Sitting Bull (film)
Encyclopedia
Sitting Bull is a 1954
Western
film directed by Sidney Salkow
and René Cardona that was filmed in Mexico
in CinemaScope
. In a greatly fictionalised form, it depicts the war between Chief Sitting Bull
and the American forces, leading up to the Battle of the Little Bighorn
and Custer's Last Stand. It was the first independent production to be filmed in the CinemaScope process. Featuring sympathetic portrayals of Chief Sitting Bull
and Chief Crazy Horse
, the New York Times called it a "Crazy Horse Opera
".
s in the Union Army during the War Between the States he is now a company commander
under Colonel, formerly General George Custer. His fiancee Kathy, the daughter of Parrish's Commanding General, breaks off their engagement thinking him a loser because he has not risen in rank.
Parrish gains no friends amongst the civilian community when he chastises them and threatens to "break heads" when they violate Sioux
lands. Custer and Parrish's exasperated General and once prospective father in law reassigns Parrish and his company to the Bureau of Indian Affairs
where once again Parrish's integrity damages his career potential when he is outraged at the treatment of the Indians and refuses to carry out the orders of the Indian Agent to shoot his escaping charges. Parrish is court maritaled and visits his former Commanding General now President of the United States Ulysses S. Grant
who demotes him to Captain
. Parrish does talk the President into coming to the Western frontier to meet up with Chief Sitting Bull to prevent a war.
Back in the West, now Captain Parrish meets Kathy who has announced her engagement with Charles Wentworth, a former Major and now a war correspondant. Using some captured Indians, including Sam, a former slave now a Sioux, Parrish meets with Sitting Bull who agrees to meet the President in a secret meeting. Further conflicts with the Sioux leads Custer to lead his Regiment out assigning Parrish to guard supplies.
Following the Battle of the Little Big Horn that eliminates Custer, most of his men, and his romantic rival Wentworth, Parrish tries to smooth over things with Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. As Parrish knows the US Army's plan of attack, he leads the Sioux to safety in the North. Parrish has really done it this time and is court martialed again, stripped of his rank and sentenced to death by firing squad for treason
.
would play the title role, but J. Carrol Naish
ended up repeating his role from Annie Get Your Gun
. Credited in the film as "Famous T.V. Star" and technical adviser, Iron Eyes Cody
played the role of Crazy Horse
.
Though sympathetic to the Native Americans, Minnesota producer Wilfred R. Frank (1892-1960) irritated the Sioux
by not filming his epic at the Standing Rock Indian Reservation
. One of the first Westerns made in CinemaScope, Frank filmed in Mexico due to cheaper costs. However, according to Cody, Estudios Churubusco
overcharged Frank's production by several hundred thousand dollars.
that used stock footage
from Sitting Bull.
1954 in film
The year 1954 in film involved some significant events and memorable ones.-Events:*May 12 - The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces wife Marion Benda...
Western
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...
film directed by Sidney Salkow
Sidney Salkow
Sidney Salkow was an American film director , screen writer, and television director....
and René Cardona that was filmed in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
in CinemaScope
CinemaScope
CinemaScope was an anamorphic lens series used for shooting wide screen movies from 1953 to 1967. Its creation in 1953, by the president of 20th Century-Fox, marked the beginning of the modern anamorphic format in both principal photography and movie projection.The anamorphic lenses theoretically...
. In a greatly fictionalised form, it depicts the war between Chief Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull Sitting Bull Sitting Bull (Lakota: Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake (in Standard Lakota Orthography), also nicknamed Slon-he or "Slow"; (c. 1831 – December 15, 1890) was a Hunkpapa Lakota Sioux holy man who led his people as a tribal chief during years of resistance to United States government policies...
and the American forces, leading up to the Battle of the Little Bighorn
Battle of the Little Bighorn
The Battle of the Little Bighorn, also known as Custer's Last Stand and, by the Indians involved, as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, was an armed engagement between combined forces of Lakota, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho people against the 7th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army...
and Custer's Last Stand. It was the first independent production to be filmed in the CinemaScope process. Featuring sympathetic portrayals of Chief Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull
Sitting Bull Sitting Bull Sitting Bull (Lakota: Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake (in Standard Lakota Orthography), also nicknamed Slon-he or "Slow"; (c. 1831 – December 15, 1890) was a Hunkpapa Lakota Sioux holy man who led his people as a tribal chief during years of resistance to United States government policies...
and Chief Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse was a Native American war leader of the Oglala Lakota. He took up arms against the U.S...
