At isolated Fort Laramie in the west, Major Seth Bradner (John Dehner) is facing an Indian uprising. Sioux chief Red Cloud (Eddie Little Sky) has signed a treaty with the army and government, but he hasn't received his gold payment in exchange yet for signing the treaty. Among his command is Capt. James Tenslip (Gregg Palmer), an experienced Indian fighter who is a more than worthy second in command. But as the commands readies to deal with the Indian uprising, a new issue arises. Back east, tensions are rising between the North and the South until finally Confederate forces fire on Fort Sumter in South Carolina. Bradner's command is now squarely divided between Confederates and Union men. Now, Bradner and Tenslip must try and hold their command together long enough to deal with the Sioux uprising, but the Civil War might not give them enough time.
Director Lesley Selander specialized in B-westerns in the 1950s, small scale flicks that were typically limited by smallish budgets and casts. If you're introducing someone to the western genre, a flick like this probably isn't the best jumping off point. Nothing jumps off the screen that screams 'CLASSIC!' They're solid, self-contained westerns that are familiar but always entertaining. This one has some obvious flaws, like the Moab Desert being a pretty if ill-suited stand-in for the prairies and plains of Wyoming, the Dakotas and Montana. The score is unspectacular, and the set is even familiar to a recent review here and another Telander-directed western, Tomahawk Trail. I'm probably not doing a solid job here selling this movie, but it's one that is definitely for die-hard western fans. At 73 minutes, it doesn't stay long enough to be a bad flick.
The casting is okay here, but it doesn't have much in the way of star power.....as in, any star power. Dehner gets top billing, but he's relegated to a background part that doesn't give him much to do. His Maj. Bradner is from a Southern state, and as commander of Fort Laramie finds himself in quite the sticky situation. Loyal to the army or to the South? Palmer is pretty vanilla as Capt. Tenslip, his 2nd in command, who's also engaged to Bradner's shrill niece, Melissa (Frances Helm). Any disgustingly sweet scene between Tenslip and Melissa can be pretty painful. In an odd bit of casting, Don Gordon plays Jean Salignac, a half-breed scout working for the cavalry with both French and Indian blood. His accent alone is something else. Robert Keys is underused as Sgt. Darrach, the ringleader of the Southern men at the fort.
The North vs. South dynamic provides some cool moments, but it never quite delivers like I hoped it would. A cool scene has the Southerners singing Dixie when the Northerners join in with John Brown's Body. The rivalry is more than just a rivalry, two sides full of hate because of something going on thousands of miles away. Throw in an Indian uprising, a small treasure in gold, and an outnumbered cavalry troop, and we've got ourselves an interesting predicament. More than just its B-movie status, there's something missing to make it particularly memorable. Also look for Harry Dean Stanton in an uncredited part as Rinty, one of the Confederates in the garrison.
With a movie wrapping up in 75 minutes, there isn't a lot of time or space for any fluff. Okay, not entirely true, all the romance is fluff, but there's also some solid action to balance it out. The opener has a patrol intervening on an Indian attack on a payroll wagon, and a later scene has cavalry traveling down the river on rafts as Indians attack from the riverbank. The highlight though is the finale as an immense Sioux war party surrounds retreating cavalry, the wagons circling up to defend themselves. Not a great western, maybe not even a good one, but I liked it just enough to give it a mild recommendation.
Revolt at Fort Laramie (1957): ** 1/2 /****
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