Last night, we found yet another tremendous historical Western, "Battles of Chief Pontiac"(1952), starring Lon Chaney Jr. as the legendary Ottawa leader who organised a multi-tribe resistance against British rule in the Great Lakes region, pre-Revolution. The alliances at the time were murky. French trappers were making a financial killing in the North, and didn't want to cede the land to the Brits, who had the superior forces, so the French partnered with the area Indians, namely the Ottawas, to keep the British at bay, and the Brits responded by hiring professional German soldiers known as Hessians. It would've been better if they hired Heshers. Heavy Metal would've saved everyone a lot of trouble.
As the movie opens, a Hessian named "Colonel von Weber" (Berry Kroeger) has gained notoriety for his method of dealing with the Indians, which is basically a scorched earth policy. He burns their villages, killing their woman and children. Von Weber is a monster, and it's said that his fury is a result of being tortured by a different tribe, but he probably had it coming and considers all Indians "beasts". His tactics win him favor with the Army generals in the East, but at Fort Detroit (that city was just a fort and nothing else in 1756), "Major Gladwin" (Roy Roberts) is trying to arrange a treaty with Chief Pontiac, who believes that the white man and the Indians can live in peace together. I have to cut in to say: can you imagine the amazing culture we could've had if we'd combined the Native American way of life with our own?
Frontiersman "Kent McIntire" (Lex Barker) is a personal friend of Pontiac, who considers him a White Brother. After some of his braves capture a wagon train passing through, one of them wants a "white squaw" for himself. But McIntire saves her by saying that she's his wife, and Pontiac makes the brave let her go. This creates a subplot in which the brave despises McIntire and eventually challenges him to a fight to the death. But the rest of the tribe loves him and "White Squaw", whose name is "Winifred Lancaster" (Helen Westcott). The little Indian boys are fascinated with her, and peek in her teepee when her matron "Chia" (Katherine Warren) gives her a bath.
This comic relief is short-lived, however, because Colonel von Weber has ridden East to speak to the generals in New York. He doesn't want the peace treaty, and makes his feelings known. Given his record, the generals support him, and give him command of Fort Detroit. When he returns, he informs Major Gladwin that he's now in charge: "You will answer to me from now on." Kent McIntire has done everything possible to arrange a peace treaty, but now it is all for naught.
Von Weber has learned of a smallpox outbreak at a nearby military hospital, which gives him an especially evil idea. "So they want a peace treaty, do they?" he asks rhetorically. "I will send them gifts in advance." And he does, having the smallpox blankets bundled up and sent to the unsuspecting tribe as a present. Soon, many are dying in a horrible way as von Weber revels in his genius. "There's a peace treaty for them!" Then he viciously insults Pontiac, who has come to the fort at McIntire's invitation and still doesn't know about the smallpox.
Now, there is all-out war. McIntire and Major Gladwin both try to tell von Weber that he's stirred up a hornet's nest, but being a proud Hessian (a Nazi precursor) he ignores all advice, takes his men on the offensive, and proceeds to get slaughtered. His own demise is poetic justice. Berry Kroeger is excellent as the repulsive von Weber.
At the end, Pontiac again agrees to peace, when Major Gladwin, now back in charge, rides into the Ottawa camp carrying a white flag. They smoke a peace pipe, but Pontiac laments, "Great Spirit has spoken. Many white man will come across the sea, and the Indian will be no more." Kent McIntire recovers from a gunshot wound (von Weber tried to kill him), and marries White Squaw, but the ending is sad because of Pontiac's prediction. It should never have been that way.
