Dragoon Wells Massacre

A small group of travellers stranded in the Arizona Desert. One of the group is an outlaw (Barry O'Sullivan) who is being taken to trial, and another is a cavalry captain (Dennis O'Keefe) whose troop has been wiped out by the Apaches. Matters are complicated by the presence of two women and an unscrupulous gunrunner.

Dragoon Wells Massacre is a western featuring an assortment of characters left to fend off the Apaches in the rough terrain, however there's some effort to add some refreshing elements such as fleshing out the characters. It's tautly-drawn, has great cinematography and some good action, but it's the characters that makes this film interesting. The acting is great too, particularly Jack Elam, who plays a misunderstood man. Mona Freeman can be an irritating character with her self-centredness, but the other characters such as Barry Sullivan put her in her place.

Dragoon Wells Massacre is a rare gem. I can say rare, because there are only 11 people commenting on it. The good news is it can now be found on YouTube. There are two characters that stand out. Mona Freeman ( Ann) and Sebastian Cabot ( Jonah). I simply hated these characters ( but for different reasons). Ann because she is a miserable woman always complaining, and Jonah because he is a nasty, evil murdering coward who sells guns and whiskey to the Indians. What makes the movie is the scenery, music and suspense. It is really a 10 Little Indians type story where various people are thrown together and it is a question who survives and who gets killed. The most interesting characters are two who are paired off together. Captain Matt Riordan ( Dennis O'Keefe), the only soldier who survived an Indian massacre and Maria Fay ( Katy Jurado) a Mexican woman who you strongly suspect is a prostitute. These two prove the old adage correct. "Opposites Attract." The question remains: Who survives and who dies ( besides Jonah obviously)? That is why you watch: To find out. I would like to rate this movie higher: Very good instead of just good, but I can't because of Mona Freeman she ruins things. 7/10 stars.

Not as routine as it may sound-a cavalry captain and a wagon load of prisoners join forces on a trek through hostile Indian country. Fine acting from a strong cast, tight direction, and a rousing musical score make this one good fun.

Monogram Pictures changed its name to Allied Artists in an effort to change its image from that of a cheap B-studio. For the most part, it didn't really work. Allied Artists' product suffered from the same deficiencies that Monogram's did: shoddy production values, lesser talent--both in front of and behind the cameras--and a lack of originality in its stories. This film, however, does not fall into that mold. While the story--survivors of an Indian attack make their way across the desert to safety--may seem trite, what is done with it isn't. Director Harold D. Schuster, a former editor, is hardly a household name, but he has made several tight little B pictures (1954's "Loophole" is a first-rate film-noir thriller about a bank teller framed for a robbery), and this is one of them. Dennis O'Keefe does a very good job as a cavalry officer who survives an Indian attack, and must lead a disparate group to safety across the desert. They come across a group of traders who aren't exactly what they seem to be, and must band together with them for mutual protection. Jack Elam plays a gunfighter who isn't quite what he seems to be, either. There's a good musical score, Schuster handles the action scenes quite well, and there are some interesting plot twists. Altogether, a well-paced, intriguing little western, highly recommended.

I may as well say at the outset that I am biased toward this movie. I liked westerns as a teenager and I liked westerns movies in color with recognizable actors. As an older fellow I now like mostly black and white movies westerns included. I stumbled on the production company filming this movie while on vacation with my folks in southern Utah desert in the summer of 1956. Iwas able to wander around the location and Stayed to watch about four takes of a two shot involving Okeefe and Cabot. After waiting eight months I saw the movie and a local theater and found the plot to be far more complex than most. This is not a run-of-the-mill 50s, one hero type, Western. I recommend it to anyone who likes some character development and appreciates the product of some of the good talents offered by Hollywood both in front of and behind the camera. I would like to find it on DVD.