the studio it was intended as a launch pad for the big screen career of "massive" 6ft 6in Clint Walker who had just ended his long run on the hit TV western series "Cheyenne". But Warners weren't taking any chances with their "new" star. They tiptoed with the production and it shows. Firstly, they filmed in Black & White at a time when most movies, particularly westerns, were getting the colour treatment and besides Virginia Mayo the cast had no Marquee names to speak of. But having said that it did have its compensations - in the smooth screenplay by George W. George and Burt Kennedy, crisp monochrome cinematography by William Clothier, a score by the studio's prolific Max Steiner and able direction by the rarely disappointing Gordan Douglas.
On the run from the law for a crime he didn't commit Gar Davis (Clint Walker) tries to "borrow" a horse from a remote homestead occupied by widow Celia Grey (Virginia Mayo) and her young son Chad (Richard Eyre). Hostile Comanches attack the homestead and Gar helps to hold them off. Under the cover of darkness the three escape on horseback and Gar commits himself to guiding the woman and the boy across the desert to the safety of Fort Dobbs. But when they get there the Fort has been overrun by Comanches (a good set piece). After managing to access the Fort Gar leaves to get help. He returns with a shipment of repeating rifles which he appropriates from an unscrupulous gun runner Clett (Brian Keith) after a tense fast draw shootout. The brilliant repeaters prove too much for the attacking Indian horde who finally retreat beaten and in total disarray. All's well that ends well and the end sees Gar, Celia and young Chad riding out of the Fort to start a new life together.
Performances are reasonably good. Mayo proving that at this point in her busy career she was still easy on the eye and an old hand at playing "the girl" in westerns. Good too is Brian Keith in the relatively small part as the shady gunrunner. The towering Mr. Walker is OK in the lead but his range as an actor is quite limited and it never really improved very much in future film assignments. But he looks well on a horse (if there's one tall enough around) and manages to make an acceptable western hero.
The most tangible aspect of the movie is without doubt the splendid score by the tireless Max Steiner. The explosive intro. to the main title is the one he used for the opening to his greatest western score "The Searchers" the year before. There are exciting cues for the various Indian attacks, a river rescue sequence and a marvellous long loping melodic theme for the trekking scenes. But the score's highlight is the rich central piece he wrote to point up the developing relationship between Gar and Celia. Especially poignant is its use in the aftermath of Gar's rescue of Celia from the river. A beautiful arresting cue full of harmonic elegance it is also masterfully rendered in an infectious jaunty variation for the closing scene as the trio ride out of the Fort together in a splendid medium tracking shot.
FORT DOBBS is no great shakes as a western but it does have a few things going for it that make it more than bearable.
On the run from the law for a crime he didn't commit Gar Davis (Clint Walker) tries to "borrow" a horse from a remote homestead occupied by widow Celia Grey (Virginia Mayo) and her young son Chad (Richard Eyre). Hostile Comanches attack the homestead and Gar helps to hold them off. Under the cover of darkness the three escape on horseback and Gar commits himself to guiding the woman and the boy across the desert to the safety of Fort Dobbs. But when they get there the Fort has been overrun by Comanches (a good set piece). After managing to access the Fort Gar leaves to get help. He returns with a shipment of repeating rifles which he appropriates from an unscrupulous gun runner Clett (Brian Keith) after a tense fast draw shootout. The brilliant repeaters prove too much for the attacking Indian horde who finally retreat beaten and in total disarray. All's well that ends well and the end sees Gar, Celia and young Chad riding out of the Fort to start a new life together.
Performances are reasonably good. Mayo proving that at this point in her busy career she was still easy on the eye and an old hand at playing "the girl" in westerns. Good too is Brian Keith in the relatively small part as the shady gunrunner. The towering Mr. Walker is OK in the lead but his range as an actor is quite limited and it never really improved very much in future film assignments. But he looks well on a horse (if there's one tall enough around) and manages to make an acceptable western hero.
The most tangible aspect of the movie is without doubt the splendid score by the tireless Max Steiner. The explosive intro. to the main title is the one he used for the opening to his greatest western score "The Searchers" the year before. There are exciting cues for the various Indian attacks, a river rescue sequence and a marvellous long loping melodic theme for the trekking scenes. But the score's highlight is the rich central piece he wrote to point up the developing relationship between Gar and Celia. Especially poignant is its use in the aftermath of Gar's rescue of Celia from the river. A beautiful arresting cue full of harmonic elegance it is also masterfully rendered in an infectious jaunty variation for the closing scene as the trio ride out of the Fort together in a splendid medium tracking shot.
