Year Released:1956
Michael's Movie Grade:C
History
With how popular westerns were in America at this time and the success Disney had with Davy Crockett, it seemed natural for the studio to do another western. Because of the success with Davy Crockett. this film would also star Davy himself, Fess Parker, and be written by Tom Blackburn who had written for the Davy Crockett episodes and movies. Also popular at this time was Disney's TV show The Mickey Mouse Club, because of this the children in this movie are played by the mousekteers themselves, Tommy Cole, Doreen Tracey, Cubby O'Brien and Karen Pendleton. This film also marked the last film appearance by George Reeves, who is of course today remembered for playing superman in The Adventures of Superman TV show.
This film was directed by William Beaudine, who had been a director since the silent era. He had directed such films as Sparrows, Little Annie Rooney, Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla, and The Ape Man. He also directed quite a few episodes of the TV shows, Lassie, and The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin. This is the first Disney feature he directed though he had already directed some episodes of Disney TV shows like The Mickey Mouse Club and The Adventures of Spin and Marty. He would later direct Ten Who Dared for Disney. His son William Beaudine Jr. was the assistant director for Westward Ho the Wagons!. William Beaudine Jr. would also be the assistant director on Disney's next feature film, Johnny Tremain. Another assistant director on this film was Yakima Canutt, who was very capable at working on westerns. His credits as assistant director include The Angel and the Badman, Rio Lobo, Stagecoach, and many more popular westerns. He would also be assitant director with Disney again on the films Old Yeller, and Swiss Family Robinson.
William Beaudine Jr. remembered that some scenes were shot at the Canejo Ranch in Thousand Oaks California. He also noted that at that time there weren't all the buildings there then as there are now. They could only get access to shoot there was during the winter. They were worried about this because rain might have made the area muddy and hard to move heavy equipment. They had already planned to prepare to shoot within the Disney studio. However California had an extremely dry winter that year and they were able to shoot much of the movie on location. However some of the longer shots used Peter Ellenshaw's paintings as a background.
Sadly little information can be found about how this film did at the box office or with critics.
Review
Quite likable and enjoyable, but far from Disney's best work.
This film has quite a bit going for it. Like all Disney films of this era, it visually looks spectacular. Both the on location and the in studio shooting are filled with great visual beauty. Of the 5 songs in this film 4 of them are quite good (Wringle Wrangle is the exception). The acting is spot on, and even the child actors give decent performances. The characters are quite likable, if a bit underdeveloped. The action scene is quite exciting.
However the story doesn't completely work. Often times the story just seems to be going through the motions and simply not involving the viewer in the way a Disney film usually does. The story is not bad, but it's not exactly great either. However this film still offers enough in other areas to make it quite an enjoyable film.
Film Credits
Director: William Beaudine
Writer: Thomas W. Blackburn
Based off the novel Children of the Covered Wagon by Mary Jane Carr
Cast: Fess Parker (John 'Doc' Grayson), Kathleen Crowley (Laura Thompson), Jeff York (Hank Breckenridge), David Stollery (Dan Thompson), Sebastian Cabot (Bissonette), George Reeves (James Stephen), Doreen Tracey (Bobo Stephen), Barbara Woodell (Mrs. Stephen), John War Eagle (Wolf's Brother), Cubby O'Brien (Jerry Stephen), Tommy Cole (Jim Stephen), Leslie Bradley (Spencer Armitage), Morgan Woodward (Obie Foster), Iron Eyes Cody (Many Stars), Anthony Numkena (Little Thunder), Karen Pendleton (Myra Thompson), Jane Liddell (Ruth Benjamin), Jon Locke (Ed Benjamin), Beulah Archuletta (White Antelope), Gertrude Astor (Wagon Woman), Kathy Beaudine (Child), Ray Berwick (Wagon Man), Buff Brady (Wagon Man), Chuck Courtney (Wagon Man), Dorothy Crider (Wagon Woman), Dewey Drapeau (Pawnee Chief), Grey Eagle (Indian), Clancy Hurrell (Child), Pete Kellett (Wagon Man), Eddie Little Sky (Pawnee Brave), Carl Mathews (Indian), George Ross (Wagon Man), Sandy Sanders (Wagon Man), Brand Stirling (Tom Foster), Max Wagner (Wagon Man)
Producers: Bill Walsh, Walt Disney
Music: George Bruns, Edward H. Plumb
Songwriters: George Bruns, Thomas W. Blackburn, Fess Parker, Stan Jones, Paul J. Smith, Hazel George
Production Managers: Ben Chapman, Bill Anderson
Cinematographer: Charles P. Boyle
Editor: Cotton Warburton
Art Director: Marvin Aubrey Davis
Set Designers: Bertram C. Granger, Emile Kuri
Costume Designers: Gertrude Casey, Chuck Keehne
Makeup Department: Lois Murray, David Newell
Assistant Directors: William Beaudine Jr., Yakima Canutt, Vincent McEveety
Propman: Jack Colconda
Sound Department: Robert O. Cook, Dean Thomas, Ben Hendricks, Albert E. Kennedy, Malcolm Rennings, Lou Skelton
Paintings: Peter Ellenshaw, Albert Whitlock
Special Effects: Ub Iwerks
Stunt Artists: Jerry Brown, Forest Burns, Joe Canutt, Tap Canutt, Chuck Courtney, John Epper, Bob Folkerson, Don Happy, Robert 'Buzz' Henry , Ace Hudkins, John Hudkins, Whitey Hughes, Leroy Johnson, Eddie Juaregui, Cliff Lyons, Carl Mathews, Boyd 'Red' Morgan, Sandy Sanders, Rocky Shahan, George Steele, Boyd Stockman, Eugene White, Bob Woodward, Al Wyatt Sr., Joe Yrigoyen
First Grip: Garry Lambrecht
Camera Operator: Jack Whitman
Technical Adviser: Iron Eyes Cody
Caterer: Rolly Harper
Script Clerk: Fred Hartsook
Dialogue/dance Director: Ralph Maxheimer
Publicist: Leonard Shannon
Resources Used
The Disney Films by Leonard Maltin
-Michael J. Ruhland
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