Ghost Town (1956 film)

Last updated

Ghost Town
Ghost Town (1956 film) poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAllen H. Miner
Written byJameson Brewer
Produced by Howard W. Koch
Starring
Cinematography Joseph F. Biroc
Edited byMichael Pozen
Music by Paul Dunlap
Production
company
Bel-Air Productions
Distributed by United Artists
Release date
  • March 1956 (1956-03)
Running time
77 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$100,000 [1]

Ghost Town is a 1956 American Western film directed by Allen H. Miner and written by Jameson Brewer. The film stars Kent Taylor, John Smith, Marian Carr, Serena Sande and John Doucette. The film was released in March 1956 by United Artists. [2] [3]

Contents

Plot

Four passengers in a stagecoach are heading west through Indian territory: Barbara, a young woman going to meet her fiancée; Rev. Wheedle, a minister who believes the settlers should make friends with the Indians; Doc, a drunken doctor; and Conroy, a well-dressed “gentleman” with a sly and cynical tone.

At a stage stop that has been destroyed by Indians, they are joined by Duff, the woman’s fiancé and his friend Crusty; they have been prospecting for gold for the last two years. They continue on, then encounter Sgt. Dockery, a soldier from a nearby fort, and Alex, his son. The soldier tells the group that the Cheyenne are on the warpath and they have to change course. The group is then attacked by a band of Cheyenne and the two stagecoach drivers are killed. The doctor is also killed. The rest of the group manages to get to a ghost town (apparently wiped out by a disease of some kind), where they hold up for the night. They are joined there by Stone Knife, a disgraced Cheyenne chief, and Maureen, his young half-white female companion.

The Cheyanne attack and the group is able to hold them off, but they run out of ammunition. The minister tries to go and talk to the Cheyenne, but is killed. The Army sergeant’s son sneaks off in the night to try and get help, but is also seemingly killed. The next day Fire Knife, the leader of Cheyanne, offers the group a bargain – turn over Stone Knife, and the rest will be allowed to go free. Duff, who has become the leader of the group, doesn’t want to do it, but Stone Knife sneaks out a back door and gives himself up, so the rest are allowed to leave the ghost town.

Cast

Production

Parts of the film were shot in Johnson Canyon and the Kanab movie fort in Utah. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Devine</span> American actor (1905–1977)

Andrew Vabre Devine was an American character actor known for his distinctive raspy, crackly voice and roles in Western films, including his role as Cookie, the sidekick of Roy Rogers in 10 feature films. He also appeared alongside John Wayne in films such as Stagecoach (1939), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and How the West Was Won. He is also remembered as Jingles on the TV series The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok from 1951 to 1958, as Danny McGuire in A Star Is Born (1937), and as the voice of Friar Tuck in the Disney Animation Studio film Robin Hood (1973).

<i>Big Jake</i> 1971 film

Big Jake is a 1971 American Technicolor Western film starring John Wayne, Richard Boone and Maureen O'Hara. The picture was the final film for George Sherman in a directing career of more than 30 years, and Maureen O'Hara's last film with John Wayne and her last before her twenty-year retirement. The supporting cast features Patrick Wayne, Christopher Mitchum, Glenn Corbett, Jim Davis, John Agar, Harry Carey Jr. and Hank Worden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Doucette</span> American actor (1921–1994)

John Arthur Doucette was an American character actor who performed in more than 280 film and television productions between 1941 and 1987. A man of stocky build who possessed a deep, rich voice, he proved equally adept at portraying characters in Shakespearean plays, Westerns, and modern crime dramas. He is perhaps best remembered, however, for his villainous roles as a movie and television "tough guy".

Ghostface (<i>Scream</i>) Shared identity of the antagonists in the Scream media franchise

Ghostface is a fictional identity that is adopted by the primary antagonists of the Scream franchise. The figure was originally created by Kevin Williamson, and is primarily mute in person but voiced over the phone by Roger L. Jackson, regardless of who is behind the mask. The disguise has been adopted by various characters in the movies and in the third season of the television series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sergeant Stubby</span> American war dog

Sergeant Stubby was a dog and the unofficial mascot of the 102nd Infantry Regiment and was assigned to the 26th (Yankee) Division in World War I. He served for 18 months and participated in 17 battles and four offensives on the Western Front. He saved his regiment from surprise mustard gas attacks, found and comforted the wounded, and allegedly once caught a German soldier by the seat of his pants, holding him there until American soldiers found him. His actions were well-documented in contemporary American newspapers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert J. Wilke</span> American actor (1914–1989)

Robert Joseph Wilke was an American film and television actor noted primarily for his roles as villains, mostly in Westerns.