, the New York Times called it a "Crazy Horse Opera
Horse opera
Horse opera refers to a western movie or television series that is extremely cliched or formulaic . The term, which was originally coined by silent film-era Western star William S. Hart, is used variously to convey either disparagement or affection...
".
Plot
Major Robert Parrish of the 7th Cavalry is considered by some to be his own worst enemy due to his not being a "team player". Formerly one of the youngest ColonelColonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
s in the Union Army during the War Between the States he is now a company commander
Company (military unit)
A company is a military unit, typically consisting of 80–225 soldiers and usually commanded by a Captain, Major or Commandant. Most companies are formed of three to five platoons although the exact number may vary by country, unit type, and structure...
under Colonel, formerly General George Custer. His fiancee Kathy, the daughter of Parrish's Commanding General, breaks off their engagement thinking him a loser because he has not risen in rank.
Parrish gains no friends amongst the civilian community when he chastises them and threatens to "break heads" when they violate Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
lands. Custer and Parrish's exasperated General and once prospective father in law reassigns Parrish and his company to the Bureau of Indian Affairs
Bureau of Indian Affairs
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is an agency of the federal government of the United States within the US Department of the Interior. It is responsible for the administration and management of of land held in trust by the United States for Native Americans in the United States, Native American...
where once again Parrish's integrity damages his career potential when he is outraged at the treatment of the Indians and refuses to carry out the orders of the Indian Agent to shoot his escaping charges. Parrish is court maritaled and visits his former Commanding General now President of the United States Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant
Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...
who demotes him to Captain
Captain (OF-2)
The army rank of captain is a commissioned officer rank historically corresponding to command of a company of soldiers. The rank is also used by some air forces and marine forces. Today a captain is typically either the commander or second-in-command of a company or artillery battery...
. Parrish does talk the President into coming to the Western frontier to meet up with Chief Sitting Bull to prevent a war.
Back in the West, now Captain Parrish meets Kathy who has announced her engagement with Charles Wentworth, a former Major and now a war correspondant. Using some captured Indians, including Sam, a former slave now a Sioux, Parrish meets with Sitting Bull who agrees to meet the President in a secret meeting. Further conflicts with the Sioux leads Custer to lead his Regiment out assigning Parrish to guard supplies.
Following the Battle of the Little Big Horn that eliminates Custer, most of his men, and his romantic rival Wentworth, Parrish tries to smooth over things with Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse. As Parrish knows the US Army's plan of attack, he leads the Sioux to safety in the North. Parrish has really done it this time and is court martialed again, stripped of his rank and sentenced to death by firing squad for treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
.
Production
It was first announced that Boris KarloffBoris Karloff
William Henry Pratt , better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor.Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein , Bride of Frankenstein , and Son of Frankenstein...
would play the title role, but J. Carrol Naish
J. Carrol Naish
Joseph Patrick Carrol Naish was an American character actor born in New York City. Naish was twice nominated for an Academy Award for film roles, and he later found fame in the title role of CBS Radio's Life With Luigi , which was also on CBS Television .Naish appeared on stage for several years...
ended up repeating his role from Annie Get Your Gun
Annie Get Your Gun (film)
Annie Get Your Gun is a 1950 American musical comedy film loosely based on the life of sharpshooter Annie Oakley. The Metro Goldwyn Mayer release, with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin and a screenplay by Sidney Sheldon based on the 1946 stage musical of the same name, was directed by George Sidney...
. Credited in the film as "Famous T.V. Star" and technical adviser, Iron Eyes Cody
Iron Eyes Cody
Iron Eyes Cody was an American actor. He frequently portrayed American Indians in Hollywood films. In 1995, Cody was honored by the American Indian community for his work publicizing the plight of Native Americans, including his acting in films...
played the role of Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse
Crazy Horse was a Native American war leader of the Oglala Lakota. He took up arms against the U.S...
