The real life Bill Cody must have been quite the conflicted character. While revering the Indian way of life, he took part in the Indian Wars and led buffalo hunts that wound up decimating the country's massive herds of the animal, helping destroy the lives of many tribes. The dichotomy in Cody's (Joel McCrae) character is given resonance following the Battle of War Bonnet Gorge, when he comments on the terrible loss of life - "They were all my friends".
For a while, I thought the introduction of Linda Darnell's character was intended as a romantic tease vying for Cody's affection for Miss Frederici (Maureen O'Hara), but that plot line wound up going nowhere. If Darnell's character name was mentioned in the story I had to have missed it, she's called Dawn Starlight on the credits page here.
Same thing with Edgar Buchanan's character, the Cavalry Sergeant Chips McGraw. He wound up not really having a lot to do in the story, eventually learning he was dismissed from the Army after serving for thirty years. Talk about your slow postal service. One thing you'll only catch in this picture though, it's the only time I've ever seen Buchanan with a white handlebar mustache!
As with most of these Western films of the era, there's not much to go by that's historically accurate, so the best thing to do is just settle back and enjoy it for what it is. McCrea seems to be unusually laid back in his role as the frontier hero, his best moments perhaps while dealing with Cheyenne war chief Yellow Hand (Anthony Quinn). But once again, any story that introduces Ned Buntline (Thomas Mitchell) as a character has to be taken with a grain of salt. He always did his best to sell newspapers and magazines, even if it meant streeeeetching the truth.
For a while, I thought the introduction of Linda Darnell's character was intended as a romantic tease vying for Cody's affection for Miss Frederici (Maureen O'Hara), but that plot line wound up going nowhere. If Darnell's character name was mentioned in the story I had to have missed it, she's called Dawn Starlight on the credits page here.
Same thing with Edgar Buchanan's character, the Cavalry Sergeant Chips McGraw. He wound up not really having a lot to do in the story, eventually learning he was dismissed from the Army after serving for thirty years. Talk about your slow postal service. One thing you'll only catch in this picture though, it's the only time I've ever seen Buchanan with a white handlebar mustache!
As with most of these Western films of the era, there's not much to go by that's historically accurate, so the best thing to do is just settle back and enjoy it for what it is. McCrea seems to be unusually laid back in his role as the frontier hero, his best moments perhaps while dealing with Cheyenne war chief Yellow Hand (Anthony Quinn). But once again, any story that introduces Ned Buntline (Thomas Mitchell) as a character has to be taken with a grain of salt. He always did his best to sell newspapers and magazines, even if it meant streeeeetching the truth.