Harry Carey Jr.

Set in a post apocalyptic future, Sam Treadwell (David Andrews) lives in a society where romance, economics and technology have evolved into a state where relationships of all sorts are commodities. Sam has bought his one true love a Cherry 2000 and until she fries her circuits beyond repair, making love in the dishwasher, he was the happiest man on Earth. Cherry 2000s are rare by 2017 and after Sam's friends have taken him out and tried to take his mind of things using a relationship broker Sam is more love lorn then ever and realises he must have a Cherry 2000. Sam takes his beloved to a repair shop. After being shown a possible host of replacement models Sam tells the repair guy he must have a Cherry 2000. Fortunately for Sam his beloved androids personality disc is still intact and the kindly old repair guy tells Sam to have a chance of a Cherry 2000 he must go to Zone 7 and to do that he needs to hire a tracker and to do that he needs to go to Glory Hole. Another bit of helpful advice the repair guy instills is; Six-Finger-Jake (Ben Johnson) is the best tracker around. Sam drives to Glory Hole, think western mining town, tumble weeds etc. Sam goes to the office of E. Johnson she says she can take him there, but there is a catch he has to come as well in order help shoot their way out. Sam rejects the offer and heads to the saloon. In The Saloon he is told Six-Finger-Jake is dead but is led to believe otherwise by other patrons in the bar who go to lead him outside to introduce him, only to turn out to be robbers who take his gun but leave him enough money to hire E. Back to E.'s and of they go. E drives a red mustang with off-road tyres and futuristic modifications. Driving through the desert we are introduced to Lester (Tim Thomerson) the tyrannical ruler of the wasteland. Sam and E. Manage to escape from Lester's Clutches after climbing down a drainpipe and into the boat of Six-Finger-Jake. The man who raised E. Jake, E. and Sam decide on a plan to get the Cherry 2000. Carrying out this plan they are captured and during the escape, The Sky Ranch, Lester's home fort is destroyed. Sam and E. flee across the desert, E. attempts to seduce Sam saying the personality disc is destroyed and just as they are getting intimate the recorder in E.'s pocket activates and Sam is once again in love with his robot. After being chased across the desert Sam and E. come to a fuel depot where there is a plane. There is also a traitor who alerts Lester of their whereabouts. Lester arrives there is a battle the fuel depot's girlfriend as well as the depot owner is shot. Six-Finger-Jake is killed too. E. is more determined to go on so Jake's death wasn't for nothing. Eventually they make it to Zone 7, and find a replacement 'droid in a casino. As Sam puts the personality disk in and starts to make up for lost time with his plastic pal who's fun to be with as one sci-fi writer might put it Lester and what's left of his band show up. A gunfight ensues, the heroes try to flee. With three passengers the plane is too heavy to take of E. volunteers to stay behind as Sam flies of and sees E. preparing to be captured or fight to the death he circles the plane and lands he sends Chery 2000 for Pepsi while he flies of with E. Johnson, quite literally into the wild blue yonder.

A wannabe blues-guitar virtuoso finds an old blues player and hopes he can teach him a long-lost song by legendary musician, Robert Johnson. Eugene is an extraordinary talent in classic guitar, but he dreams of being a famous blues guitarist, so he investigates to find a storied lost song. He asks legendary blues musician Willie Brown to help him, but Willie demands to be sprung from the old-people's prison first and to really learn the blues on the way to its origin: the Mississippi Delta. Eugene doesn't know yet about Willie's deal with the devil, which he now wishes to revoke. —Tom Zoerner <Tom.Zoerner@informatik.uni-erlangen.de> Eugene Martone, the "Lightning Boy", is a lover of blues. He studies guitar at Julliard, but he is looking for the 30th unknown song of Roberto Johnson. One day, he meets Willie Brown, the "Blind Dog," in an old-folks' home and is convinced that he possess the lost song. Eugene helps Willie to escape the asylum and goes with him to Mississippi. They can just afford a bus ticket from New York to halfway to Mississippi, so they must hitchhike the rest of the way, and doing so they meet Frances, a girl who left home and wishes to be a dancer in Los Angeles. The trio passes through many strange adventures and situations together, and the climax is the guitar duel between Eugene and Jack Butler. —Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The origins, exploits and the ultimate fate of the Jesse James gang is told in a sympathetic portrayal of the bank robbers made up of brothers who begin their legendary bank raids because of revenge. After the American Civil War, outlaw Jesse James forms a gang comprised of himself, his brother Frank James, Cole Younger and his two brothers, Jim Younger and Bob Younger as well as Ed Miller and his brother Clell Miller. The gang is led by Jesse James and Cole Younger. The gang starts by robbing small banks and stagecoaches in the Midwest and in their home state of Missouri. Later, the gang targets bigger prizes, such as larger banks and trains. This criminal activity attracts the attention of the railroad company owners who hire the Pinkerton Detective Agency to capture the gang. When the gang kills a few Pinkerton detectives, a war of sorts starts between the Pinkerton Agency and the James-Younger gang. Sometimes caught in the middle of it are innocent civilians. In 1876, the gang is running out of banks to rob in Missouri and decides to raid a supposedly fat bank, far up North, in the state of Minnesota. But the Pinkerton Detective Agency is setting up a trap there.