FORT DOBBS is no great shakes as a western but it does have a few things going for it that make it more than bearable.
Nondescript title hides an okay western tale.
Poseidon-316 December 2002
A fairly standard western tale is uplifted by the calm, towering presence of Walker. He plays a man on the run from a posse who throws them off his trail and winds up at the ranch of a woman and her son who are waiting for her husband to return. They hardly have time to exchange hellos when a Comanche war party shows up outside. It is now Walker's duty to get the woman (Mayo) and her boy to the title fort despite the fact that she blames him for her husband's failure to return and he risks arrest once he gets there. There are a couple of minor twists and turns in the story to hold interest (along with a lot of now-cliched dialogue....occasionally one can put words in the characters' mouths and like clockwork, out if comes!) Keith shows up in a stock role of friend/foe, but adds a spark of creativity to it through some effective character work. Mayo doesn't get a lot to do besides scowl and get into trouble, but does have one amusing moment when she realizes that Walker has seen her naked. Walker is his usual gorgeous self. His soothing, dulcet voice and his monumental frame add much to the film. He plays a sort of mysterious "yep/nope" character along the lines of something Gary Cooper would have done. He's believed to be a killer, but the audience knows that there's more to the story. His willingness to allow himself to be hunted and disdained is in order to protect the honor, even if undeserved, of others. Walker, a true western star, appears to have done most (if not all) of his own riding and stunts. Also, after one particularly wet scene, he is seen shirtless polishing his rifle....quite a visual treat. Anyone should have felt safe in his care. Indians in the film are nothing but savage, faceless plot devices with no discernible reason given for their behavior. This is pretty typical for the time this film was made. The film is nothing amazing, but is pleasantly brief, has some nice scenery, a Max Steiner score and has its share of action and drama to make it watchable.
Just for the record....
elo-equipamentos27 June 2019
Clint Walker should be a better reputation on western pictures, a tall man, strong and would be a great star, something alike Clint Eastwood, somehow it didn't happens, why I really don't have the answer, Fort Dobbs he finally got a leading role with the beauty Virginia Mayo and promising child actor Richard Eyer, the movie is about a man called Gar (Walker) who kill a man, running through the desert he meets a Comanche's riot, he found a man killed by the Indians, trade is cloths with the dead man to deceived the Sheriff's Posse, who pursuit him, the chase is ended after they saw his supposed dead body in a deep gulch, meanwhile Gar tries steal a horse in a ranch nearby, the boy shot him, the farm woman (Mayo) and his son take cares him, just wound in the head, the Comanches attacks the ranch, they are pressed runaway, but the woman suspect that Gar killed his husband, ingenious formulaic plot where the hate will slowly becomes in perfect chemistry over the couple, pleasant to watch, with a enjoyable narrative structure, fine picture where Virginia Mayo had unspoiled his enchants!!!
Resume:
First watch: 2019 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.5
Resume:
First watch: 2019 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.5
A slower, atmospheric Western - not bad
audiemurph25 February 2012
"Fort Dobbs" is a leisurely paced movie - perhaps too leisurely. Long periods of time pass without a lot of dialogue. Instead the film seems to depend on atmosphere and gorgeous black-and-white desert camera-work to keep us entertained. Clint Walker made a few noteworthy and very interesting Westerns, but he seems to be underutilized in this one. His character is very one-dimensional, and very terse, even though he dominates the screen throughout the film. Both Walker's character and "Fort Dobbs" in general feel like a lot of unrealized potential.
Even the Indians are monolithic. This was 1958, but it still feels like Stagecoach and 1941 - the Indians are good for nothing more than rifle fodder. The potential relationship between Virginia Mayo, who plays the strong-willed widow very well, and Walker, also remains just that - potential. Speaking of Virginia Mayo, she has one particular moment that allows her to go outside the box: after being rescued from drowning by Walker, she wakens to find herself naked under a blanket. The camera allows her a good portion of a minute to register the fact of her nakedness, to see Clint Walker with his bare chest cleaning his rifle near by, to see her clothes on a clothesline not of her own making, and finally, putting 2 and 2 and 2 together, recognizing that Walker, after rescuing her, must have stripped her, and - well, the horror and embarrassment are clearly distressing, and quite funny. A nice moment for Ms. Mayo.
