Oregon Passage

The plot is tired and the characters are never fully developed, but there is enough action to keep you interested. The original score by Dunlap is uplifting, and I have to think that the novel this one is based on(By Sheriffs)is a better read than movie. The brutal hand to hand combat between hero and Indian Chief at the picture's climax is a surprise. The rest is pretty much routine.

Googling will lead to at least two reasonable offerings of this film, though the one that I settled on had foreign subtitles and a strident musical score.

Even at the start of the film, the fort didn't appear to have a very large garrison, which was significantly depleted after a couple of unwise deployments of troops. But it did have three very attractive women, including a Native American played unconvincingly by white actress Toni Gerry. I recognised only a couple of the cast.

Towards the end there was a surprise death, an unusual strategy by the soldiers and a brutal man-to-man fight.

Nice outdoor location cinematography is the best feature of Oregon Passage, a western shot on location, well, Oregon. John Ericson stars in this film and he's got himself an impossible mission. He wants to bring in Shoshoni chief Black Eagle alive.

Turns out to be an impossible task after martinet eastern Major Edward Platt takes command. The fact that his new bride Lola Albright has some history with Ericson doesn't help matters.

Albright is the real star here, one frontier vixen. Even the Shoshonis here say that fair haired women are to be avoided. This one sure should.

Battle scenes are nicely staged and the plot is most adult.

I got a lot more than I expected from "Oregon Passage". I watch a lot of westerns. I never heard of this movie but I saw it on Turner Classic Movies (streaming) and the friendly running time (eighty minutes) sold me. I was very impressed by "Oregon Passage". It's a great looking movie. The locations and stunts are great. The fort set is amazing. All this in a no-name B-western. It's great stuff. "Oregon Passage" has a good story that is surprisingly violent at times. The cast is fine but there aren't any standouts. I enjoyed "Oregon Passage" and I plan on watching it again. (IMDB has a 600 character minimum.)

An usual B-western without enough attractive forces to hold in the chair, firstly having a second class casting usually on TV series, a three-side fight, between an insurgent Black Eagle against cavalry sheltered in the fort, led by a cocky careerist Major Roland who intent to get promotion to be back to east, by any means including putting all soldiers in danger against Black Eagle, in other hand a Lt. Niles a second on command has been pressure by the insane Major, among all this has a Major's wife a beauty Lola Albright a former fiancée of Niles and also including Little Deer a young Indian rescued from the Indians by Niles, this odd triangle affair is more dangerous than the angry Indians, the fabulous locations on Oregon national forest is quite sure the highlights of this average production, the spots nearby river rapids are breathtaking, l guess this picture hardly comes to light officially someday, l have it recorded from tv in low resolution, unlikely event of restoration could improve the picture a as consequence get better reputation!!!!

Resume:

First watch: 2019 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 6