In 1843, a former U.S. Senator leads a wagon train of settlers to Oregon, but his megalomania leads to growing dissatisfaction with his leadership. In the mid nineteenth century, Senator William J. Tadlock leads a group of settlers overland in a quest to start a new settlement in the Western U.S. Tadlock is a highly principled and demanding taskmaster who is as hard on himself as he is on those who have joined his wagon train. He clashes with one of the new settlers, Lije Evans, who doesn't quite appreciate Tadlock's ways. Along the way, the families must face death and heartbreak and a sampling of frontier justice when one of them accidentally kills a young Indian boy. —garykmcd Strongly motivated by the beautiful utopia he has been nurturing for so long, the autocratic U.S. Senator, William Tadlock, leaves the Congress to lead a wagon train of audacious pioneers from Missouri to the promised land of Oregon, in 1843. With the help of the experienced scout, Dick Summers, the slow and almost defenceless caravan of impatient settlers ventures into the long and rugged Oregon Trail, as martinet Tadlock's sacred rules and heightening self-involvement threaten to jeopardise the entire expedition. However, as leadership and conflict go hand-in-hand, the stern senator's leadership skills will be put to the test, when the horrid death of the Great Sioux Chief's young son demands justice. Can the visionary William Tadlock carry out the mission successfully? —Nick Riganas Missouri 1843: Former U.S. Senator Tadlock and scout Summers lead a trek of settlers to Oregon, through more than one thousand five hundred fifty miles of mostly Indian territory. Tadlock drives his people mercilessly. When his ambition costs some people's lives, his ability is questioned. —Tom Zoerner <Tom.Zoerner@informatik.uni-erlangen.de>

A corrupt marshal is pressured by his army friend into negotiating the release of white captives of the Comanches, but finds that their reintegration into society has its consequences. The US Army is under pressure from the desperate relatives of white prisoners of the Comanches to secure their rescue. A cynical and corrupt marshal, Guthrie McCabe, is persuaded by an army lieutenant to assist in the negotiations with the Comanches; however, just two captives are released, and their reintegration into white society proves highly problematic. —David Levene <D.S.Levene@durham.ac.uk> The cynical and corrupt Marshal Guthrie McCabe has a comfortable life in Tascosa, receiving percentages of deals. His lover Belle Aragon owns a saloon with a brothel and has just proposed to marry him; however, Guthrie is summoned by US Army Major Frazer, who sends a troop commanded by his friend First Lt. Jim Gary to bring him to Fort Grant. When Guthrie meets Major Frazer, he explains that the relatives of prisoners of the Comanche tribe are pressing the army to bring them back home, but the soldiers cannot trespass on Indian lands due to a treaty with the Comanche. The mercenary Guthrie demands a large amount to negotiate with Chief Quanah Parker for the freedom of the white captives. Guthrie travels with Lt. Jim Gary and they rescue the two last captives: a teenager who has been raised by the Comanche, and a young woman, Elena de la Madriaga, who has been the wife of Stone Calf, the leader of the Buffalo Shields, for five years. —Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Pressed into service by his superior, the immoral marshal of the 1880s Tascosa, Guthrie McCabe, resentfully accepts to negotiate and retrieve a small group of white captives taken years earlier by the Comanches' formidable chief, Quanah Parker. Accompanied by the old friend and honourable U.S. Cavalry Lieutenant, Jim Gary, McCabe who is in it for the money rather than justice, will soon find himself deep into one of the most shielded Indian territories, only to face troublesome and unanticipated complications. What happens when the prisoners refuse to be freed? —Nick Riganas

Three years after the end of the Civil War, Ethan Edwards (John Wayne) rides onto the Texas farm owned by his brother, Aaron (Walter Coy). Aaron is a little wary of Ethan, who has not been seen since the surrender of the Confederate Army, but his children -- Lucy, Ben and Debbie -- are all overjoyed to see him. So is Martha (Dorothy Jordan), Aaron's wife; she and Ethan clearly are in love though they cannot act on it. Aaron and Martha's adopted quarter Cherokee son Martin arrives for dinner. He greets Ethan but Ethan is very unhappy in his presence despite the fact that he is the one who found him abandoned as an infant. Martin and everybody else can see Ethan's dislike for him. As the night draws in,Martin sits outside on the porch feeling distant from the family in Ethan's presence. He goes to off to bed as do the other kids, and Aaron and Martha soon discover that Ethan is in possession of newly minted Northern money. Aaron agrees to hide the money for Ethan and tells him he is free to stay as long as he likes. Ethan knows his welcome is tenuous, however, and after everyone else goes to bed, sits alone on the porch. The next morning, the Reverend Captain Samuel Clayton (Ward Bond), the area's minister and captain of the Texas Rangers, comes with a posse to the farm. Someone has run off Lars Jorgensen's (John Qualen) cattle. Clayton deputizes Aaron and Martin to join the Rangers' posse. Ethan tells Aaron he is not to go but instead to stay close to home in case the cattle rustling was in fact a diversionary ploy by aggressive Native Americans. Clayton is glad to see his former compatriot in the Confederate Army but also mentions that Ethan matches the description of a lot of wanted criminals. Ethan agrees to go with the Rangers to search for the cattle but refuses to swear an oath to the state of Texas, believing that his oath to the Confederacy is sufficient. They ride off and follow the trail and it isn't long before Marty tries to share his concerns about what they are following with Ethan, but Ethan is dismissive because of Marty's biracial heritage. After several hours of riding, the posse finds Jorgensen's cattle slaughtered in the desert. They realize that a band of Comanche Indians have lured them away from their farms. Because Jorgensen's farm is closest, most of the posse rides there. Ethan, Marty and the slightly demented Mose Harper (Hank Worden) decide to ride for Aaron's farm. But Marty wants to ride off