Sitting bull 1954 film biography

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Naturally, the TV network didn't have the decency to show all the credits, but to my ear it sounded like the outstanding work of Raoul Kraushaar -- and praise all the gods of technology for IMDb, I was right.

In my opinion, he is a terribly under-rated composer. That is, he does not seem to be known among viewers although apparently he was never out of work.

J. CARROL NAISH is Chief Sitting Bull, who wants peace and refuses to put on his war paint although some members of his tribe are anxious to fight some of the white men's injustices. However, just as Parrish is about to be shot by a firing squad, Sitting Bull arrives to rescue him.

In a highly melodramatic, Hollywood-ified scene, Sitting Bull pleads face-to-face with US President Ulysses S Grant to let Parrish go.

Custer commanded the 7th Cavalry at the Battle of Little Bighorn, which is also recreated on screen.

Was Custer warned his army would be hugely outnumbered? After Parrish reveals that he knows how the tribe can escape to safety, he agrees to lead them there.

In real life, Sitting Bull and his people sought refuge in Canada shortly after the Battle of Little Bighorn.

Meanwhile, J Carrol Naish co-starred as Sitting Bull — and reprised the role just a few years later for 1954’s Sitting Bull.

As its title suggests, this latter film gave Naish much more screen time.

sitting bull 1954 film biography

Most of the shots are long or waist shots, or two shots.This was an early CinemaScope production and perhaps they were limited by the lenses they had (the lenses were not plentiful at this time, especially to non- Fox producers). And he was almost always extremely believable.

The rest of the cast, from the excellent Dale Robertson to the excellent John Hamilton, were almost uniformly perfect.

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Sluggish account of the Little Big Horn disaster...

SITTING BULL is a sluggish western about a cavalry major (DALE ROBERTSON) who is compassionate toward the Indians and must face insubordination for some of his actions against harsh superior officers.

There's a traditional romance thrown into the mix, between a General's daughter (MARY MURPHY) and Robertson, with rival suitor WILLIAM HOPPER as another man interested in Murphy.

Their chemistry on film fails to register and her motivations throughout are sketchy, to say the least.

A major plot development has President Grant helping Robertson when he is condemned for helping Chief Sitting Bull and there are a few other subplots before we get to the battle at Little Big Horn. Carroll Naish as the title character is another under-rated actor.

Sitting Bull did later meet another US commander-in-chief, President Grover Cleveland, during his first term (1885-1889).

It’s fair to say that many period dramas take liberties with historical facts. As early as 1950 actors such as Victor Jory were announced as being signed for this production.

Nonetheless, Sitting Bull didgo on to form a similarly friendly relationship with Canadian police superintendent James Walsh, who does not appear in the film.

Did Sitting Bull ever meet the US president?

After Parrish returns to home ground and admits what he has done, he is charged with treason and sentenced to death.

However, while Sitting Bull’s life heavily inspires it, many of the on-screen events diverge from the established history.

As Custer’s soldiers approached where the Sioux were camped near the Little Bighorn River, they were accompanied by members of the Native American Crow tribe.

These Crow agents warned Custer that the Sioux camp was much larger than he had anticipated.

Later, names such as Boris Karloff and Dennis Morgan were mentioned in the trade press.

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In response, Custer scoffs: 'Captain Parrish is notorious for his overestimate of all facts!'

Did the Sioux genuinely flee to the North after the battle?

In the film, Parrish finds Sitting Bull after his battlefield victory and warns him that another, much larger US army is on the way.

The script follows Parrish (played by Dale Robertson) as he repeatedly declines to pursue and repress Native Americans, contrary to orders from his higher-ups.

Parrish is a completely fictitious character, albeit depicted as meeting a number of real-life historical figures. Featuring sympathetic portrayals of Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, The New York Times called it a "Crazy Horse opera".