<i>Tarzan Finds a Son!</i> 1939 film by Richard Thorpe

Tarzan Finds a Son! is a 1939 Tarzan film based on the character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It was the fourth in the MGM Tarzan series to feature Johnny Weissmuller as the "King of the Apes" and the fourth of six films in which he stars with Maureen O'Sullivan as Jane; following this pairing was Tarzan's Secret Treasure (1941) and Tarzan's New York Adventure (1942).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Sawyer</span> Canadian actor (1906–1982)

Joe Sawyer was a Canadian film actor. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1927 and 1962, and was sometimes billed under his birth name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chuck Roberson</span> American actor and stuntman (1919–1988)

Charles Hugh Roberson was an American actor and stuntman.

Gung Ho! is a 1943 American war film directed by Ray Enright and starring Randolph Scott. The story is based somewhat on the real-life World War II Makin Island raid led by Lieutenant Colonel Evans Carlson's 2nd Marine Raider Battalion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Burke (actor)</span> American actor (1886–1968)

James Michael Burke was an Irish-American film and television character actor born in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northern Cheyenne Exodus</span> Attempt of the Northern Cheyenne to return to the north

The Northern Cheyenne Exodus, also known as Dull Knife's Raid, the Cheyenne War, or the Cheyenne Campaign, was the attempt of the Northern Cheyenne to return to the north, after being placed on the Southern Cheyenne reservation in the Indian Territory, and the United States Army operations to stop them. The period lasted from 1878 to 1879.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fort Robinson breakout</span> Battle and massacre that occurred in Fort Robinson, Nebraska

The Fort Robinson breakout or Fort Robinson massacre was the attempted escape of Cheyenne captives from the U.S. army during the winter of 1878-1879 at Fort Robinson in northwestern Nebraska. In 1877, the Cheyenne had been forced to relocate from their homelands on the northern Great Plains south to the Darlington Agency on the Southern Cheyenne Reservation in Indian Territory (Oklahoma). In September 1878, in what is called the Northern Cheyenne Exodus, 353 Northern Cheyenne fled north because of poor conditions on the reservation. In Nebraska, the U.S. Army captured 149 of the Cheyenne, including 46 warriors, and escorted them to Fort Robinson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lane Bradford</span> American actor

Lane Bradford was an American actor. He appeared in more than 250 films and television series between 1940 and 1973, specializing in supporting "tough-guy" roles predominantly in Westerns but also in more contemporary crime dramas such as Dragnet, The Fugitive, and Hawaii Five-O.

<i>Dakota Incident</i> 1956 film by Lewis R. Foster

Dakota Incident is a 1956 American Trucolor western film directed by Lewis R. Foster and starring Linda Darnell, Dale Robertson, John Lund and Ward Bond. It was produced and distributed by Republic Pictures.

<i>Quincannon, Frontier Scout</i> 1956 film by Lesley Selander

Quincannon, Frontier Scout is a 1956 American Western film directed by Lesley Selander and written by John C. Higgins and Don Martin. The film stars Tony Martin, Peggie Castle, John Bromfield, John Smith and Ron Randell. The film was released in May 1956, by United Artists.

<i>Hostiles</i> (film) 2017 film by Scott Cooper

Hostiles is a 2017 American western drama film written and directed by Scott Cooper, based on a story by Donald E. Stewart. Hostiles stars Christian Bale, Rosamund Pike, Wes Studi, Ben Foster, Stephen Lang, Jesse Plemons, Rory Cochrane, Adam Beach, Q'orianka Kilcher, Jonathan Majors, and Timothée Chalamet. It follows a U.S. Army cavalry officer in 1892 who must escort a Cheyenne war chief and his family back to their home in Montana.

<i>The Phantom Stagecoach</i> 1957 film by Ray Nazarro

The Phantom Stagecoach is a 1957 American Western film directed by Ray Nazarro and starring William Bishop, Kathleen Crowley, Richard Webb, Hugh Sanders, John Doucette, and Frank Ferguson. The film was released by Columbia Pictures on April 1, 1957.

<i>The Lone Rider in Cheyenne</i> 1942 film directed by Sam Newfield

The Lone Rider in Cheyenne is a 1942 American Western film directed by Sam Newfield and written by Oliver Drake and Elizabeth Beecher. The film stars George Houston as the Lone Rider, Al St. John as his sidekick "Fuzzy" Jones, and Dennis Moore as Sheriff Smoky Moore, with Ella Neal, Roy Barcroft and Kenne Duncan. The film was released on March 20, 1942, by Producers Releasing Corporation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly Thordsen</span> American film and television actor

Kelly Thordsen, born Sherman Jess Thordsen was an American film and television actor.

References

  1. Weaver, Tom (2000) [First published 1988]. Return of the B Science Fiction and Horror Heroes. McFarland Publishing. p. 211. ISBN   9780786407552.
  2. "Ghost Town (1956) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  3. "Ghost Town". TV Guide. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  4. D'Arc, James V. (2010). When Hollywood Came to Town: A History of Moviemaking in Utah (1st ed.). Layton: Gibbs Smith. p. 289. ISBN   978-1-4236-0587-4. Wikidata   Q123575108.