Fort Bowie

[pvitari]

I started screencapping Fort Bowie and thought I'd start a new thread for it rather than clogging up the Ben Johnson thread. Plus now we can discuss the rest of the actors and the film itself.

THIS MEANS SPOILERS


Not that I think Fort Bowie is any kind of a neglected masterpiece -- it's a rather prosaically shot movie -- but it is interesting for its sympathetic treatment of the Indians, the out and out admission that official government policy regarding the Indians is confinement at best and genocide at worst, and the fact that hero pairs up with the Indian/Mexican girl at the end, which I guess even in 1958 was more permissible than him running off with the very blonde and very married wife of the post commander, on whom he apparently has a crush. (Phew, long sentence.) Not that I understand that crush, she's a shallow twit (the wife, I mean). ;)

Anyway, here we go starting off with a sample of screencaps.

I really like the artwork in the credits. I wonder if the original paintings still exist and if so, where they are. And how much they'd go for at a memorabilia auction! :)

















The expression on Captain Thompson's (Ben's character) face says it all.










The creepy murderous major doesn't like Thompson's attitude (disgust for the massacre and contempt for the major), so he orders Thompson to remove the non-regulation tomahawk he wears on his belt. (Insert Freudian comment of your choice.)


That expression says it again. Ben has a great line, where he tells the major what a fine instrument the tomahawk is both in combat and around the camp, but then adds, "But if it makes you feel better..." -- after which he throws the tomahawk embedding it into the side of the wagon. A nice putdown! The major can't think of a comeback to that.

[JackFavell]

Ha! I can't bear that guy! I don't remember the actor's name, but he comes in about second in my western villains list of most hateful characters, right after Louis Calhern in Devil's Doorway.

[pvitari]

JackFavell, you can't remember the name of the actor who plays Major Wharton, because apparently he made only ONE movie! (This one.) At least according to the IMDB. His name is J. Ian Douglas, and whoever he is, he makes for a supremely creepy racist murdering jerk who'd probably fit right in as a political officer for either Hitler or Stalin. I like to imagine that in real life J. Ian Douglas loved puppies, children and flowers and stepped over ants on the sidewalk rather than hurt them. ;) I googled him and came up with zilch. If anyone has info about him, please spout it here! I'd love to know more about him.

And now batch number two. :)













Jana Davi, a.k.a. Maureen Hingert, as Chanzana, the half-Mexican/half-Apache girl who was "the woman of Victorio" (Victorio is an Apache chief who has broken off the reservation with his warriors after he heard about the massacre) but was ejected from the Indian band because of her Mexican heritage. She now works as a laundress on the army post and has a yen for Captain Thompson.


Thompson and Wharton report in to Colonel Garrett (Kent Taylor), the post commander, who disapproves highly of Wharton's actions but can't do anything about it, because Wharton is the creature of politicians back East who want the Indians taken care of -- so to speak -- and sent Wharton to do the job.








Nothing like confiscated rotgut to clean out the pipes. :)


Garrett gives Thompson a mission to go to Tucson and fetch back Mrs. Garrett. It's a dangerous journey as the Indians have begun retaliating for Wharton's massacre.

[JackFavell]

Hubba hubba!

I guess I have to thank Jana Davi for making these screencaps possible.

And did anyone ever look any cuter with his eyes all squinched up and a scorched windpipe?

[knitwit45]

Ben really got into his characters, and this one is no exception. Since he didn't get to kiss the girl often, and given his intensity in those photos, I wonder what Carol had to say about all this.....

[JackFavell]

She probably ribbed him pretty good.

[pvitari]

Heh heh, those smooching scenes always elicit a response. ;)

As for Carol, from what I've read about her, I get the feeling she probably found the whole thing amusing. :)

Here's the next batch but I'm going to split it up into two messages as there are over 20 photos. No smooches in this batch but there are a lot of pics of Ben on a horse which is just as good if you ask me. ;) Plus he gets all caveman on Jan Harrison. ;)







Chicks and ducks and geese better scurry, when I take you out in the surrey, when I take you out in the surrey with the fringe on top! (Mrs. Commander) Alison Garrett (Jan Harrison) and her, er, boyfriend.