Perhaps the most interesting character is "Clett", played by Brian Keith. Clett is a drifter, like Walker's character, and they have clearly crossed paths a number of times in the past. Keith's character is curiously not completely unsympathetic. He wants to put the past disagreements between him and Walker behind them, and work together, but Walker will have none of it. He even appears at the last moment at one point to save Walker from a Comanche attack. You know right from the beginning, however, that Walker will prevail if the seams between them come apart. There is enough ambiguity in Keith's genial character, though, to make him worth thinking about.
Russ Conway has a larger role than you would expect, playing the very grim sheriff of the town of Largo. He is an appealing character. The same cannot be said of the child actor, Richard Eyer, playing Mayo's young son. Not the worst child actor ever, but I could have done without him. Interestingly, the child is the only character to bring out the taciturn Clint Walker's gentle side. The film would have been better if Clint had been allowed to show more emotion.
In sum, then, not a bad Western, though not Walker's best. And a curious thought - did the name of the town, "Largo", inspire the other Clint (Eastwood, of course) to name his town "Lago", in High Plains Drifter?
Even the Indians are monolithic. This was 1958, but it still feels like Stagecoach and 1941 - the Indians are good for nothing more than rifle fodder. The potential relationship between Virginia Mayo, who plays the strong-willed widow very well, and Walker, also remains just that - potential. Speaking of Virginia Mayo, she has one particular moment that allows her to go outside the box: after being rescued from drowning by Walker, she wakens to find herself naked under a blanket. The camera allows her a good portion of a minute to register the fact of her nakedness, to see Clint Walker with his bare chest cleaning his rifle near by, to see her clothes on a clothesline not of her own making, and finally, putting 2 and 2 and 2 together, recognizing that Walker, after rescuing her, must have stripped her, and - well, the horror and embarrassment are clearly distressing, and quite funny. A nice moment for Ms. Mayo.
Perhaps the most interesting character is "Clett", played by Brian Keith. Clett is a drifter, like Walker's character, and they have clearly crossed paths a number of times in the past. Keith's character is curiously not completely unsympathetic. He wants to put the past disagreements between him and Walker behind them, and work together, but Walker will have none of it. He even appears at the last moment at one point to save Walker from a Comanche attack. You know right from the beginning, however, that Walker will prevail if the seams between them come apart. There is enough ambiguity in Keith's genial character, though, to make him worth thinking about.
Russ Conway has a larger role than you would expect, playing the very grim sheriff of the town of Largo. He is an appealing character. The same cannot be said of the child actor, Richard Eyer, playing Mayo's young son. Not the worst child actor ever, but I could have done without him. Interestingly, the child is the only character to bring out the taciturn Clint Walker's gentle side. The film would have been better if Clint had been allowed to show more emotion.
In sum, then, not a bad Western, though not Walker's best. And a curious thought - did the name of the town, "Largo", inspire the other Clint (Eastwood, of course) to name his town "Lago", in High Plains Drifter?
Above average B Western in B&W
adrianovasconcelos2 November 2023
Gordon Douglas achieved fame thanks - to some extent - to the Oliver and Hardy films that he directed, but he does equally adroitly in a serious-minded B Western like FORT DOBBS.
To that end, he extracts credible performances from Clint Walker, Virginia Mayo and Brian Keith and he is ably assisted by the sharp dialogue and script by George W George, and William Clothier's polished B&W cinematography. Last but by no means least, fitting editing by Clarence Kolster.
Clint Walker, one of Hollywood's tallest actors, adds a steady calm and steely resolve to the character of Gar Davis, sought by Largo Sheriff Russ Conway and his posse for a crime he did not commit, thereby precipitating a turn of events that is riveting to the final scene.
My sole gripe: Davis purportedly leaves massacred Fort Dobbs to get soldiers from the closest garrison, instead he comes across Keith and returns with new repeat Henry rifles, which make all the difference as the Indians are knocked back. Why does sheriff Conway not query the absence of troops he was supposed to have fetched, returning instead with rifles, whose origin should be questioned, too, as Davis could well have been selling them to Indians. Instead... happy ending.
Still, all told this is a very good B Western. 7/10.
