Ten Who Dared

History and Review Written By Michael J. Ruhland













Michael's Movie Grade:D
Year Released:1960

                                                        History
The Disney studio had already had big hits with various westerns in the past, so it seemed natural for the studio to do another western. For the subject of the film the journals of John Wesley Powell (the first man to cross the Colorado River) was chosen. Because of this the film would feature some location shooting at the Grand Canyon. To direct this film Walt choose William Beuadine, who had previously directed the Disney western, Westward Ho The Wagons! as well as the Disney TV shows The Adventures of Spin and Marty and The Mickey Mouse Club. Beuadine had been directing since the silent era and some of his non-Disney films included Sparrows, Little Annie Rooney and Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklynn Gorilla.

Ten Who Dared marked the first time Disney legend James Algar produced a Disney movie. James Algar began his Disney career as an animator on the classic cartoon short Broken Toys and the great Disney animated feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. He would then direct The Sorcerer's Apprentice segment of Fantasia. He would follow this by directing many of the studios nature documentaries.

This film also marked the Disney debut of actor Brain Keith, who would later be in the Disney films The Parent Trap, Moon Pilot, Savage Sam, A Tiger Walks and Those Callaways.

The story goes that after a preview screening Roy Disney said to his brother Walt that everybody has his misses. Roy wasn't the only one to feel this way. Ten Who Dared was a huge disappointment with both critics and audiences. Critics hated the movie and audiences didn't go to see it. Today many Disney buffs consider it the worst film Walt Disney ever worked on.

Review

This should have been a really good movie. It had everything going for it, a very talented cast and crew, a good idea for a story, and a beautiful location for shooting. This is why it is sad that this simply is not a good film.

The biggest problem with this film is the characters, who are mostly just bland stereotypes instead of actual personalities. There is depth to these characters. They simply seem to exist simply for the plot. Considering they were based off of real people, this is a huge fault. On top of this the story is not very well written. There is little suspense or involvement. Unlike most of Disney's live action films, the difference between the scenes shot on location and those shot on a set is very distracting. The scenes shot on a set are simply poorly done.

There are a few good things about this movie as well. The location shooting is excellent. Some of the dialogue about the civil war is quite well written. Also the actors are doing their best despite not having much to work with.  However the bad very much overshadowed the good in this movie.

Luckily a misfire was very rare for the Disney studio at this time. They made so many great films and brought us so much happiness, that we can easily forgive a bad movie this, because it is a very rare exception.

                                                                    Film Credits
Director: William Beaudine
Writer: Lawrence Edward Watkins
Based on the Journals of John Wesley Powell
Cast: John Beal (Maj. John Wesley Powell), Brain Keith (William Dunn), James Drury (Walter Powell), R.G. Armstrong (Oramel Howland), Ben Johnson (George Bradley), L.Q. Jones (Billy 'Missouri' Hawkins), Dan Sheridan (Jack Sumner), David Stollery (Andrew Hall), Stan Jones (Seneca Howland), David Frankham (Frank Goodman), Roy Barcroft (Jim Baker), Jack Big Head (Ashtishkel), Pat Hogan (Indian Chief), Dawn Little Sky (Indian), Ray Walker (McSpadden)
Producers: Walt Disney, James Algar
Music: Oliver Wallace
Songwriter: Lawrence Edward Watkins
Cinematographer: Gordon Avil
Editors: Norman R. Palmer, Cotton Warburton
Art Directors: Hilyard Brown, Carroll Clark
Set Decorator: Emile Kuri
Costume Design: Chuck Keehne
Makeup Artist: Pat McNally
Assistant Director: Russ Haverick
Sound Artists: Robert O. Cook, Harry Lindgren
Special Effects: Ub Iwerks
Matte Artist: Albert Whilock
Technical Advisor: Otis Marson

Recourses Used
The Disney Films by Leonard Maltin
Building a Company : Roy O. Disney and the Creation of an Entertainment Empire By Bob Thomas
http://www.thedisneyfilms.com/search/label/Ten%20Who%20Dared
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054372/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

-Michael J. Ruhland