I have to cut in again to ask: where have 275 years of so called "technological progress" gotten us, really, after the Indians lived their way for 8000 years (at least)? Do you think that our way of life, constantly pushing, pushing, pushing, will last us 8000 years? Get back to me on that one. How many versions of a cell phone will we have gone through in that time? How many man buns will be left? Two Huge Thumbs Up for "The Battles of Chief Pontiac". Lon Chaney knocks it out of the park. One thing is for certain, however: young people will still be listening to Rap in 8000 years. It's the sonic equivalent of cockroaches, the "music" that will never die off. The picture is soft but watchable. ////
The previous night, we had Northridge's own Jim Davis starring in, and narrating, "Frontier Uprising"(1961), yet another top notch Western, this time about the run-up to the Mexican-American war. In 1846, California is run by the Spanish "General Torena" (John Marshall). There is a nominal Spanish government, but he controls the territory with his army, and has formed an alliance with the Shoshone chief to keep white man out of the area. "I will give your braves Spanish rifles to fight with." The Chief figures this will even the playing field, and agrees to assist the Spaniards. Others in Mexico, including the old Spanish gentry, consider themselves Californians now, not part of America as yet, but heading in that direction. "Don Carlos Montalvo" (Nestor Paiva) tells General Torena his allegiance is to California first, then to Spain, his homeland. But for him, California means the United States, who are civilizing the territory.
Davis plays "Jim Stockton" a fur trapper working the West and North with his pals "Beaver McBride" (Ken Mayer) and "Lopez" (David Renard). On their travels, they make cash on the side by leading wagon trains over the Oregon Trail. Now that California is close to statehood, some eastern travelers have mortgaged everything to buy land in the Golden State. Stockton tries warning them that it's still Shoshone country. "You should've checked before you laid down your money." Above the Oregon Trail line, California is safe, but not below. and now, the Shoshone have guns, per their pact with General Torena.
Stockton, Beaver and Lopez know the landscape well enough to avoid most of the Indians, which leaves time for a developing romance and a rivalry. In the wagon train is Don Carlos' beautiful daughter, "Consuela" (Nancy Hadley). Her mother puts out word that she's looking for a husband, but Stockton sets the record straight: "Naw, I want me an Indian gal, who can chew my moccasins to soft leather." (Yes, he actually says that). He's a man's man who doesn't cotton to no fragile white gals, and no proud Spanish debutantes, either. Really, he can take or leave women. "They're a strange breed," Beaver tells him. "You can't figure 'em out." Consuela then shifts her attention to the Army's "Lieutenant Kilpatrick" (Don Kelly), a handsome officer whose troop has joined the wagon train on their way to Fort Klamath. Kilpatrick is by-the-book, so when Stockton, who knows Indians and the area like the back of his hand, suggests a different route, because he's spotted Shoshones with rifles, Kilpatrick overrules him: "We're staying on the Oregon Trail". Meanwhile, Don Carlos has been put under house arrest by his "old friend" General Toreno, who wants Mexico for himself as a dictator.
Historically, the fur trappers and frontiersmen, guys like Jim Bowie, Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett, were the best Indian fighters because they knew the Indians, knew their ways, and could even make peace with the reasonable tribes. This is shown in Jim Stockton's conversion of Lt. Kilpatrick, who comes to realize that - on the frontier trail - strict rules of standard operation don't always apply. The Mexican-American war starts shortly before the wagon train arrives at the California border. Once they cross it, it's a free for all, and they're attacked on all sides by Shoshones and Spanish fighting for a Mexican dictatorship, not the independent state of California that had been proposed.
Two Huge for "Frontier Uprising", from UA this time, instead of Lippert. The picture is razor sharp. And no, we didn't "steal" California from Mexico. It was really a Spanish-American war, as the Spaniards had long since conquered the Mexican people after destroying their ancient civilizations, the Mayans and Aztecs who (while culturally and spiritually fascinating) weren't exactly pacifists themselves (see human sacrifice), their amazing astrological calendars notwithstanding. But Cortes, of course, was worse. ////
And that's all for tonight. My blogging music was "Cyborg" by Klaus Schulze. My late night is Parcifal by Wagner. Rams put up a good fight against the 9ers, and that O-line is looking pretty solid, despite the loss. I hope you had a nice weekend and I send you Tons of Love, as always.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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