To that end, he extracts credible performances from Clint Walker, Virginia Mayo and Brian Keith and he is ably assisted by the sharp dialogue and script by George W George, and William Clothier's polished B&W cinematography. Last but by no means least, fitting editing by Clarence Kolster.
Clint Walker, one of Hollywood's tallest actors, adds a steady calm and steely resolve to the character of Gar Davis, sought by Largo Sheriff Russ Conway and his posse for a crime he did not commit, thereby precipitating a turn of events that is riveting to the final scene.
My sole gripe: Davis purportedly leaves massacred Fort Dobbs to get soldiers from the closest garrison, instead he comes across Keith and returns with new repeat Henry rifles, which make all the difference as the Indians are knocked back. Why does sheriff Conway not query the absence of troops he was supposed to have fetched, returning instead with rifles, whose origin should be questioned, too, as Davis could well have been selling them to Indians. Instead... happy ending.
Still, all told this is a very good B Western. 7/10.
Solid, Well-Made, But Unpretentious Oater
zardoz-132 August 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Gordon Douglas' "Fort Dobbs" is a sturdy, black & white, Warner Brothers' western that provided Clint Walker with his first starring role. Previously, Walker had appeared in several movies in supporting roles and starred in the television series "Cheyenne." Walker plays a rugged westerner who killed another man for beating up his girlfriend. Gar Davis doesn't know his way around women and he pays the price when he latches onto a no-good dame who plays him for a fool. When our hero is out of town, his darling is loving it up with any man she can attract with her wiles. She is badly beaten up by one man, and Gar goes after him to give him similar treatment. Things get a little out of hand for Gar and he has to kill his adversary after the ruffian tries to kill him with a shotgun. At this point, our hero lights out with a posse pursuing him straight into the desert where the Comanches have decided to hit the war path. The pugnacious Native Americans have killed one man with an arrow in the back. Gar swaps coats and dumps the corpse over a cliff with his coat on so that Largo Sheriff (Russ Conway) and his men initially believe that they have found Gar's corpse. To throw the posse off her trial, Gar lets them take his horse after they find his body. Later that evening, Gar tries to steal a horse from a nearby ranch, but Chad Gray (Richard Eyer of "The Desperate Hours") wounds him with his breechloader. When he recovers, Gar admits to Celia Gray (Virginia Mayo of "Colorado Territory") that he was indeed trying to steal a horse. He has seen the Comanches on the war path and persuades Celia and her son Chad to accompany him to the nearest cavalry fort: Fort Dobbs.
Douglas doesn't waste time in this lean 90-minute sagebrusher, and he has a good script by future director Burt Kennedy of "Return of the Seven" and "Red Mountain" scribe George W. George. This represented Kennedy's fifth oater. He penned it between writing assignments for Budd Boetticher. Kennedy wrote "The Tall T" before he inked this screenplay and followed it up with an uncredited rewrite on "Buchanan Rides Alone." The screenplay is as lean and mean as this 90 western. Ace lenser William Clothier captures the west in all of its savage beauty and often relies on perspective shots. Brian Keith plays a sleazy cowboy named Clett who is heading to Santa Fe to sell a bunch of Henry repeating rifles. When he intervenes on Gar's behalf, Clett (Keith) demonstrates the ferocity of the 15 shot repeating rifle. Later, when the townspeople flee Largo, they head to Fort Dobbs, and they are in for a surprise. The last man that Gar expected to see at the outpost was none other than the sheriff of Largo. The ending is interesting. Composer Max Steiner of "King Kong" fame furnishes a robust orchestral score that highlight the dramatic revelations. "Fort Dobbs" is a good western, and Douglas borrows from an earlier western "Only the Valiant."
Douglas doesn't waste time in this lean 90-minute sagebrusher, and he has a good script by future director Burt Kennedy of "Return of the Seven" and "Red Mountain" scribe George W. George. This represented Kennedy's fifth oater. He penned it between writing assignments for Budd Boetticher. Kennedy wrote "The Tall T" before he inked this screenplay and followed it up with an uncredited rewrite on "Buchanan Rides Alone." The screenplay is as lean and mean as this 90 western. Ace lenser William Clothier captures the west in all of its savage beauty and often relies on perspective shots. Brian Keith plays a sleazy cowboy named Clett who is heading to Santa Fe to sell a bunch of Henry repeating rifles. When he intervenes on Gar's behalf, Clett (Keith) demonstrates the ferocity of the 15 shot repeating rifle. Later, when the townspeople flee Largo, they head to Fort Dobbs, and they are in for a surprise. The last man that Gar expected to see at the outpost was none other than the sheriff of Largo. The ending is interesting. Composer Max Steiner of "King Kong" fame furnishes a robust orchestral score that highlight the dramatic revelations. "Fort Dobbs" is a good western, and Douglas borrows from an earlier western "Only the Valiant."