straight away and Ethan knows that the horses won't make it. They need resting for a while. Martin doesn't care and angrily rides off anyway. As dusk sets in,Aaron becomes suspicious at his farm as he hears noises in the distance.Fully aware of what Mose was saying about the Comanches, he and Martha try to stay calm in front of the kids while Aaron picks up a shotgun to pretend he's going to do some hens.Martha starts to close the windows and put out the lights.Lucy realises what is going on and starts to scream in terror.Martha slaps her and tries to calm her and comfort her. They get Debbie out of the window so that she can go off to safety while they prepare for the inevitable.Debbie runs off and sits by an headstone. A shadow looms over her. it is the chief of the tribe, Scar. He blows his horn to call his tribe. Early in the morning,Ethan and Mose ride along and see Martin stood wanting a ride from them. His horse has failed to make the journey but Ethan rides along passed him and Mose follows. Ethan sees that the ranch is burned down and rides down to try to find any survivors from the attack.Aaron, Martha and Ben have been slaughtered, and Lucy and Debbie are missing. As the funeral takes place and the people sing an hymn, Ethan becomes frustrated and just what's to get on with taking revenge. He tells Clayton to cut the prayer short so that they can go searching for Debbie and Lucy. They find a partially buried Indian corpse,who has died apparently from from been wounded during the attack. Ethan shoots the warrior's eyes out to further mutilate the corpse and prevent it from reaching the afterlife. Soon Ethan finds the Comanches setting up camp near a river 20 miles away from where the rest of the posse are.He returns to them and tells them they'll wait until nightfall and attack them. Clayton doesn't think it's a good idea because it could result in Lucy and Debbie been killed. Instead they slowly sneak in but find that they are gone.As they travel along the desert,the Comanches try to get the posse into a trap. They manage to make it to the other side of the river and fend them off in a gun battle,which results in one of them been wounded. As the Comnahces try to collect their dead and injured members,Ethan tries to shoot more of them but Clayton stops him. Full of rage, Ethan angrily tells them that he's going on alone to pursue them.Marty and Lucy's boyfriend Brad Jorgensen (Harry Carey, Jr.) want to join him.Ethan agrees on the condition that he's in charge.The three of them separate from the rest of them,who return home with the wounded member of the group. Soon Brad the Indians encampment one night, he believes he sees Lucy's distinctive dress. Ethan tells him that he found Lucy's defiled corpse in a canyon when the three men had split up to follow different trails. Insane with rage, Brad rides wildly into the Indian camp on his own.Marty tries to stop him but Ethan grabs him to prevent him following.Gunshots are heard in the distance and Brad is soon killed. Ethan and Marty continue on their search but as winter sets in, they lose their trail. They return to the Jorgensens' ranch. Marty has a tenuous romantic relationship with the Jorgensens' daughter, Laurie (Vera Miles). Mrs. Jorgensen gives Ethan a letter from a trader named Futterman who says he might have information about Debbie. Ethan arranges for Marty to stay with the Jorgensens but Marty wants to go with him. However in the morning, he discovers that Ethan has taken off on his own. Fearing that Ethan will kill Debbie if he finds her, he still takes off after him much to Laurie's displeasure. At Futterman's trading post he tells them that he purchased a swatch of calico print dress from an Indian band led by a war chief named Scar. Marty recognises it as Debbie's. Futterman tells them that she was taken by Scar,the chief of the Nawyecka tribe.Ethan pays Futterman part of the reward. He tells him he'll get the rest when and if they find Debbie.Futterman asks them if they want to stay the night but Ethan refuses. He knows Futterman is after his money.Later that night, Futterman and two accomplices follow Ethan and Marty for the rest of the money. But Ethan knows what they are up to. He leaves Marty by the camp fire to sleep while he goes to hide with a rifle,ready to take the men out. He shoots all three men in the back and retrieves his money from the dead body.Marty is angry that Ethan just left him for bait but Ethan just calmly tells him to get ready to move on. By now, the search for Debbie has continued for a year or more. Marty writes a letter to Laurie detailing his and Ethan's attempts to find Debbie.Charlie McCory delivers the letter and she reads it out loud to the family and narrates the next part of their journey. Ethan and Marty have traveled out of Texas into Colorado and parts north. Laurie is outraged to learn that Marty accidentally acquired an Indian bride, Look (Beulah Archuletta) while trying to trade for blankets with a different band of Comanche. Marty tried to drive her away but Ethan finds the situation amusing. When Look learned they were tracking Scar, she abandoned them in the night. They later found her in a Comanche camp that had been slaughtered by the American calvary. Marty and Ethan visited a local fort where white women who had been with the Comanche are, having been rescued by the cavalry. Ethan and Martin tell them that they are looking for a girl who was taken and will be around the age of 14 now. They are taken to three girls of that age,who appear to be deranged from their experiences but none of them are Debbie. One of the girls snatches Debbie's doll from Marty's hands and as she rocks with it back and forth, Ethan looks her horrified,thinking of what Debbie will be like if they find her.Laurie finshes reading the letter by telling everyone that Ethan and Marty are heading for the new territory. Laurie swears she will give up on Marty, which delights Charlie, who begins to serenade her. Five years later, Ethan and Marty are in New Mexico territory, where they find Mose in a cantina. He has met Figueroa, a merchant who trades with Scar's tribe. Figueroa takes them to meet Scar (Henry Brandon). Scar and Ethan are both annoyed to learn each speaks the other's language. In Scar's tent, Ethan and Marty see Debbie (Natalie Wood), now a teenager. They return to their own camp by a creek. Marty asks Ethan if Scar wants to kill them.Ethan