The Modoc are on the warpath, and President Grant summons Indian fighter Johnny MacKay (Alan Ladd) to Washington to ask him to serve as an ambassador of peace.
Instead of peace, war breaks out following the revenge killing of a Modoc by a stage driver whose girlfriend was killed by the Indians.
Modoc chief Capt. Jack (Charles Bronson) tries to chase all the whites from the Lost River area in Colorado Territory. He and his followers massacre 18 whites in the rampage that follows.
Afterward, they’re protected from U.S. Army attacks by their impenetrable stronghold of mountains and caves.
And when Jack does agreed to peace talks, it’s little more than a ruse to lure MacKay and U.S. General Canby into a trap.
MacKay receives help in his quest for peace from two Modoc friends, Manok and Toby (Marisa Pavan), who loves him.
He also strikes up a romance with Nancy Meek (Audrey Dalton), who’s determined to become a frontier women in spite of all the bloodshed around her.
Alan Ladd as Johnny MacKay, trying to track down Captain Jack in Drum Beat (1954)
Charles Bronson as Captain Jack, getting upset over the way peace talks are going in Drum Beat (1954)
Review:
A mixed bag of a big-budget Western.
On one hand, there are the well-done action scenes, including the futile assault on Captain Jack’s stronghold, the peace parley gone wrong and the final showdown.
On the other, there are some of the hokiest Westerns scenes you’ll come across, including the “harvest” love talk between MacKay and Nancy (see below) and the film’s ending.
The saving grace is Charles Bronson in the role of the strutting Captain Jack, who takes pride in the fact that the president knows who he is and in wearing a U.S. captain’s jacket, even as he tries to push whites off the land he wants.
This actually marked the first time Bronson used that name on film. His previous film appearances — when he was credited — were as Charles Buchinsky, including roles in “Apache” and “Riding Shotgun” earlier the same year.
This marked the only Western film for Italian-born Marisa Pavan, who plays the Indian girl who wants Johnny to marry her so no Modoc will dare kill him. She was Oscar nominated for a supporting role in “The Rose Tattoo” (1955).
Audrey Dalton as Nancy Meek, the president’s niece, meeting Johnny MacKay for the first time in Drum Beat (1954)
Marisa Pavan as Toby, an Indian girl in love with Johnny and fearing he’s about to walk into a trap in Drum Beat (1954)
Directed by:
Delmer Daves
Cast:
Alan Ladd … Johnny MacKay
Charles Bronson … Capt. Jack
Audrey Dalton … Nancy Meek
Marisa Pavan … Toby
Anthony Caruso … Manok
Robert Keith … Bill Satterwhite
Rodolfo Acosta … Scarface Charlie
Warner Anderson … Gen. Canby
Elisha Cook Jr. … Blaine Crackel
Hayden Rorke … President Grant
Richard Gaines … Dr. Thomas
Frank DeKova … Modoc Jim
Perry Lopez … Bogus Charlie
Isabell Jewell … Lily White
Peggy Converse … Mrs. Grant
Pat Lawless … O’Brien
Frank Ferguson … Mr. Dyar
George J. Lewis … Capt. Alonzo Clark
Peter Hansen … Lt. Goodsall
Willis Bouchey … Gen. Gilliam
Strother Martin … Scotty
Edgar Stehli … Jesse Grant
Richard H. Cutting … Col. Meek
Michael Daves … Young Boddy
Runtime: 111 min.
Elisha Cook Jr. as Indian agent Blaine Crockett and Robert Kelin as Modoc hater Bill Satterwhite in Drum Beat (1954)
Anthony Caruso as Manok, listening to his sister deliver a warning to Johnny and unaware someone is listening in Drum Beat (1954)
Memorable lines:
Nellie Grant, the president’s daughter: “Have you actually seen redskins bite the dust?”
Johnny MacKay: “They don’t bite it, miss. They hit it.”
Nancy Meek, upon meeting MacKay: “You look just as wild and wooly as an Eastern girl could wish for.”
Bill, the stage driver, to Johnny MacKay, as he travels with Nancy: “I’ll do you a favor and head for a good bump. You know there’s nothing like a good bounce to bring folks together.”
Toby to Captain Jack, as he brags about the soldiers his men have killed: “Why you so proud of death, Jack? Many of our people want to live in peace.”
Rodolfo Acosta as Scarface, encouraging Captain Jack to kill all the members of a peace delegation in Drum Beat (1954)
Frank DeCova as Modoc Jim, testing the thickness of a stagecoach to see if arrows will penetrate in Drum Beat (1954)
Nancy Meek: “I’ve got a farm.”
Johnny MacKay: “It’s a nice farm too. You know, if you get yourself a good man, you could make a lot of money.”
Nancy: “Couldn’t you recommend somebody?”
Johnny: “Somebody who could do everything around the place?”
Nancy: “Yes, he’d have to get good at everything. (They kiss). He’d have to know how to plow. (They kiss) Plant seeds. (They kiss) Harvest. (They kiss again)”
Gen. Canby: “We want to stop this purposeless killing. Any war that doesn’t bring about a peace with honor is futile.”
Mr. Dyar: “Peace with honor and peace with Captain Jack are likely to be jackasses of two mighty different colors.”
Johnny MacKay, reading a headline calling for extermination of the Modocs: “Exterminate? Hating gets awful big mighty fast.”
Captain Jack, to preacher: “You like this place you call heaven?”
Preacher: “Yes, it’s a beautiful place.”
Captain Jack: “Then I tell you what, preacher: You like it so much, you take my place out there. You go to heaven instead of me.”
Anthony Caruso as Manok, Marisa Pavan as Toby and Alan Ladd as Johnny MacKay, wondering if they’re riding into a trap in Drum Beat (1954)
Warner Anderson as Gen. Canby, heading off to talk peace with the Modoc knowing his life could be in jeopardy in Drum Beat (1954)
WIllis Bouchey as Gen. Gilliam, the officer in charge of tracking down Modoc murderers in Drum Beat (1954)
George F. Lewis as Cap. Alonzo Clark, realizing the Modoc have gone on the warpath in Drum Beat (1954)
Peter Hansen as Lt. Goodsall, the young officer who shows an interest in Nancy Meek in Drum Beat (1954)
Hayden Rorke as President Grant, hoping Indian fighter Johnny McKay will become an agent for peace in Drum Beat (1954)
Richard Gaines as Dr. Thomas, pushing for a peaceful resolution to the Modoc problem in Drum Beat (1954)
Alan Ladd as Johnny MacKay and Frank Ferguson as Dyar discuss the lifelihood of a peace agreement with Captain Jack in Drum Beat (1954)
Charles Bronson as Captain Jack, smiling as his warriors rally behind him in Drum Beat (1954)
Audrey Dalton as Nancy Meek, thinking Johnny McKay (Alan Ladd) would be the perfect guy to do her plowing, seeding and harvesting in Drum Beat (1954)
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