A river outpost is under attack by Utes and in danger of being overrun.
So the men in the fort — led by Lt. Wayne Ford (Rex Reason) and including Captain Harper (William Tallman) — take to the river as an unlikely escape route.
That option was suggested by Brett Halliday (Dana Andrews), once a cavalryman himself and now branded a traitor. He’s being held in the post for court martial.
Seems he switched sides and led the Indians in an attack against the cavalry at Shawnee Pass.
Making matters worse, Harper’s brother was one of six soldiers who died in that attack. What no one knows is that so did Halliday’s Indian wife.
Halliday’s version of the events: He was merely protecting the Indian families from a war-hungry commander.
Along for the river ride is the daughter of that now-dead commander — Laura Evans (Piper Laurie). At first, she blames Halliday for the plight of the small band.
Soon, she begins to sympathize with him a whole lot more than Lt. Ford (Rex Reason), her cavalry officer lover.
Dana Andrews at Brett Halliday, a former officer accused of being a traitor to the cavalry in Smoke Signal (1955)
Piper Laurie as Laura Evans, wondering how Brett Halliday, once a respected officer, earned a date with a firing squad in Smoke Signal (1955)
Review:
A Cavalry-Indian Western that’s certainly unique. The troopers spend most of the film dodging bullets from the river banks, negotiating rapids and trying to avoid quicksand … and bickering among one another.
Andrews’ character continually pitches in to help the small band survive their trek down the river, but Harper’s slow to change his way of thinking. After all, he blames Andrews for his brother’s death.
Among those on Andrews’ side is Milburn Stone as Sgt. Miles. Seems he was once staked out by the Indians and rescued by Halliday.
When he announces plans to testify about that at Halliday’s court-martial, Harper sends him off on a suicide mission to find help. Stone, of course, would later gain fame as Doc on Gunsmoke.
Poor William Schallert has the role of the cavalryman everything bad happens to; he’s even blinded by a bullet.
William Talman as Capt. Harper, holding a Ute arrow recovered from a dead cavalryman in Smoke Signal. (1955)
Rex Reason as Lt. Wayne Ford, taking orders from Capt. Harper in Smoke Signal (1955)
Directed by:
Jerry Hopper
Cast:
Dana Andrews … Brett Halliday
Rex Reason … Lt. Wayne Ford
William Talman … Capt. Harper
Piper Laurie … Laura Evans
Douglas Spencer … Garode
Milburn Stone … Sgt. Miles
Gordon Jones … Cpl. Rogers
William Schallert … Pvt. Livingston
Robert J. Wilke … Sgt. Daly
William Phipps … Pvt. Porter
Pat Hogan … Delche
Peter Coe … Ute prisoner
Runtime: 88 min.
Robert J. WIlke as Sgt. Daly and Gordon Jones as Cpl. Rogers, watching a colleague climb a cliff in hopes of fetching reinforcements in Smoke Signal (1955)
William Phipps as Private Porter, contemplating the chances of surviving an assault on the fort in Smoke Signal (1955)
Memorable lines:
Soldier, checking out the fur trader’s saddle bags: “Sounds interesting. Sure could use something to drink besides water.”
Garode: “That’s trading whiskey. I get two skins a pint.”
Soldier: “I only got one skin, and the Utes will have that by tomorrow, but you’re welcome to it.”
Garode, listening to Indians communicate with bird calls as the cavalry is trapped in their fort: “Wish I was a bird. A real one. Figure that’s the only way any of us are going to get out of here.”
Brett Halliday of the Utes: “When they have a reason to hate you, they have a way of making you feel it.”
Garode, when the escape party is forced to abandon the river because of rapids: “Them Indians sure had a point. River’s making enough noise for a thousand devils.”
Laura Evans to Lt. Ford: “My father taught me how to think, not what to think. I’ve always done that for myself.”
Dana Andrews as Brett Halliday, trying to save a cavalry patrol led by a man who wants to see him dead in Smoke Signal (1955)
Piper Laurie as Laura Evans, showing off a gift from a friend to Capt. Harper (William Talman) in Smoke Signal (1955)
Douglas Spencer as fur trapper Garode and Pat Hogan as Indian scout Delche, coming up with a plan for getting information from a captured Ute in Smoke Signal (1955)
Milburn Stone as Sgt. Miles, getting a special assignment from Capt. Harper in Smoke Signal (1955)
WIlliam Schallert as Private Livingston, who’s blinded by a bullet, nearly drowned, shot again, then caught in quicksand in Smoke Signal (1955)
Piper Laurie as Laura Evans, William Talman as Capt. Harper and Dana Andrews as Brett Halliday, trying to escape down the Grand Canyon in Smoke SIgnal (1955)
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