"You appear to be doing all right for a dead man"(Clett)
weezeralfalfa24 June 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Clett(Brian Keith), a traveling firearms salesman and probable gunrunner for Native Americans, happens upon the little party of Gar Davis(Clint Walker), just widowed Celia Grey(Virginia Mayo) and her half grown son, Chad(Richard Eyer). Clett was very surprised to see Gar, an old acquaintance, alive, as he was reported by the Largo sheriff as dead from a Comanche arrow in the back. Seems Gar changed clothes with a dead man he found and rolled the body partly down a bank. The posse, who were after Gar for shooting a man in Largo, took the bait and failed to confirm that the body they saw from a distance was indeed that of Gar. They did, however, take his horse, which he left in view to add to the deception. Thus, Gar had to walk a long way in the desert, until he came upon a farm house at night. He tried to take a horse, but Chad grazed his head with a rifle shot, knocking him out for a spell. He told them to be weary of marauding Comanches nearby. Sure enough, they soon showed up and a battle ensued. Eventually, they made an escape by horse, but saw the smoke from the burning house and shed. Gar said they should head for Ft. Dobbs for safety. Celia wanted to go to Largo instead, where she thought her husband was, but Gar said he couldn't go there. Eventually, Celia finds something among Gar's clothing that she recognizes as her husband's, and accuses him of murdering her husband. He denies it, but she doesn't believe him. Still, she concludes she will have to continue traveling with him to Ft. Dobbs for safety.
Clett shows up and starts to come on to Celia. Later, they travel on toward Dobbs, when Comanches attack again. Clett and Gar fight them off. Clett shows Gar the new Henry repeating rifles he hopes to sell in Dobbs and Santa Fe, beyond. That night, Clett comes onto Celia strong and tries to rape her. Gar comes to the rescue, they fight, and Clett leaves.
I won't detail the rest of the story. Gar has saved the lives or honor of Celia and Chad several times and will again.. Yet, the two are not very impressed until they later change their mind about his killing of their husband/father. They finally are willing to accept his story that the dead body of their husband/father actually prevented his capture, and thus indirectly saved their lives!
I will say that this story has a happy ending for 3 of the principals. This is one of those stories where the past transgressions of the leading man are largely forgiven as a result of his subsequent repeated heroics. Other examples include "Bend in the River" and "3 Godfathers". Unfortunately, European-derived justice systems seldom apply this principle of balancing the good and bad in a person's deeds in deciding how they should be punished for their bad deeds. In contrast, the enemy Comanches typically didn't prescribe a punishment for misdeeds or conflicts. Rather, kin or friends of the wronged were allowed to extract revenge on the wrongdoer. So why such Comanches often fled to another village. Justice among Europeans on the frontier often more resembled that of the Comanches than settled European communities.
Clearly, this story takes place in the rugged northeastern portion of the present state of New Mexico, although I could find no indication of a historical Ft. Dobbs nor town of Largo in this area.(There was a Ft. Dobbs in NC). However, there is a Largo Canyon, said to be 20 miles from the well known historic Ft. Union, to the NE of Santa Fe. Thus, I propose that Ft. Union was renamed Ft. Dobbs in the screenplay(a common Hollywood device! See my review of "Column South"). Clett's mentioning of the newly released Henry repeating rifles dates this story to around 1862, when Comanche raids on settlers increased, due to the evacuation of many soldiers, to fight in the East.
In contrast to various reviewers, i didn't find Brian Keith's Clett terribly interesting nor likable. He just seemed like a talkative sleazebag, who probably peddled firearms to the 'Indians', as well as Europeans. However, Gar's last encounter with him, which proved fatal, was legally a questionable act on Gar's part.
Clint Walker's character comes across as another puritanical hero, played by the likes of Fess Parker and Gregory Peck, whom he much reminds me of.
