A Distant Trumpet (1964)

Troy Donahue is Lt. Matt Hazard, who arrives from West Point to Fort Delivery in Arizona to find two surprises: lax discipline and a lovely and bored officer’s wife, Kitty Mainwarring (Suzanne Pleshette).

He sets about fixing the first. He can do little about the second.

Though the attraction is mutual, Kitty’s married to another officer. And both feel duty bound.

Soon, everyone has an unpleasant new distraction. An elusive Apache chief named War Eagle is on the warpath, and no one seems capable of stopping the bloodshed.

Reinforcements arrive from the East, in the form of famed Indian fighter Maj. Gen. Upton Quaint (James Gregory).

He brings along Matt’s wannabe wife (Laura Frelief as Diane McBain), who immediately sense that another “Kitty” might be after her Matt.

Nevertheless, the two are about to be married when duty calls again.

Gen. Quaint is launching a fresh campaign against the Apache with the goal of ending the Indian wars once and for all.

Troy Donahue as Lt. Matt Hazard, ready to put his career on the line for the Indians he convinced to surrender in A Distant Trumpet (1964)

James Gregory as Gen. Alexander Upton Quaint, straightening out a matter with the president in A Distant Trumpet (1964)

Review:

Not one of Walsh’s best Westerns — the ending comes off as especially contrived — but entertaining nonetheless, especially for those who like cavalry vs. Indian Westerns.

In this case, the love triangle winds up being more interesting than the very sporadic action scenes. Kitty and Laura start sniping at one another from the moment they meet.

And this being a 1960s Western, it must make a statement about the mistreatment of the Indians. Funny thing though: The credited cast doesn’t include the two actors who play the largest Indian roles, in spite of the fact that they have more screen time than many of the credited white actors.

Claude Akins nearly steals the show as Seedy Jones, who shows up every cavalry payday with whiskey and women, determined to take all that pay away with him.

At the time the film was released, Suzanne Pleshette and Troy Donahue were married. They had appeared together in 1962’s “Rome Adventure.” Their marriage lasted just eight months.

This marked Walsh’s final film. He directed 139, stretching back to the days of silent films.

Suzanne Pleshette as Kitty Mainwarring, an officer’s wife in an intimate moment with another man in A Distant Trumpet (1964)

Diane McBain as Laura Frelief, surprising Lt. Hazard with a visit to Fort Delivery in A Distant Trumpet (1964)

Directed by:
Raoul Walsh

Cast:
Troy Donahue … Lt. Matt Hazard
Suzanne Pleshette … Kitty Mainwarring
Diane McBain … Laura Frelief
James Gregory … Maj. Gen. Upton Quaint
Claude Akins … Seely Jones
William Reynolds … Lt. Teddy Mainwarring
Kent Smith … Secretary of War
Bobby Bare … Pvt. Cranshaw
Judson Pratt .. Capt. Cedric Gray
Bartlett Robinson … Maj. Hiram Prescott
Larry Ward … Sgt. Kroger
Richard X. Slattery … Sgt. Fry
Mary Patton … Mrs. Jessica Prescott
Russelll Johnson … Capt. Brinker
Lane Bradford … Maj. Miller

Runtime: 118 min.

Music: Max Steiner

Larry Ward as Sgt. Kroger, disrespecting an Indian scout and arguing with Lt. Hazard in A Distant Trumpet (1964)

Bobby Bare as Pvt. Cranshaw, dreaming of the day his hound dog can join him at Fort Delivery in A Distant Trumpet (1964)

Memorable lines:

Lt. Teddy Mainwarring: “All they give you in those books are the glory stuff. They don’t tell you about the two things in this country that are practically impossible to find. One’s promotion. The other’s an Apache.”

Capt. Cedric Gray: “We sit like a toad in the desert, waiting to be stepped on.”

Capt. Cedric Gray, explaining Seedy Jones’ trade in whiskey and girls: “A tarantula has eight legs and (Seedy) Jones has twice as many.”

Seedy Jones to Lt. Hazard: “Son, out there in those wagons, I got everything you need for body or spirit. I got some girls. I got some whiskey. If that don’t appeal to you, I’ll even read you some scripture.

William Reynold as Lt. Teddy Mainwarring, welcoming Lt. Hazard to Fort Delivery in A Distant Trumpet (1964)

Judson Pratt as Capt. Cedric Gray, getting a battle report from a rattled sergeant in A Distant Trumpet (1964)

Seedy Jones to Lt. Hazard: “What’s the matter with you, lieutenant? Are you some sort of plaster saint? Ain’t you ever learned the advantages of good whiskey and bad women?”

Laura Frelief, warned that her plans to marry Matt Hazard might have to be postponed because of the threat of an Apache attack: “Goodness gracious, I wouldn’t want Matt all shot up before the honeymoon.”
Mrs. Prescott: “Just be patient, my dear. You’ll get him.”
Laura: “Yes, ma’am, patient as a cat with a mouse. You don’t expect anyone else would try to snatch him away, like that other Kitty.”

Kitty Mainwarring to Matt: “Truth is, I’d like to rough us your little Miss Peach Fuzz.”

James Gregory as Maj. Gen. Upton Quaint discussing a possible change in strategy with Lt. Hazard (Troy Donahue) in A Distant Trumpet (1964)

Diane McBain as Laura Frelief, expressing concern to Mrs. Prescott (Mary Patton) that another kitty might be after her mouse in A Distant Trumpet (1964)

Claude Akins as Seely Jones, the Indian trader Lt. Hazard runs off the cavalry post in A Distant Trumpet (1964)

John War Eagle as White Cloud, the scout who helps Lt. Hazard on his perilous mission in A Distant Trumpet (1964)

War Eagle, the Apache chief the cavalry is trying to negotiate peace with in A Distant Trumpet (1964)

Troy Donahue as Lt. Matt Hazard, a new officer devoted to duty but torn between two women in A Distant Trumpet (1964)

Barlett Robinson as Maj. Hiram Prescott, wondering about the Apache chief’s plans in A Distant Trumpet (1964)

Lane Bradford as Maj. Miller, assigned the task of getting the surrendering Apache to Florida in A Distant Trumpet (1964)

Kent Smith as the secretary of war, presiding over a medal of honor ceremony gone wrong in A Distant Trumpet (1964)

Diane McBain as Laura Frelief, watching a solider being branded for deserting his post in A Distant Trumpet (1964)

Suzanne Pleshett as Kitty Mainwarring being rescued by Lt. Matt Hazard (Troy Donahue) in A Distant Trumpet (1964)