Alvarez Kelly (1966)

William Holden is Alvarez Kelly, a man who’s found a way to profit off the Civil War.

He buys cattle in Texas at $2 a head then drives them East for sale to the Union army and Maj. Albert Steadman for a handsome profit.

But a Southern officer named Tom Rossiter (Richard Widmark) wants the same herd to feed the starving Confederate troops guarding Richmond.

So he kidnaps Kelly. And when Kelly’s reluctant to go along with the scheme, Rossiter shoots one of his fingers off and promises to take another every day until he agrees to help the Rebel cause.

Kelly relents, starts training Rossiter’s men how to herd cattle and starts mapping out a route around the Union lines.

But he also finds his own way to get even with Rossiter.

Meanwhile, Steadman suspects what the Rebels are up to. He’s just having trouble getting his commanding officer to take his warnings seriously.

Richard Widmark as Col. Tom Rossiter, assigned the mission of stealing a herd of cattle in Alvarez Kelly (1966)

William Holden as Alvarez Kelly, minus a finger and realizing Col. Rossiter is going to make him help the Southern cause in Alvarez Kelly (1966)

Review:

This unusual Civil War film was based on an actual incident, the “Beefsteak Raid” of Sept. 14-16, 1864, and features a rousing climax.

Unfortunately, getting there is slow going, and Holden’s Alvarez Kelly is more insufferable womanizer / profiteer than a hero viewers are likely to cheer for.

Meanwhile, Widmark’s otherwise solid performance is marred by a phony southern accent he can’t quite pull off.

Janice Rule plays Liz Pickering, the dark-haired beauty engaged to Rossiter. She winds up being Kelly’s means of getting even.

Victoria Shaw also has a key role as Charity Warwick, a Southern belle just as determined as Rossiter to do anything necessary to defeat the North.

Victoria Shaw as Charity Warwick, a southern belle dining with a Union profiteer in Alvarez Kelly (1966)

Janice Rule as Liz Pickering, pleading with Alvarez Kelly (William Holden) to help her escape Richmond in Alvarez Kelly (1966)

Directed by:
Edward Dmytryk

Cast:
William Holden … Alvarez Kelly
Richard Widmark … Col. Tom Rossiter
Janice Rule … Liz Pickering
Patrick O’Neal … Maj. Albert Steadman
Victoria Shaw … Charity Warwick
Roger Carmel … Capt. Angus Ferguson
Richard Rust … Sgt. Hatcher
Arthur Franz … Capt. Towers
Don ‘Red’ Barry … Lt. Farrow
Harry Carey Jr. … Cpl. Peterson
Duke Hobbie .. John Beaurider
Howard Caine … McIntye
Mauritz Hugo … Ely Harrison
Barry Atwater … Gen. Kautz
Robert Morgan … Capt. Williams
Paul Lukather … Capt. Webster
Stephanie Hill … Mary Ann
Indus Arthur … Melinda
Clint Ritchie … Union lieutenant

Runtime: 116 min.

Title song: “Alvarez Kelly” by The Brothers Four

Richard Rust as Sgt. Hatcher and Don “Red” Barry as Lt. Farrow, catching their first glimpse of the herd in Alvarez Kelly (1966)

Patrick O’Neal as Maj. Albert Steadman, concerned someone is out to steal his herd of cattle in Alvarez Kelly (1966)

Memorable lines:

Alvarez Kelly: “Make jokes, Steadman, about the war, about God and about me. But don’t make jokes about my father.”

Charity Warwick, after a certain look from Alvarez Kelly: “Do you undress every woman you meet, Mr. Kelly?”
Alvarez Kelly: “There has to be some degree of beauty.”
Charity: “Then it’s no special compliment.”

Alvarez: “Colonel, I have to hand it to you. You’re not just half-mad. Now how do you figure you’re going to get 2,500 head of cattle over Grant’s lines? By balloon?”
Col. Tom Rossiter: “Nope. We don’t’ have that many balloons.”

Col. Tom Rossiter: “You used to have 10 fingers. Now you got nine. Tomorrow, you’ll have eight. You stay stubborn, the day after that you’ll have seven. That day after that — it’s up to you. You decide whether you want to end up with a pair of stumps or lend us your talent.”

Roger C. carmel as Capt. Angus Ferguson, the blockade runner in Alvarez Kelly (1966)

Duke Hobbie as John Beaurider, a Rebel soldier and childhood friend of Charity Warwick in Alvarez Kelly (1966)

Alvarez Kelly’s dance partner, laughing: “Oh, Mr. Kelly, I’d love too, but I couldn’t. I just couldn’t. I’m spoken for.”
Alvarez Kelly: “Loudly?”
The dance partner: “By a sea-faring monster who could shrivel a girl right up.”

Liz Pickering, snuggling up to Alvarez Kelly: “Thank god you’re not another one of those honorable men. I’ve spent my life surrounded by honorable men.”
Alvarez Kelly: “Enjoying myself is one of my weaknesses.”

Liz Pickering, on leaving Richmond: “Where I’m going, I don’t know what will happen to me. But if I stay here, I know damn well what I’ll become.”

Alvarez Kelly to Charity Warwick, as she leans over the body of a dead Confederate: “It was like playing games the other night, wasn’t it? Exiting and honorable? How does it strike you now?”

William Holden as Alvarez Kelly, breaking the news about Liz to Col. Rossiter in Alvarez Kelly (1966)

Richard Widmark as Col. Tom Rossiter, learning Alvarez Kelly’s method of getting even in Alvarez Kelly (1966)

Victoria Shaw as Charity Warwick sparring with Union Maj. Stedman in Alvarez Kelly (1966)

Janice Rule as Liz Pickering with fiance Col. Tom Rossiter (Richard Widmark) in Alvarez Kelly (1966)

Richard Rust as Sgt. Hatcher, taking aim at the man he’s been watching over in Alvarez Kelly (1966)

Richard Widmark as Col. Tom Rossiter and William Holden as Alvarez Kelly contemplating the mission ahead in Alvarez Kelly (1966)