Virginia Mayo's character comes across as much more passive than in her previous westerns: "Colorado Territory" and "Along the Great Divide", where she is much more of a tomboy. Of course, she eventually falls for the leading man in all 3 films. But, in "Colorado Territory", this happens almost immediately. In the other 2 films, this doesn't happen until near the ending, because of a factual or mistaken antagonistic association of the leading man with someone dear to her heart, until near the end. In this film, there is also the assumption that Gar will have to answer for his murder.
Filming mostly was done in canyon country near Moab and Kanab, Utah, which rather resembles (from photos) the canyon country of NE NM. The treacherous river crossing scene presumably involved the Colorado River near Moab, as was the case for Ford's "Wagon Master", also mostly shot in this area.
The plot offers quite a bit of complexity and action, the principals were well cast, and I enjoyed the film. Yes, should have been shot in color!
!
Clett shows up and starts to come on to Celia. Later, they travel on toward Dobbs, when Comanches attack again. Clett and Gar fight them off. Clett shows Gar the new Henry repeating rifles he hopes to sell in Dobbs and Santa Fe, beyond. That night, Clett comes onto Celia strong and tries to rape her. Gar comes to the rescue, they fight, and Clett leaves.
I won't detail the rest of the story. Gar has saved the lives or honor of Celia and Chad several times and will again.. Yet, the two are not very impressed until they later change their mind about his killing of their husband/father. They finally are willing to accept his story that the dead body of their husband/father actually prevented his capture, and thus indirectly saved their lives!
I will say that this story has a happy ending for 3 of the principals. This is one of those stories where the past transgressions of the leading man are largely forgiven as a result of his subsequent repeated heroics. Other examples include "Bend in the River" and "3 Godfathers". Unfortunately, European-derived justice systems seldom apply this principle of balancing the good and bad in a person's deeds in deciding how they should be punished for their bad deeds. In contrast, the enemy Comanches typically didn't prescribe a punishment for misdeeds or conflicts. Rather, kin or friends of the wronged were allowed to extract revenge on the wrongdoer. So why such Comanches often fled to another village. Justice among Europeans on the frontier often more resembled that of the Comanches than settled European communities.
Clearly, this story takes place in the rugged northeastern portion of the present state of New Mexico, although I could find no indication of a historical Ft. Dobbs nor town of Largo in this area.(There was a Ft. Dobbs in NC). However, there is a Largo Canyon, said to be 20 miles from the well known historic Ft. Union, to the NE of Santa Fe. Thus, I propose that Ft. Union was renamed Ft. Dobbs in the screenplay(a common Hollywood device! See my review of "Column South"). Clett's mentioning of the newly released Henry repeating rifles dates this story to around 1862, when Comanche raids on settlers increased, due to the evacuation of many soldiers, to fight in the East.
In contrast to various reviewers, i didn't find Brian Keith's Clett terribly interesting nor likable. He just seemed like a talkative sleazebag, who probably peddled firearms to the 'Indians', as well as Europeans. However, Gar's last encounter with him, which proved fatal, was legally a questionable act on Gar's part.
Clint Walker's character comes across as another puritanical hero, played by the likes of Fess Parker and Gregory Peck, whom he much reminds me of.
Virginia Mayo's character comes across as much more passive than in her previous westerns: "Colorado Territory" and "Along the Great Divide", where she is much more of a tomboy. Of course, she eventually falls for the leading man in all 3 films. But, in "Colorado Territory", this happens almost immediately. In the other 2 films, this doesn't happen until near the ending, because of a factual or mistaken antagonistic association of the leading man with someone dear to her heart, until near the end. In this film, there is also the assumption that Gar will have to answer for his murder.
Filming mostly was done in canyon country near Moab and Kanab, Utah, which rather resembles (from photos) the canyon country of NE NM. The treacherous river crossing scene presumably involved the Colorado River near Moab, as was the case for Ford's "Wagon Master", also mostly shot in this area.
The plot offers quite a bit of complexity and action, the principals were well cast, and I enjoyed the film. Yes, should have been shot in color!
!
Kind of a waste
drystyx22 March 2018
This isn't a "terrible movie", but it's a very mundane Western.
The hugest problem is the contrivance of characters. Clint Walker is the essential hero, but not just that, he's pretty much Superman. Of course his physique does give this impression to begin with, but it loses the male audience with the "demi god" nature.
Brian Keith plays a bit better role as a more convincing bad guy. He's got a few more dimensions than the hero, but not much. He's still more a "one dimension and a half bad guy", though not as corny as modern movie bad guys.