reckons so and explains that the only reason he has let them escape with their lives for now is because of the Comanche code of honour. In the distance Debbie comes running down the sand dune to Marty. He begs her to try and remember him. She says she does but the Comanche are her people now and they must leave her. Ethan pulls out his gun and orders Marty to move away from her so that he can kill her but Marty blocks him. Just then, Scar's warriors attack and Ethan is wounded by a poisoned arrow. He and Marty ride off with the Indians in pursuit.They take cover in a cave and fend them off with their pistols.Ethan rests up,while Marty tends to him. Later,Ethan gives him a letter to read. He wants Marty to take all his possessions should he die but Marty isn't happy about it,as Debbie's his next of kin. But Ethan just considers her an indian now and not a relation.Marty refuses to accept it and tells him he hopes he dies. A while later, they return to the Jorgensens just as Laurie and Charlie are about to be married. They are just about to enter the house when Lars tries to stop them and tells them they are wanted for Futterson's death.He tells them to hide but Ethan walks in anyway to greet everyone.His return is met with silence. Marty is upset to find out that Laurie was going to marry someone else and shocked when he finds out it's Charlie.They end up having a fight and although neither man wins, the wedding is called off. Just as Clayton is about to arrest Ethan and Marty, a young calvary officer called Lt.Greenhill (Patrick Wayne) arrives with Mose who had been captured by Scar's tribe but managed to escape once they came close to the Jorgensens' farm. Clayton organizes his Rangers again and, with Ethan and Marty, they ride out to confront Scar. Ethan wants to charge into Scar's camp, hoping that Scar will kill Debbie so he doesn't have to. Marty persuades Clayton (who is in charge) to let him sneak into camp and rescue Debbie before the charge. When he does so, he has to keep her from screaming for help. Scar enters the tent but Marty beats him to the draw, killing him. Clayton, Ethan and the Rangers charge into the camp, killing or scattering the Comanche. Ethan finds Scar's body and scalps it.As he rides out of the tent holding the scalp, he sees Debbie in the distance.Fearing for her life she runs away and Ethan rides after her.Knocking Marty aside, he pursues near a cave. As she cowers, he reaches down and picks her up. Cradling her in his arms, he says, "Let's go home, Debbie." Ethan and Marty take Debbie back to the Jorgensens' ranch, where Lars, Mrs. Jorgensen, and Mose (sitting on the porch on a rocking chair) are waiting. They take her inside, followed by Marty and Laurie. Ethan stands outside, then turns and walks away as the door closes on him.

An officer accused of cowardice volunteers to bring back General Custers's body after Little Big Horn. Returning to Fort Lincoln, Captain Benson learns of Custer's defeat at the Little Big Horn. At the inquiry as Custer's Officers blame Custer for the defeat, Benson tries to defend him. But Benson was suspiciously absent at the time of the battle and is now despised by the troops. So when an order to retrieve the bodies from the battlefield arrives, Benson volunteers for the dangerous mission of returning back into Indian territory. —Maurice VanAuken <mvanauken@a1access.net>

Two bank robbers abandon their wounded partner to the posse and run with the loot but their partner, after serving time in prison, seeks revenge. Three outlaw buddies rob a bank, but one of them is wounded. His two partners and his girlfriend take his share of the loot and run off, leaving him to be captured by the sheriff. Years later, after he gets out of prison, he goes in search of his double-crossing partners and his faithless girlfriend. He finds them in a semi-deserted, run-down town, but instead of killing them right away, he decides to play cat-and-mouse with them first. —frankfob2@yahoo.com In 1885, Rem Anderson teams up with the outlaws Matt Rankin and Ralph Farley expecting to heist the Palace City bank and buy a ranch to live with his girlfriend Janice "Jan". However Rem is wounded and left behind by his comrades and girlfriend. He is arrested by a posse but he does not rat them. One year later, Rem is released from prison and seeks out his former partners. He meets the gunslinger Billy Deal that gives the name of the town where Farley and Rankin are. On the arrival, Rem meets Sheriff Morton and Deputy Lee; then he finds his horse that had been stolen by Farley. What will Rem do with Farley, Rankin and Jan? —Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil In the Arizona Territory of 1880, Rem Anderson (James Arrness) is wounded during a bank holdup. With him are Matt Rankin (Robert Wilkie) and Ralph Farley (Don Megowan). They ride to a rendezvous at the house of Jan (Angie Dickinson), Rem's girlfriend. Here, Matt and Ralph decide to desert him and force Jan to accompany them. Rem is captured by a sheriff's posse and sentenced to a year in jail. Rem vows to find them, and finally locates them in Gunther Wells. Jan is killed by Rankin when she tries to warn Rem, and Farley is killed by a wild shot in the ensuing gunfight. Rem then follows Rankin, where he reduces him unconscious after a vicious fist-fight, and turns him over to Sheriff Morton (Emile Meyer.) —Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>

The Long Gray Line is based on the life of Martin "Marty" Maher, Jr. (25 June 1876 17 January 1961). Maher was an Irish immigrant from Ballycrine, County Tipperary, Ireland, who joined the United States Army in 1898 and rose to the rank of Master Sergeant. He served as a revered and beloved swimming instructor at the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York, from 1899 to 1928. Maher retired from the Army in 1928 and stayed at West Point as a civil service (civilian) employee in the athletic department and retired from that in 1946, completing 50 years of service at "The Point" (including two years as a waiter prior to his enlistment). Maher was named an honorary member of the classes of 1912, 1926 and 1928. His autobiography, Bringing Up The Brass: My 55 Years at West Point, cowritten by Nardi Reeder Campion, was published in 1951 by David McKay Company Inc. and was the source of the film. Maher died on 17 January 1961, at the age of 84 and is buried in the West Point Cemetery.

