October 18 - Santa Fe Trail

Today’s movie is a period drama with a scene that happens on October 18. Watch it tonight and enjoy.

SANTA FE TRAIL                  

JEB Stuart, George Custer and abolitionist Carl Rader are cadets at West Point. After a brawl between Stuart and Rader, Rader is expelled and Stuart and Custer are sent to Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. On the way they meet Kit Carson Holliday, daughter of Cyrus K. Holliday, who wants to build a railroad from Kansas to New Mexico. Both Stuart and Custer fall in love with her. Stuart and Custer escort a wagon train to Santa Fe. John Brown, using a false name comes to collect Bibles shipped to him. However, when a case is dropped, thy turn out to be rifles, not Bibles and Brown’s men hold the outnumbered troops at gunpoint. Stuart and Custer give chase when Brown leaves. They recapture the rifles  and take one of Brown’s sons prisoner. Brown then attacks a group of Free-Staters who  aren’t militantly anti-slavery enough for him.  Stuart goes to the town that is John Brown’s headquarters, but he is recognized by Rader. Rader takes Stuart to Brown, who condemns him to be hung. However at the last second Stuart breaks free and into a barn. The barn is set on fire, but Custer arrives with a troop of cavalry to save him. Brown escapes. When Rader is not paid by Brown, he betrays Brown’s plan to attack Harper’s Ferry to Stuart. Stuart and Custer lead troops to surround Brown’s men. On October 18, 1859 [1:37:44 to 1:45:33] Stuart offers Brown a chance to surrender, but he refuses. The army attacks and Brown is captured. He is later hung. Stuart and Kit are married.

A mangled view of American history. Can’t decide if it’s pro-South or pro-north. Has some good action sequences though.

Lee ed by Richard Harwell by Douglas Southall Freeman (Charles Scribners Sons, New York, 1961) p. 100-1

Producer - Hal B. Wallis

Director - Michael Curtiz

Screenplay - Robert Buckner

Runtime – 1 hour 50 minutes

Released – December 28, 1940

Starring –

Errol Flynn as J.E.B. Stuart

Olivia de Havilland as Kit Carson Holliday

Raymond Massey as John Brown

Ronald Reagan as George Armstrong Custer

Alan Hale, Sr. as Tex Bell

William Lundigan as Bob Holliday

Van Heflin as Carl Rader

Gene Reynolds as Jason Brown

Copyright by Ivan Walters in 2014.