She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)

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)
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

Cinematography by
Winton C. Hoch		(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	....	hair stylist

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
C. Bakaleinikoff	....	conductor
Lucien Cailliet	....	musical arranger
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

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)
• 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 | Canada:PG (video rating) | Finland:K-12 | Germany:12 | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:Approved (certificate #13509)

Filming Locations:

Kanab Movie Fort, Kanab, Utah, USA

Company:

Argosy Pictures

Trivia:

The exterior shots of Capt. Brittle quarters and the building where Major Mac Allshard, Commanding Officer Fort Starke has his HQ are still standing and in Monument Valley itself near to the town of Kanab. The HQ building is now a museum and both are open to the public.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: As Dr. O'Laughlin is operating on Cpl. Mike Quayne, exterior views of their wagon include a modern Coleman-type two-mantle lantern, which was not available in 1876.

Quotes:

[Nathan has retired and speaks to Maj. Mac Allshard before leaving the fort]
Captain Nathan Brittles: Well, on my way. Goodbye, Mac. Say goodbye to Abby.
Abby Allshard: [she walks up] And you'll do no such thing, Nathan Brittles. 'Goodbye' is a word we don't use in the cavalry. To our next posting...
[she hugs him]

Movie Connections:

Featured in Siege at Red River (1954)

John Wayne, Cinematography, Both Brilliant

Anyone who thinks John Wayne can't act should see this movie and eat crow. A young man then, he played a cavalry officer on the verge of retirement. Watch his eyes (the sign of a great actor). It's a wonder he wasn't even nominated for the Academy Award for this role, which few in Hollywood could pull off convincingly.

It's also a John Wayne western the woman in your life will probably like. Wayne talks tenderly at the grave of his wife, and even has a moment of sucking back weeping when his men show their fondness for him.

This bittersweet, elegaic film about a retiring officer on his last mission doesn't have lots of action in it (Ford seems to have thrown in a fistfight with McLaglin just because that actor had little to do, and though it's corny, it has a wonderful beginning).

Apart from Wayne, the reason to watch this is the cinematography. Monument valley, host to myriad westerns, never looked better. They even captured a marvelous thunderstorm in the background, in these days before special effects (the cinematographer, who did snatch an Oscar, originally protested the work, but Ford made him film the scene and they ended up with one of the most striking natural scenes ever).

For years people didn't think Wayne could act. Some, like me, grew up on his later, post-"True Grit" movies, when he did tend to walk through his parts, more icon than actor. He didn't have great finesse with his lines (neither does a fine actor of today, Harrison Ford), but his roles rarely called for the nicety of a Jeremy Irons. In his better movies, Wayne proves he's more than just a movie star. This is his finest hour, and may be John Ford's.