There just isn't much going for this movie. It's simply mundane. We don't hate the characters, but we really don't care one way or the other. Kind of a waste.
Clint Walker In Hondo-Like Role
joeparkson14 March 2010
I think Clint Walker (or his agent) had thoughts of being the next John Wayne. This movie is very similar to "Hondo" 1953 which starred John Wayne. Stranger with a past shows up at a farmhouse occupied by a woman and her son, but the husband is missing. Stranger is attracted to woman and becomes a surrogate dad for the son.
The writing in this movie is not as good as in "Hondo", which had moments of pure poetry.
There's no romance between Walker and Mayo; Walker doesn't even try. Why, I don't know. Virginia Mayo is a beautiful woman though older than Walker. Walker does take his shirt off, which was probably required in his contract for every movie he ever made. Maybe she should have made a play for him. Other reviewers have said that it might have been unseemly for Walker & Mayo to have a romance, but Wayne got right down to business in "Hondo". He told that woman how she smelled and how he could find her in the dark. And that was before her husband died. Wayne didn't even have to take his shirt off.
Ironically, the charismatic bad guy played by Brian Keith, makes a very frank play for Mayo.
Finally, the Indians here are not given the depth of characterization they had in "Hondo". They're more like very bad weather.
The boy, is well played by Richard Eyer. Unlike most child actors, he's not annoying.
This could have been a much better movie. I've seen all the actors do better in other movies, and the director Gordon Douglas, though not a great director, has done better movies. Perhaps if Walker's part had been written with less politeness and more menace, it would have been a more interesting movie.
The writing in this movie is not as good as in "Hondo", which had moments of pure poetry.
There's no romance between Walker and Mayo; Walker doesn't even try. Why, I don't know. Virginia Mayo is a beautiful woman though older than Walker. Walker does take his shirt off, which was probably required in his contract for every movie he ever made. Maybe she should have made a play for him. Other reviewers have said that it might have been unseemly for Walker & Mayo to have a romance, but Wayne got right down to business in "Hondo". He told that woman how she smelled and how he could find her in the dark. And that was before her husband died. Wayne didn't even have to take his shirt off.
Ironically, the charismatic bad guy played by Brian Keith, makes a very frank play for Mayo.
Finally, the Indians here are not given the depth of characterization they had in "Hondo". They're more like very bad weather.
The boy, is well played by Richard Eyer. Unlike most child actors, he's not annoying.
This could have been a much better movie. I've seen all the actors do better in other movies, and the director Gordon Douglas, though not a great director, has done better movies. Perhaps if Walker's part had been written with less politeness and more menace, it would have been a more interesting movie.
A simple and somewhat familiar plot done right.
planktonrules1 December 2022
"Fort Dobbs" is not an entirely original film, but, frankly, there really aren't that many stories you'll see in most westerns. The story here is very similar to John Wayne's film, "Hondo"....and that's good because it's one of Wayne's best.
When the story begins, Gar Davis (Clint Walker) comes to town. When the sheriff confronts him, Gar's comment is short and to the point...he's there to kill a man! Well, you assume he must have because in the next scene a posse is chasing him across the desert. Along the way, Gar finds a man who was recently killed by Comanche Indians. He trades jackets with the dead man and tosses the body off a small cliff. Later, the posse sees the body and assumes Gar was killed and they head back to town.
Soon after this, Gar comes upon a homestead...with a woman (Virginia Mayo) and her little boy (played by the excellent child actor, Richard Eyer). Soon, the Comanche attack them...and they just manage to escape. Now they could head into town...or go to Fort Dobbs. Not suprisingly, Gar tells them they are going to Dobbs...as he could get hung if he heads back to town. So did Gar kill a man? Did the guy deserve it? And what about the 'friend' (Brian Keith) they meet up with along the way?
There is little about this film to dislike apart from the fact that American Indian tribes only rarely attacked settlers (though the Comanche were more likely to do so than most other tribes). Solid acting, action and a nice script all work together to make it a dandy film.
When the story begins, Gar Davis (Clint Walker) comes to town. When the sheriff confronts him, Gar's comment is short and to the point...he's there to kill a man! Well, you assume he must have because in the next scene a posse is chasing him across the desert. Along the way, Gar finds a man who was recently killed by Comanche Indians. He trades jackets with the dead man and tosses the body off a small cliff. Later, the posse sees the body and assumes Gar was killed and they head back to town.
