Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans
Encyclopedia
Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans is a 1957 Western
television series made for syndication
by ITC Entertainment
and Normandie Productions. It ran for one season of 39 half-hour monochrome episodes. The series is available on DVD and some episodes on VHS.
Loosely based on The Last of the Mohicans
by James Fenimore Cooper
, the series was released under several different names, including Hawkeye and The Last of the Mohicans.
The series was set in New York
's Hudson Valley
in the 1750s but was filmed in Canada
. The end credits state that the series was filmed in Canada with the cooperation of The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
.
The series had a more realistic view of the American West than most series of the times. The settlers were rough and dressed in old but suitable clothes for the long hard winters in the small settlements of the new frontier. The Native Americans were more realistically portrayed too, as an intelligent people with good and bad individuals among them. Fights in the film needed more than just the odd blow as the opponents hit hard at each other, and torture was used in a number of episodes. Weapons used were normally single shot rifles and tomahawk
s (which often ended up in someone's back). Furs were often a motive of crime as they were the currency of the northern settlements.
Mistake: In the episode "Washington Story", Stan Francis played a young George Washington
but in the end credits, he is named as Benjamin Franklin
(this might be a mistake limited to the home video edit taking the end credits from a different episode).
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
television series made for syndication
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
by ITC Entertainment
ITC Entertainment
The Incorporated Television Company was a British television company largely involved in production and distribution. It was founded by Lew Grade.-History:...
and Normandie Productions. It ran for one season of 39 half-hour monochrome episodes. The series is available on DVD and some episodes on VHS.
Loosely based on The Last of the Mohicans
The Last of the Mohicans
The Last of the Mohicans: A Narrative of 1757 is a historical novel by James Fenimore Cooper, first published in February 1826. It is the second book of the Leatherstocking Tales pentalogy and the best known...
by James Fenimore Cooper
James Fenimore Cooper
James Fenimore Cooper was a prolific and popular American writer of the early 19th century. He is best remembered as a novelist who wrote numerous sea-stories and the historical novels known as the Leatherstocking Tales, featuring frontiersman Natty Bumppo...
, the series was released under several different names, including Hawkeye and The Last of the Mohicans.
The series was set in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
's Hudson Valley
Hudson Valley
The Hudson Valley comprises the valley of the Hudson River and its adjacent communities in New York State, United States, from northern Westchester County northward to the cities of Albany and Troy.-History:...
in the 1750s but was filmed in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The end credits state that the series was filmed in Canada with the cooperation of The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
.
The series had a more realistic view of the American West than most series of the times. The settlers were rough and dressed in old but suitable clothes for the long hard winters in the small settlements of the new frontier. The Native Americans were more realistically portrayed too, as an intelligent people with good and bad individuals among them. Fights in the film needed more than just the odd blow as the opponents hit hard at each other, and torture was used in a number of episodes. Weapons used were normally single shot rifles and tomahawk
Tomahawk (axe)
A tomahawk is a type of axe native to North America, traditionally resembling a hatchet with a straight shaft. The name came into the English language in the 17th century as a transliteration of the Powhatan word.Tomahawks were general purpose tools used by Native Americans and European Colonials...
s (which often ended up in someone's back). Furs were often a motive of crime as they were the currency of the northern settlements.
Mistake: In the episode "Washington Story", Stan Francis played a young George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
but in the end credits, he is named as Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
(this might be a mistake limited to the home video edit taking the end credits from a different episode).
Main cast
- John HartJohn Hart (actor)John Hart was an American motion picture and television actor, born in Los Angeles, California. In his early career, he appeared mostly in Westerns...
as Nat 'Hawkeye' Cutler - Lon Chaney, Jr.Lon Chaney, Jr.Lon Chaney, Jr. , born Creighton Tull Chaney, was an American character actor. He was best known for his roles in monster movies and as the son of famous silent film actor, Lon Chaney...
as ChingachgookChingachgookChingachgook was a fictional character in four of James Fenimore Cooper's five Leatherstocking Tales, a lone Mohican chief and companion of the series' hero Natty Bumppo. Chingachgook married Wah-ta-Wah who bore him a son Uncas, but she died young. Uncas, at his birth "last of the Mohicans" grew...
Outdoor scenes
The Duffins Creek valley, Concession 3 and Brock Road up through to just north of Whites Road and Taunton Road, Pickering, Ontario, CanadaEpisode list
This episode list is in airdate order, based on the earliest known syndication showing of each episode in the United States.- Hawkeye's Homecoming
- The Threat
- Franklin Story
- The Wild One
- Delaware Hoax
- The Coward
- Ethan Allen Story
- The Witch
- The Medicine Man
- The Servant
- The Search
- Snake Tattoo
- False Witness
- Powder Keg
- Scapegoat
- Way Station
- The Brute
- Stubborn Pioneer
- The Promised Valley
- The Girl
- The Soldier
- Huron Tomahawk
- Tolliver Gang
- The Colonel and his Lady
- Washington Story
- Winter Passage
- The Reckoning
- La Salle's Treasure
- The Prisoner
- False Faces
- The Morristown Story
- Revenge
- The Contest
- The Truant
- The Royal Grant
- The Long Rifles
- The Printer
- The Indian Doll
- Circle of Hate