Alison has no intention of returning to Fort Bowie.






I look at this picture and think, "Now THAT's a shiksha." :) :) :) :)






You can't really see it in the screencaps, but she's whapping him with her parasol. It's hilarious. ;) As is the horse, who watches with detached interest. That horse has BIG ears. ;)




....

[pvitari]

And the rest...

You'll notice the boyfriend on the ground, where Captain Thompson punched him to when the boyfriend tried to intervene.


You'd think he'd learned his lesson but he tries again.


This picture is from a very simple shot where Ben mounts his horse, turns it and rides off the property, gesturing to his troop to follow him as he departs. It's nothing fancy and yet he rides with such grace that I found myself watching these few seconds over and over.










Whatever they paid that stuntman, it wasn't enough!




More beautiful riding.

[pvitari]

Friday night batch. ;)

[JackFavell]

Those are great caps, Paula! You really caught some perfect moments. They kind of get lost when you are watching it all rush by during the movie.

I really like that nasty look the commander's wife is giving him, and the rather uncomfortable way they are sharing the same canteen.

[pvitari]

She's really mad at him for being forced back from Tucson (and nowadays he'd be arrested for kidnapping and assault and battery!) ;) and she gets her revenge with some heavy-duty and pointed flirting, asking him about his love life -- she brings up "that half-breed" -- and reminding him about his discomfort when she tries to play footsie with him under the table at dinner with all the officers. He doesn't like the direction the conversation is going to put it mildly but fortunately the Indians show up which puts a quick end to the chit chat. ;)

[JackFavell]

I didn't really get the flirtation between them either. It's just not played out quite right in this movie. I think they wanted their hero squeaky clean, but wanted to add some extra spice at the same time... or maybe Ben was not thrilled with the plot line of two women...I don't know. She was a real witch though, and I never thought he was interested in her.

[pvitari]

Oh, I don't like Alison Garrett either. She's shallow and vapid and her conception of the ideal man is all wrapped up in how smart a figure he cuts in a uniform, and she really doesn't reform by the end, even if she realizes how brave her husband is. I suspect her re-found admiration will last only so long. I don't think Ben was too comfortable with either of the love interests, actually -- he looks a lot more happy making war than love. ;) His line reading when he tells Alison that she is everything he ever wanted in a woman is particularly unconvincing. But I haven't gotten to that part quite yet. :)

The screencaps make the love stuff look better than it actually is, I think. :)

Saturday night batch. A small one.















The editing of this brief sequence where Thompson and the Indian grapple and pull each other off their horses is rather awkwardly done, because right in the middle of it they cut to a close-up of another soldier fighting with an Indian and at first I thought it was Thompson and his Indian -- but upon rewatching and careful inspection I realized it wasn't the same two. I don't know why they bothered to put that other bit in the middle as this is an exciting stunt.






Thompson has just used his tomahawk on this Indian but you don't really see it because a horse conveniently gallops by blocking most of the action -- it might be a little too graphic otherwise, I guess.

[pvitari]

Rolling right along...



This photo is blurry but I included it because it shows Ben grabbing a rein or some kind of strap as this Indian gallops by and in doing so, causes both horse and rider to crash to the ground. (Don't worry, the horse got up right away!) :) It took split second timing -- amazing to watch.


Thompson spots the wagon with Alison being pursued by two Indians.

[JackFavell]

Those were beautiful action caps, Paula, I don't know how you got them so clean looking.

As for the editing in that sequence, it's always bugged me, one longs for a better director to take the reins of Fort Bowie, so to speak.

Paula, take a look over in the Someone's Having a Birthday thread, in General Chat.