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Pillars of the Sky
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Wikipedia article
'Pillars of the Sky' is a 1956 American CinemaScope Western film directed by George Marshall and starring Jeff Chandler and Dorothy Malone.
Plot
Oregon Country 1868: Indians of many tribes trust Sgt. Emmett Bell, who rides into Dr. Joseph Holden's mission with his Indian scouts. However, troop and weapon movements by new U.S. Cavalry commanding officer Col. Steadlow have endangered the peace and angered the chiefs, in particular one called Kamiakin. An outraged Bell tries to appeal to Steadlow as well as Capt. Tom Gaxton, whose wife Calla was once in love with him. Calla and another woman are taken captive but are rescued by Bell, rekindling his and Calla's romance.
The Indians ambush a large cavalry patrol and, after a fierce fightwith extensive dead and wounded on both sidesthe surviving soldiers break through the Indians and manage to escape to Holden's mission, using it as a fortification against an expected attack. Appeals for a truce go in vain. However, a particularly bloodthirsty act by Kamiakin results in his being killed by one of his own, whereupon Bell and the chiefs agree to do whatever is necessary to restore the peace.
Cast
* Jeff Chandler as First Sergeant Emmett Bell
* Dorothy Malone as Calla Gaxton
* Ward Bond as Doctor Joseph Holden
* Keith Andes as Captain Tom Gaxton
* Lee Marvin as Sergeant Lloyd Carracart
* Sydney Chaplin as Timothy
* Willis Bouchey as Colonel Edson Stedlow
* Michael Ansara as Kamiakin
* Olive Carey as Mrs. Anne Avery
* Charles Horvath as Sergeant Dutch Williams
* Orlando Rodriguez as Malachi
* Glen Kramer as Lieutenant Winston
* Floyd Simmons as Lieutenant Hammond
* Pat Hogan as Jacob
* Felix Noriego as Lucas
* Paul Smith as Morgan
* Martin Milner as Waco
* Robert Ellis as Albie
* Ralph Votrian as Music (as Ralph J Votrian)
* Walter Coy as Major Donahue
* Alberto Morin as Sgt. Major Frenchy Desmonde
* Richard Hale as Isaiah
* Frank Kova as Zachariah (as Frank de Kova)
* Terry Wilson as Captain Fanning
* Philip Kieffer as Major Randall
* Gilbert Conner as Elijah
Production
The film was partly shot on location in Oregon over six weeks. At one stage it was announced the film was going to be directed by John Ford and star John Wayne.[http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/139135%7C0/Pillars-of-the-Sky.html Passafiume, Andrea. "Pillars of the Sky", 'Turner Classic Movies'] accessed 11 November 2012
Filming started August 1955.
Evaluation in film guides
'Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide' gives 'Pillars of the Sky' 2 stars (out of 4) in a one-sentence write-up which states that "Chandler is apt as swaggering army officer...", with 'Steven H. Scheuer's Movies on TV' also arriving at the 2 stars (out of 4) rating, deciding that "Western fans will buy this tale of a no-account, hard-drinking, woman-chasing Sgt. who finally sees the error of his ways..."
'The Motion Picture Guide' makes it unanimous (among the three cited sources), with its 2-star (out of 5) description of the production as "a relatively satisfying cowboys and Indians film starring Chandler as a cavalry scout who is literally a voice in the wilderness..." and, in conclusion, adds, "[G]ood cast. The outdoor location shooting was done in Oregon".
See also
* List of American films of 1956
References
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