A simple group of commercial flyers, post WWII, one plane is downed in uncharted Canadian tundra, dead of winter, wicked cold. Limited resources. Other pilots start a search. Simple, huh? Remember...No GPS, No Radar, Limited radio and supplies! And that relentless bitter cold! But wait. These aren't ordinary commercial pilots. We soon learn these guys have some real history, military types, probably in WWII. They're tight, driven and fearless, and they're gonna find and rescue The Duke and his crew if it kills them! Like a fine wine, what starts out as a simple story draws us into the lives of these fine men, and their families as well. Before you know it, your heart is racing, and the tears are flowing! Perhaps an overused cliche, but truly, they just don't make films like this anymore! What's more, you get to see James Arness cry! Real men, these.

John Vickers joins Custer's cavalry regiment seeking private revenge. John Vickers finally tracks down one of the three men who killed his true love. Before he dies, the miscreant admits that his accomplices joined the cavalry. Vickers, a former officer himself, does likewise, after saving pretty Molly Quade from rowdy Sergeant O'Hara, who sets out to harass the new recruit. After incidents during a battle with the Sioux, Vickers is pretty sure O'Hara is one of his men. But can he reconcile his desire for vengeance with loyalty to the Army? —Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>

Performing sharpshooter Johnny Carter is asked to help a beleaguered group of copper miners. A group of copper miners, Southern veterans, are terrorized by local rebel-haters, led by deputy Lane Travis. The miners ask stage sharpshooter Johnny Carter to help them, under the impression that he is the legendary Colonel Desmond. It seems they're wrong; but Johnny's show comes to Coppertown and Johnny romances lovely gambler Lisa Roselle, whom the miners believe is at the center of their troubles. —Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>

A cavalry officer posted on the Rio Grande is confronted with murderous raiding Apaches, a son who's a risk-taking recruit and his wife from whom he has been separated for many years. Rio Grande takes place after the Civil War when the Union turned their attention towards the Apaches. Union officer Kirby Yorke is in charge of an outpost on the Rio Grande in which he is in charge of training of new recruits one of which is his son whom he hasn't seen in 15 years. He whips him into shape to take on the Apaches but not before his mother shows up to take him out of there.The decision to leave is left up to Trooper Yorke who decides to stay and fight. Through it all Kirby and Kathleen though separated for years fall back into love and decide that it's time to give it another try. But Yorke faces his toughest battle when his unorthodox plan to outwit the elusive Apaches leads to possible court-martial. Locked in a bloody Indian war, he must fight to redeem his honor and save the love and lives of his broken family. —Christopher D. Ryan <cryan@direct.ca> Lt. Col. Kirby Yorke commands a U.S. cavalry troop north of the Rio Grande. Indians have been raiding and then fleeing south of the river into Mexico. Yorke is surprised when he learns that the son he has not seen for 15 years, Jeff, has flunked out of West Point. He's barely digested the information when his son shows up at the camp as a new cavalry recruit. His personal life gets even more complicated when his wife, Jeff's mother, Kathleen also shows up at the fort intent on taking her son home. As the situation increasingly deteriorates, the women and children are sent to safety but the wagon train is attacked and all the children taken forcing Yorke and his men to cross into Mexico to get them back. —garykmcd

In 1851, Tom Dunson (John Wayne) and friend Nadine Groot (Walter Brennan), join a wagon train in St. Louis (or near St. Louis), headed for California. After three weeks, they approach north Texas, where the land looks good to Tom. He decides he wants to break away from the wagon train and go find a place to start a ranch of his own. The wagon master tries to order him to stay, then tries talking him out of it, all to no avail. Tom is also pretty handy with his fists and a gun, so there wouldnt be any forcing him. Along with Tom and Nadine on the trip to California is Fen (Colleen Gray), Toms love interest. He and Fen are basically engaged (in love, anyway) and she wants to come with Tom and Nadine to find a ranch. Tom wont hear of it, promising to send for her once hes settled in. She doesn't like the idea of having to wait, but promises to come. Before leaving, Tom gives Fen a bracelet that belonged to his mother. Tom and Nadine take off with their wagon, horse, one bull and two cows, and get maybe 10-15 miles from the wagon train, near the Red River, when they look back and see black smoke. Realizing that the wagon train has most likely been attacked by Indians, they know they cant get back in time to help, and that some of the Indians are likely to come looking for them soon enough anyway, so they set up in a defensive posture and wait. Sure enough, maybe 6-7 Indian braves show up and begin an attack with a fire arrow that hits Tom's and Nadine's wagon (but doesnt do much damage). Both Tom and Nadine are good shots and they kill most of the attackers right away. However, one of their cows was killed by the Indians and then Tom has to fight hand-to-hand. He kills one Indian as they fight and fall into the river. Tom notices the Indian he killed was wearing the bracelet hed given to Fey. Tom then sneaks out to kill the last one or two Indians of the group, who were still out there hiding. The next day, theres a young boy named Matt Garth (Mickey Kuhn) who comes strolling along leading a cow and talking to himself, like hes lost his mind. Tom slaps the kid to snap him out of his trance. The kid then pulls a hand gun and points it at Tom. Tom grabs the gun and takes it away, knocking the kid down. The kid is not crazy, but just play-acting. Tom tells him never to pull a gun on him again. The kid has spunk and tells Tom never to take his gun from him again. Tom turns to Nadine and says, hell do. Tom hands Matt's gun back to him and allows him to come with them. Apparently, the family or group Matt had been with was attacked by Indians too, so he had no one left. The three of them travel deep into Texas, stopping at the Rio Grande, where Tom