.
Though sympathetic to the Native Americans, Minnesota producer Wilfred R. Frank (1892-1960) irritated the Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
by not filming his epic at the Standing Rock Indian Reservation
Standing Rock Indian Reservation
The Standing Rock Indian Reservation is a Lakota, Yanktonai and Dakota Indian reservation in North Dakota and South Dakota in the United States...
. One of the first Westerns made in CinemaScope, Frank filmed in Mexico due to cheaper costs. However, according to Cody, Estudios Churubusco
Estudios Churubusco
Estudios Churubusco is one of the oldest and largest movie studios in Latin America located in the Churubusco neighborhood of Mexico City.It was inaugurated in 1945 after a 1943 agreement between RKO and Emilio Azcárraga Vidaurreta...
overcharged Frank's production by several hundred thousand dollars.
Cast
- Dale RobertsonDale RobertsonDayle Lymoine "Dale" Robertson is an American actor best known for his starring roles on television. He played the role of Jim Hardie in the TV series, Tales of Wells Fargo, and the owner of an incomplete railroad line in ABC's The Iron Horse, often appearing as the deceptively thoughtful but...
... Major Robert 'Bob' Parrish - Mary MurphyMary MurphyMary Murphy may refer to:*Mary Murphy , American actress*Mary Murphy , American choreographer*Mary Murphy , American politician and member of the Minnesota House of Representatives...
... Kathy Howell - J. Carrol NaishJ. Carrol NaishJoseph Patrick Carrol Naish was an American character actor born in New York City. Naish was twice nominated for an Academy Award for film roles, and he later found fame in the title role of CBS Radio's Life With Luigi , which was also on CBS Television .Naish appeared on stage for several years...
... Sitting BullSitting BullSitting Bull Sitting Bull Sitting Bull (Lakota: Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake (in Standard Lakota Orthography), also nicknamed Slon-he or "Slow"; (c. 1831 – December 15, 1890) was a Hunkpapa Lakota Sioux holy man who led his people as a tribal chief during years of resistance to United States government policies... - John LitelJohn LitelJohn Litel was an American film actor. During World War I, Litel enlisted in the French Army and was twice decorated for bravery....
... Gen. Wilford Howell - Joel Fluellen ... Sam
- Iron Eyes CodyIron Eyes CodyIron Eyes Cody was an American actor. He frequently portrayed American Indians in Hollywood films. In 1995, Cody was honored by the American Indian community for his work publicizing the plight of Native Americans, including his acting in films...
... Crazy HorseCrazy HorseCrazy Horse was a Native American war leader of the Oglala Lakota. He took up arms against the U.S...
(credited as "Famous T.V. Star" and technical adviser) - John HamiltonJohn Hamilton (actor)John Hamilton was an American actor, who appeared in many movies and television programs. He is probably best remembered for his role as the blustery newspaper editor Perry White on the 1950s television program Adventures of Superman.-Biography:Burly, stentorian-voiced John Hamilton was born John...
... President Ulysses S. GrantUlysses S. GrantUlysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America... - Douglas KennedyDouglas KennedyDouglas Kennedy may refer to:*Douglas Kennedy , Canadian politician*Douglas Kennedy , American writer*Douglas Kennedy , American actor...
... Col. George Armstrong CusterGeorge Armstrong CusterGeorge Armstrong Custer was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. Raised in Michigan and Ohio, Custer was admitted to West Point in 1858, where he graduated last in his class... - William Tannen ... O'Connor
- William HopperWilliam HopperWilliam Hopper, born DeWolf Hopper, Jr. was an American actor. He is best-remembered for playing Paul Drake on television's Perry Mason.-Early life:...
... Charles Wentworth
Quotes
When you win, you call it a victory; when we win, you call it a massacre - Sitting BullLegacy
Salkow and Cody later reteamed for the 1965 film The Great Sioux Massacre for Columbia PicturesColumbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
that used stock footage
Stock footage
Stock footage, and similarly, archive footage, library pictures and file footage are film or video footage that may or may not be custom shot for use in a specific film or television program. Stock footage is of beneficial use to filmmakers as it is sometimes less expensive than shooting new...
from Sitting Bull.