She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

James Warner Bellah (story)
Frank S. Nugent (screenplay) ...
(more)

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:

Attack | Retirement | Native American Chief | Watch | Last Stand

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 Pennell
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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Rudy Bowman	...	Pvt. John Smith aka Rome Clay (uncredited)
Lee Bradley	...	Interpreter (uncredited)
Paul Fix	...	Gun-runner (uncredited)
Francis Ford	...	Connelly, Fort Stark Suttlers Barman (uncredited)
Art Gilmore	...	Trailer Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Ray Hyke	...	Trooper McCarthy (uncredited)
Billy Jones	...	Courier (uncredited)
Fred Kennedy	...	Badger (uncredited)
Fred Libby	...	Cpl. Krumrein (uncredited)
Cliff Lyons	...	Trooper Cliff (uncredited)
Frank McGrath	...	Bugler / Indian (uncredited)
Post Park	...	Officer (uncredited)
Jack Pennick	...	Sergeant Major (uncredited)
Irving Pichel	...	Narrator (uncredited)
Mickey Simpson	...	Cpl. Wagner (blacksmith) (uncredited)
William Steele	...	Officer (uncredited)
Don Summers	...	Jenkins (uncredited)
Dan White	...	Trooper (uncredited)
Harry Woods	...	Licensed Suttler Karl Rynders (uncredited)

Directed by
John Ford

Writing credits
James Warner Bellah		(story)
Frank S. Nugent		(screenplay) (as Frank Nugent) and
Laurence Stallings		(screenplay)

Produced by
Lowell J. Farrell	....	associate producer (as Lowell Farrell)
Merian C. Cooper	....	executive producer (uncredited)
John Ford	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Richard Hageman		(musical score)

Cinematography by
Winton C. Hoch		(director of photography) (as Winton Hoch)

Film Editing by
Jack Murray

Art Direction by
James Basevi

Set Decoration by
Joseph Kish		(as Joe Kish)

Makeup Department
Don L. Cash	....	makeup artist (as Don Cash)
Anna Malin	....	hairdresser

Production Management
Lowell J. Farrell	....	production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Edward O'Fearna	....	assistant director
Wingate Smith	....	assistant director
Cliff Lyons	....	second unit director (uncredited)

Art Department
Jack Colconda	....	properties (as Jack Golconda)

Sound Department
Patrick Kelley	....	sound effects
Clem Portman	....	sound
Frank Webster	....	sound

Special Effects by
Jack Caffee	....	special effects
Jack Cosgrove	....	special effects (uncredited)

Stunts
Roydon Clark	....	stunts (uncredited)
Everett Creach	....	stunts (uncredited)
Michael Dugan	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Epper	....	stunts (uncredited)
Fred Graham	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Hayward	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bryan 'Slim' Hightower	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Hudkins	....	stunts (uncredited)
Billy Jones	....	stunts (uncredited)
Fred Kennedy	....	stunts (uncredited)
Cliff Lyons	....	stunts (uncredited)
Frank McGrath	....	stunts (uncredited)
Don Nagel	....	stunts (uncredited)
Post Park	....	stunts (uncredited)
Gil Perkins	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bob Rose	....	stunts (uncredited)
Norm Taylor	....	stunt double: Indian (uncredited)
Jack N. Young	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Charles P. Boyle	....	photographer: second unit (as Charles Boyle)
Harvey Gould	....	camera operator
Robert Campbell	....	gaffer (uncredited)
Tom Clement	....	grip (uncredited)
Alexander Kahle	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Archie Stout	....	camera operator: second unit (uncredited)
Archie Stout	....	director of photography: second unit (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
D.R.O. Hatswell	....	costume researcher
Michael Meyers	....	wardrobe: men
Ann Peck	....	wardrobe: women

Editorial Department
Stephen Bearman	....	colorist (uncredited)
Barbara Ford	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Lucien Cailliet	....	musical arranger
C. Bakaleinikoff	....	musical director (uncredited)
Lucien Cailliet	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Jester Hairston	....	choral director (uncredited)

Other crew
Merian C. Cooper	....	presenter
John Ford	....	presenter
Natalie Kalmus	....	technicolor color director
Philip Kieffer	....	technical advisor (as Major Philip Kieffer, U.S.A., Retd.)
Cliff Lyons	....	technical advisor
Morgan Padelford	....	associate technicolor color director
Sid Davis	....	stand-in: John Wayne (uncredited)
Barlow Simpson	....	gun wrangler (uncredited)
Meta Stern	....	script supervisor (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Argosy Pictures (as Argosy Pictures Corporation)
• RKO Radio Pictures

Distributors

• RKO Radio Pictures (1949) (USA) (theatrical)
• RKO Radio Pictures (1954) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• RKO Radio Pictures (1954) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• C&C Television Corporation (1955) (USA) (TV)
• RKO Radio Pictures (1957) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Image Entertainment (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (2000) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Turner Home Video (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• Reserva Especial (2000) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2000) (Germany) (VHS)
• Warner Home Vídeo (2000) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Warner Bros. Pictures (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Action Gitanes (2007) (France) (theatrical) (re-release)
• RKO Radio Pictures (1950) (France) (theatrical) (35 and 16mm)
• Regionale (????) (Italy) (theatrical)
• AB Video (????) (Italy) (video)
• Castle Video (????) (Finland) (VHS)
• Fonit Cetra Video (????) (Italy) (video)
• Pan Vision Publishing Video (????) (Finland) (DVD)
• Ricordi Video (????) (Italy) (video)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)

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) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | West Germany:12 (f) | Finland:K-3 (new rating: 2001) | France:U | Norway:A | Finland:K-12 | Germany:12 | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:Approved (MPAA rating: certificate #15509)

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:

Revealing mistakes: When Sgt. Tyree stops the paymaster's stage coach, he walks back past the horses to the coach. In the footwell of the driver's seat there are two holes through which the reins pass. The head of the stuntman who was driving the "driverless" coach is visible.

Quotes:

Top Sergeant Quincannon: [on their upcoming retirement] The army will never be the same when we retire, sir.
Captain Nathan Brittles: The army is always the same. The sun and the moon change, but the army knows no seasons.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Turning of the Earth: John Ford, John Wayne and the Searchers (1999)

Wayne matures as the theme befits the role.

The second instalment of the acclaimed John Ford cavalry trilogy had a lot to live up to me personally based on my joy with Fort Apache. So it is with a little sadness that I write that this film failed to love up to the promise of Apache as regards a pulsing heartbeat, but so much to enjoy here I still find myself grinning in the way that only good cinema can make me.

The theme here is the passing of time, time and love lost, lest we forget indeed, these themes give the film a good core to work from but as good as an affecting character piece as this is, you still scratch around for something to lift your adrenalin juices out of first gear, it doesn't happen but anyone being fore warned about the nature of the beast will be richly rewarded regardless.

John Wayne gives a top notch performance in what is obviously one of the first out and out serious roles that Ford gave him, his ageing Captain Nathan Brittles requires him to put in a very human fallible performance and he achieves this in spades, a believable leader ruing the calling of time on his career in the service. Yet even Wayne's affecting turn is trumped by the most gorgeous cinematography you could wish to see from the 1940s, Winton Hoch clashed with Ford on the shoot about various perfections {both parties}, but the final result is incredible, witness a scene as Brittles visits his dead wife's grave, the backdrop is all purple and red, a storm imminent, has shooting in the desert ever been so lush ?.

The film leaves an indelible mark on the conscious for its art and performances, but as a story it just about stays on the good side of safe, 7/10 for the film and its structure, 10/10 for the artistry involved.