pronounces himself the new owner of all the land visible north of the river. He also says that 10 years hence, hell have the biggest and best ranch in all of Texas, with plenty of beef to feed and nourish all the people around the area. He tells Garth and Groot that he will brand all the cattle in his future herd with a D double bar (the bars representing the banks of the Red River). Matt wants an M added to the brand, but Dunson says he'll have to earn it. Two Mexican men come riding up and introduce themselves as employees of Don Diego, the man who owns the land they are standing on. At that moment, Don Diego was at his ranch headquarters 400 miles south, in Mexico. Tom tells the two men to ride back and tell Don Diego that all the land north of the Rio Grande now belongs to him and hes taking it. One of the men says that just cant be and he goes for his gun. Tom outdraws him and shoots him dead. He tells the other man to take his friends horse and go back and tell Don Diego what happened. Tom told the guy that he would take care of burying the other man's body. Flash forward nearly 15 years later to find Tom, Nadine and a grown Matt (Montgomery Clift) having a discussion about Matts recent return to the ranch, and the major problem of there being no market in Texas for all of Toms thousands of cattle (thanks to the Civil War basically bankrupting everyone). The decision is that they will need to drive the cattle north instead, to Missouri, to sell them. Tom was going to make Nadine stay behind, as Nadine was getting too old to ride, but the trail cook had just quit, so Nadine got to go, as the cowboys would need a cook. Tom and Nadine had a funny exchange, right after Tom had told Nadine he had to stay behind. Nadine was talking to himself, complaining about the decision, while Tom was trying to talk to Matt. Tom finally turned to Nadine and asked him what he was saying and why didnt he have his new teeth in his mouth, because he couldnt understand his mumbling. Nadine responded that everyone else could understand him just fine and he was keeping his teeth in his pocket until he needed them for eating. Matt was overseeing the branding of the cattle, preparatory to the drive, and having the men turn loose any cows belonging to a rancher named Meeker (Davison Clark), or to Don Diego. Tom rides up and orders that no cattle be turned loose and that they all be branded with the D-Double Bar brand (his). Matt doesnt agree, but tells the men to go ahead and do as Tom says. About that time, Mr. Meeker rides up with some of his men, including a hired gun, and asks Tom for permission to look through the herd to cull out any of his cows. Tom denies permission, telling Meeker that hes branding all of the cows he has, regardless of any other brands they may already have on them. Things get pretty testy and Matt and Mr. Meekers gunfighter, Cherry Valance (John Ireland) exchange words. Matt has become very handy with a gun himself. Tom relents somewhat, in that he decides to offer Meeker $2/head for any of his cows that make it to Missouri and get sold. Meeker agrees. Cherry then decides hed like to work for Tom instead of Meeker and asks to be hired on. Tom hires him at $10/month, the going rate for a trail hand. Matt and Cherry are just itching to have a fight (preferably a gunfight), and Tom realizes its probably inevitable, but he forces them to get along for the time being. They do have an initial challenge contest, where they borrow each others guns and alternately shoot at a tin can, impressing each other with their respective skills. In the bunkhouse, theres a poker game the night before the drive starts. Quo (Chief Yowlachie) is sitting opposite Groot. Groot has a good hand, but when Quo bets one silver dollar, Groot is aghast. Thats equivalent to 3 days pay. He asks Matt to loan him a dollar, but Matt refuses. The rule of the game is that only whats on the table at the time can be used to bet with. So, Quo asks Groot whats in the small bag he has there on the table and Groot tells him it contains his false teeth. Quo says hell accept half interest in the teeth to cover the one dollar bet. Groot isn't happy about it, but he agrees. They show their cards. Quo has the better hand and demands the teeth. Groot wants to know how hes supposed to eat without his teeth and Quo tells him that come grub time, you get em. Dunson comes into the bunkhouse and tells everyone that its now or never as far as their decisions to go on the drive. He tells them that there will be no hard feelings for anyone who wants to stay behind, and promised them that theyd still have jobs on the ranch after the drive is over. He tells them that theyll be doing good to make 10 miles a day on the 1,000 mile drive, 15 miles if they are lucky. Theyll face bad weather, dust, Indians and border gangs (once they get close to Missouri). But, once a cowboy says hell go, hes expected to finish the drive, whatever happens. Dunson makes everyone going sign a piece of paper representing their word to stick it out. The next morning, breakfast was served at 4:30 and, with nearly 10,000 head of cattle grouped together, at 5 a.m., Dunson quietly told Matt to take 'em to Missouri. All the cowboys whooped and hollered as they started out. Quo holds Groot to the results of their bet, only loaning the false teeth back to Groot at mealtimes. Groot is not happy about that. He tells Quo that the teeth help him keep the dust out of his mouth. Quo tells him to keep his mouth shut then, and dust not get in. Groot complains that before the drive is over, hell probably eat enough land to get himself incorporated in the Union as the State of Groot. Quo still says no. Dunson isnt happy about the situation either, complaining that Groot mumbles and needs to have his teeth in to be understood. The men start talking about taking the cattle to Kansas instead of Missouri, as its closer and there are less hazards along the way. However, because no one has personal knowledge of a railway actually being in Abilene, KS (where rumor has it there was one), Dunson says to forget it. Dunson goes through 3-4 horses a day, so hes obviously very involved in the drive. The group is 30 days into the drive with no major issues. One cowboy remarks that he doesnt like that. It makes him nervous. He prefers a balance of things going well and having trouble, not just one or the other. The trouble part does come, and it starts as a result of Bunk Kenneally (Ivan