Soon after this, Gar comes upon a homestead...with a woman (Virginia Mayo) and her little boy (played by the excellent child actor, Richard Eyer). Soon, the Comanche attack them...and they just manage to escape. Now they could head into town...or go to Fort Dobbs. Not suprisingly, Gar tells them they are going to Dobbs...as he could get hung if he heads back to town. So did Gar kill a man? Did the guy deserve it? And what about the 'friend' (Brian Keith) they meet up with along the way?
There is little about this film to dislike apart from the fact that American Indian tribes only rarely attacked settlers (though the Comanche were more likely to do so than most other tribes). Solid acting, action and a nice script all work together to make it a dandy film.
Great but foreseeable western
searchanddestroy-116 October 2022
Gordon Douglas was a great director, because an excellent technician, though he was not an author, he was not Howard Hawks nor John Ford or Henry Hathaway. He had not real style, except in some technical skills, such as low angle shoots during action scenes. His films could be seen as B movies but long length films, over ninety minutes. He made westerns, film noirs, science fiction - THEM - dramas.... This one is starring Clint Walker with whom Douglas used several times, such as YELLOWSTONE KELLY. This could be seen as a poor man's John Ford and that's already a good thing, with some SHANE accents concerning the story.
boring waste of time, plus implausible action scenes
chipe9 April 2012
Warning: Spoilers
This movie is a waste of time. I wanted to like it, but couldn't. The only positive things I could say about it is (1) the mountain/dessert scenery, which unfortunately was in black and white, and (2) Brian Keith's performance, which is the only thing that brought the movie to life. Clint Walker's performance was pleasant, not a great recommendation.
Along with other reviewer's, I also noticed the well-directed scene where Virginia Mayo had been fished out of the river by Clint Walker, and is seen (obviously naked) under her blanket. The good direction is how she awakes and slowly realizes the situation (undressed by Walker). The point I want to make is that it was a good scene, but an obvious, easy one, and that so many would take the time to draw attention to it reveals how listless the rest of the production is.
***spoilers galore***** What prompted me to write this review is to draw attention to some remarkably implausible scenes, maddeningly implausible even for a B-Western: (1) early on, Walker comes upon the lone woman and son in an isolated ranch house during an Indian uprising. A dozen Indians with rifles attack the ranch house with only Clint and the boy shooting their rifles through windows. That the Indians couldn't finish them off, attack from all sides, climb up on the roof, set the place on fire, etc., drove me to distraction. Then later in the darkness, Clint strangles an Indian and the three ride away. Yeesh! (2) later on, white townsfolk in wagons outrace Indians on horseback to a fort. Yeesh! (3) finally, later on, Clint leaves the fort, alone, to go for help and just happens to come across Brian Keith with a few dozen repeating rifles. OK! But he then saves the day by riding alone with some pack horses (packing the rifles) through the Indians surrounding the fort, to save the day. Yeesh, again! (I also disdained the stock action footage.)
Along with other reviewer's, I also noticed the well-directed scene where Virginia Mayo had been fished out of the river by Clint Walker, and is seen (obviously naked) under her blanket. The good direction is how she awakes and slowly realizes the situation (undressed by Walker). The point I want to make is that it was a good scene, but an obvious, easy one, and that so many would take the time to draw attention to it reveals how listless the rest of the production is.
***spoilers galore***** What prompted me to write this review is to draw attention to some remarkably implausible scenes, maddeningly implausible even for a B-Western: (1) early on, Walker comes upon the lone woman and son in an isolated ranch house during an Indian uprising. A dozen Indians with rifles attack the ranch house with only Clint and the boy shooting their rifles through windows. That the Indians couldn't finish them off, attack from all sides, climb up on the roof, set the place on fire, etc., drove me to distraction. Then later in the darkness, Clint strangles an Indian and the three ride away. Yeesh! (2) later on, white townsfolk in wagons outrace Indians on horseback to a fort. Yeesh! (3) finally, later on, Clint leaves the fort, alone, to go for help and just happens to come across Brian Keith with a few dozen repeating rifles. OK! But he then saves the day by riding alone with some pack horses (packing the rifles) through the Indians surrounding the fort, to save the day. Yeesh, again! (I also disdained the stock action footage.)
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