Parry) continuing to get into the supply of sugar (he dips his fingers into the sack whenever he can, which gets him in trouble with Groot). Everyone has been on their best behavior as far as being quiet, because the cattle are on edge. They are tired and there are coyotes milling about. Everyone is worried that the cows will stampede if something spooks them. So, when Bunk clumsily knocks over some of the cook pots as hes getting into the sugar, thats enough noise to start a stampede. One of the cowboys prefers to wear a bowler hat. He gets trapped behind a shrub in the middle of the stampede, so Matt and another fellow ride up and each grab an arm of this fellow and they carry him off to the side of the stampeding cows and let him down. After the cows are stopped and calmed down, it's noticed that one of the wranglers, Dan Latimer (Harry Carey Jr.) is missing. Latimer wore checkered pants and would talk about using the $100 he would be earning on the drive to buy a place to farm/ranch, and a pair of red shoes for his wife. A search begins and they find what's left of Latimer's distinctive checkered pants among a bunch of dead cattle. Dunson tells Matt to make sure the widow gets Dans money and whatever else. Matt replies, like a pair of red shoes? Dunson reads over Latimer's remains the next morning and as he puts the Bible back on the wagon, he goes over and picks up Groots' whip, at the same time calling out to Bunk: Bunk Kennally, you started all this! 400 cows dead and Latimer too. Stealing sugar like a little kid. Well, we whip kids to punish them for things like that. Dunson tells Teeler to strap Bunk to a wagon wheel. Before Teeler can do that, Bunk speaks up and acknowledges that he is remorseful about Latimer and the dead cows, but he tells Dunson he wont stand to be whipped. As he goes for his gun, hed likely have been shot dead by Dunson, but Matt draws first and shoots Bunk in the shoulder, saving his life. Dunson turns to Matt and says, you shot him, you take care of him! Matt provides Bunk with two horses and sends him back home. Cherry observes all this and tells Matt that while hes real fast with a gun, hes got a soft heart, and that will get him hurt some day. Matt says that could be, but not to count on it. 40 days out, with reduced rations (after one wagon was destroyed in the stampede), the men become increasingly restless. Tom reminds them that they all signed on to see it through, like it or not. A cowboy named Sutter (William Self) rides up, his head bandaged and barely able to talk (there was a rope burn around his neck), saying he had been riding with the Garwood herd (2,000 cows) when they were ambushed by about 100 bandits. Hearing that, Naylor, Fernandez and another hand tell Dunson theyve had enough (but not until right after theyd watched Dunson set his gun belt down as he was preparing to go get some water). Dunson tells them they cant go. They reach for their guns as Groot tosses a loaded and cocked rifle to Dunson. Dunson's shots, in combination with those fired by Matt and Cherry, kill the three wranglers. Dunson orders the three buried, announcing that hell read over them in the morning. That prompts one of the cowboys to say: Plantin and readin, plantin and readin. Why, when youve killed a man, why try to read the Lord in as a partner in the job? Matt argues with Dunson over the need to confront and kill the three men. He and Groot both tell Dunson hes wrong to do such things. Groot then patches up a bullet wound on Dunsons lower left leg. That night, Teeler, Kelsey and Laredo are on watch, when they decide to take some ammunition and flour and ride out, headed back home. The next morning, Dunson sends Cherry and Buster to go get the three and bring them back, dead or alive. The herd arrives at the Red River. Matt wants to give everyone a rest and cross the river first thing in the morning. Dunson will have none of that, and orders the crossing to begin immediately. He finds a couple areas of quicksand in the river to be avoided then orders the crossing to start. The process continues into the night. Between 30-40 head are lost during the process. Dunson is limping badly and pulls heavily from a bottle of whiskey once he sits down to rest. Hes exhausted, refusing to sleep until Cherry gets back with the three cowboys who left. He wants to make sure no one else tries to leave. Hes sure once the three are returned and punished, no one else will leave. Cherry does come back, on the 4th day after he left, with two of the cowboys: Laredo and Teeler. Cherry said Kelsey chose not to return, so he had to shoot him. Dunson announces that he is going to hang the two. Matt tells him that he wont be doing that, and he will be the one to stop him. Dunson braces his right hand on a piece of wood to stand up and face Matt, but Matt shoots him in the hand. When Dunson tries to draw his gun, he isn't able to hold onto it and it falls to the ground. Dunson reaches down for it with his left hand and Buster shoots the gun away. Matt announces that hes taking over and will be taking the herd to Abilene. He says that Dunson will be left behind. Groot offers to stay with Dunson, but he tells Groot to go with the others. He then tells Matt that hell come after him and will kill him. Groot is later calculating how long before Dunson gets to another town, rounds up some new men, and catches up to them. For the next 2-3 weeks, everyone on the drive is nervous and jumpy, anticipating his return. One of the steers is found dead, filled with Apache arrows. Matt sends Buster and Cherry ahead 10 miles with rifles to scout and keep watch. Buster comes riding back all excited, with news that theres a wagon train about 18 miles ahead, the Donegal party, headed from New Orleans to Nevada, to set up a saloon for gambling, drinking and partying. He says there are dancing girls with the wagon train. Matt decides that the men need and deserve some distraction and decides to head the herd to the wagon train before continuing on to Abilene. As the herd approaches the wagon train, they hear shooting. The train is under attack by Apaches. Matt gives orders for the men to split into two groups and come at the Indians from the sides, while he and a few others ride down the middle. It takes some time to get all the men rounded up and ready, so Matt and the few others go ahead and ride straight to the wagons, jumping right into the middle of the circled wagons and helping fight the Indians who were circling around, yelping and shooting their arrows. Matt finds himself side by side with a very attractive woman who is firing a rifle (but not very well). Shes Tess Millay (Joanne Dru). He tells her to load and hell shoot. She perceives that hes angry about something and wants to know what. About that time, she takes an arrow to the right shoulder, pinning her to a wagon. Matt cuts the shaft so she is free from the wagon, but he has to finish the Indian fight before helping more. The rest of the men finally come charging down the hill and the men within the circle of wagons come charging out and the Apaches decide to hightail it. Matt returns to pull the arrow from Tesss shoulder, then he decides he needs to suck some poison out of the wound. She slaps him across the face for doing that, then passes out. Theres a big party that night, making use of the food, drinks, cards, and girls that are all available in the camp. Tess asks Groot to tell her all about Matt, because she "needs to know." She also wants to talk to Matt before they get back on the trail the next day. Groot goes and finds Matt (hes out in the evening fog, on watch) and tells Tess where he is. She goes out there and gets up close and starts talking to him. She tells him that he needs to talk to her, that talking about his concerns and fears is the way to deal with them. Matt doesnt need all that much convincing to talk, as she's a very soft and pretty girl that is very close to him. He opens up and they quickly get very comfortable with each other. Shed fallen in love with him immediately. He probably did too, but needed a bit of convincing that it would be ok to fall in love with a saloon girl. As its raining hard and there are worries about the level of the next river to be crossed. Matt decides they need to do it right away, even though its nighttime. Meanwhile, Dunson has gathered 8 new men and is on the chase. Nine days after the herd had left the wagon train, Dunson and his men come across the wagons. Tess immediately announces that shell "take care of Mr. Dunson." She considers shooting Dunson, as he sits in her tent talking to her, but he knows she has a pistol and is prepared to shoot her first if need be. It doesnt come to that. He notices shes wearing his mothers bracelet and asks her how she got it away from Matt. She sarcastically says she stole it, then admits she loves Matt and that he gave it to her. As they talk, Tess tells Dunson that she wanted to go with Matt on the drive, but he said no, it was too dangerous and tough. That reminded Dunson of the day when he turned down his womans request to go along with him. He was nevertheless bound and determined to go find and kill Matt, and tells Tess she cant say or do anything to change his mind. She keeps after him, though, and he acknowledges his disappointment in Matt, saying he was the son he never had and would stand to inherit his ranch if he hadnt betrayed him. Dunson takes a fresh look at Tess and offers her half of everything he owns in exchange for her bearing him a son. She says shell do it, if hell stop pursuing Matt. He says no, so she begs instead to be allowed to go with him. He says ok. Matts understandably stressed about whether they will find a railroad in Abilene, and the fact that Dunson is hot on his trail. Fortunately, they hear a train whistle in the distance and come across a train, about 12 miles from Abilene. The engineer is very thrilled to see the herd, as are the townspeople who come riding out to meet and greet them. They tell Matt to drive the herd right down Main Street so all the people can see (thats nearly impossible not to do anyway, as its a tiny town). Its August 14, 1865 and marks the time the first cattle drive on the Chisholm Trail is completed. In Abilene, Mr. Melville (Harry Carey Sr.) represents the Greenwood Trading Company of Illinois and offers immediately to buy the entire herd. Matt has no experience at selling cows, so hes hesitant to accept the $20/head offer. Mr. Melville then tells him to go out and find the best price he can for a lot of 500 cows and then hed match the price and still buy the whole herd. It ends up being $21/head. Matt signs the contract and receives a check for $50,000, with the balance to be paid once a final tally is arrived at. He makes sure all the cowboys get paid right away. Matt returns to his room at the Hotel Royale and is shocked to find Tess in there, all dressed in black. She apologizes for appearing as if shes in mourning. She tells him Dunson is camped outside town and will be coming to get him in the morning. It's likely that they get to know each other intimately that night. The next morning, everyone has gathered at the front of the hotel, waiting. Buster rushes in through the cows on his horse to announce that Dunson and his 10-12 men were riding in. Dunson, meanwhile, is telling his men to remember where they each stand in all this, which apparently is to hang well back and not interfere. Dunson dismounts on the far side of the railroad tracks and sets out with a very purposeful walk, through the cows and across the tracks. Cherry, realizing that Matt is not likely to draw and shoot it out with Dunson, confronts Dunson before he gets to Matt. They both draw and shoot, wounding each other. Cherry falls, but Dunson continues on. He gets close and tells Matt to draw, but Matt refuses. Dunson draws and empties his gun, shooting all around Matt, knocking his hat off and grazing his right cheek, drawing blood. He then walks up to Matt and wants to know what he has to do to make a man out of him. Dunson grabs and tosses away Matts gun. He reminds Matt that as a boy, he once told him never to try that again, but Matt doesn't react. Dunson then punches Matt in the face 2-3 times, knocking him down. He drags him back up, ready to hit some more, but Matt shocks him by punching him and knocking him down. They brawl until Tess fires a pistol into the air, stopping the action. She chews them out loudly for awhile, then decides maybe they should go ahead and pummel each other, and she turns away so they can continue. They don't start fighting again, however. Instead, they stand looking after Tess. Dunson tells Matt to marry that gal. Matt says, When are you going to stop telling people what to do? Dunson says, After one more thing. After we get back to Texas, Im going to make the brand the double bar D, with an additional name (he scrawls out an M in the dirt). You earned it!