The Charge at Feather River (1953)

Guy Madison plays Miles Archer, a soldier turned rancher who is lured back into the cavalry for a special mission.

He’s asked to rescue the sisters of the young man who served as his drummer boy during the Civil War; the sisters have been taken captive by the Cheyenne.

And for this special mission, he’s allowed to take along the brother (Ron Hagerthy as Jonny McKeever), one officer (Frank Lovejoy as Sgt. Charlie Baker), an artist and several cavalrymen who have landed in the guardhouse for one reason or another.

As it turns out, finding the sister’s isn’t too difficult. But they’re reluctant to be rescued — the older (Helen Wescott as Ann) for fear she’ll be ostracized by the good, white women back home; the younger (Vera Miles as Jennie) because she’s about to be married to the Cheyenne chief Thunder Hawk.

The trip back is none too easy either, since the Indians have massacred everyone in the fort they left.

The climax finds the small band gathered on a river island, trying to fight off hordes of Cheyenne.

Guy Madison as Miles Archer, the civilian who leads the guardhouse brigade on a rescue mission in The Charge at Feather River (1953)

Helen Wescott as Ann McKeever, fearful of how other whites will treat her after her time as a Cheyenne captive in The Charge at Feather River (1953)

Review:

There’s no adult message here, just great fun, with plenty of action, touches of humor and Western cliches that, for some reason, don’t detract from the film.

The brother Johnny keeps getting wounded. Madison’s character spends much of his time trying to bolster the self-esteem of his older sister, and eventually falls for her.

The guardhouse gang includes one soldier who was putting the make on the sergeant’s wife, one who carries the seemingly mandatory canteen filed with whiskey and another who fancies himself an inventor and rides around with a breastplate under his clothing.

The final shootout on the island is especially well done. And since this was originally filmed in 3-D, lots of things fly at the viewer, from arrows and lances to the spit aimed at a coiled rattlesnake.

There’s a rousing musical theme, too.

Frank Lovejoy as Sgt. Charlie Baker, Archer’s second in command in the rescue attempt in The Charge at Feather River (1953)

Vera Miles as Jennie McKeever, the young white girl promised to Cheyenne Chief Thunder Hawk in The Charge at Feather River (1953)

Directed by:
Gordon Douglas

Cast:
Guy Madison … Miles Archer
Helen Wescott … Ann McKeever
Vera Miles … Jennie McKeever
Ron Hagerthy … Johnny McKeever
Onslow Stevens … Grover Johnson (artist)
Frank Lovejoy … Sgt. Charlie Baker
Dick Wesson … Pvt. Cullen
Neville Brand … Pvt. Morgan
Steve Brodie … Pvt. Ryan
Lane Chandler … Pvt. Poinsett
Henry Kulky … Pvt. Smiley
Ralph Brooks … Pvt. Wilhelm
Fred Carson … Chief Thunder Hawk
Fay Roope … Lt. Col. Kilrain

Runtime: 95 min.

Dick Wesson as Private Cullen and Henry Kulky as Private Smiley, hard-drinking friends along on the rescue mission in The Charge at Feather River (1953)

Steve Brodie as Private Ryan, a trooper who’s stirred the ire of Sgt. Baker by flirting with his wife in The Charge at Feather River (1953)

Memorable lines:

Miles: “That’s quite a combination,” talking to a guardhouse soldiers wearing one sign that says “I got drunk” and another that says “I am a thief.”
The soldier: “Well, sir, when I get drunk I forget what I do and I steal. And when I steal, I want to forget what I did so I get drunk.”
Second soldier: “I just get drunk.”

Pvt. Cullen, showing off his breastplate: “Hey, Wilhelm, look at this: bullet proof.”
Pvt. Wilhelm, checking it out: “Oh, yeah. But how ’bout your scalp?”
Cue concerned look from Cullen.

Neville Brand as Private Morgan, proposing swapping Jennie McKeever (Vera Miles) for a fresh supply of water in The Charge at Feather River (1953)

Guy Madison as Miles Archer and Onslow Stevens as artist Grover Johnson scout the Indian camp where the white women are located in The Charge at Feather River (1953)

Pvt. Cullen: “Of all the women west of the Mississippi, we have to wind up with a war chief’s bride.”

Miles, contemplating escape routes to Fort Darby: “Either it’s Feather River or fight his (Chief Thunder Hawk’s) whole tribe.”
Sgt. Baker: “Either way we’re going to need a rabbit’s foot.”

Sgt. Baker to a soldier complaining about a large walk to Fort Darby: “We’ve got six canteens and a head start. What do you want? Soft music and dancing girls?”

Frank Lovejoy as Sgt. Charlie Baker and Guy Madison as Miles Archer, planning to send someone to fetch reinforcements in The Charge at Feather River (1953)

Ron Hagerthy as Johnny McKeever, younger brother of the two white women Archer and his men set out to rescue in The Charge at Feather River (1953)

Fay Roope as Lt. Col. Kilrain, trying to convince Miles Archer to lead the rescue mission in The Charge at Feather River (1953)

Guy Madison as Miles Archer and Helen Wescott as Ann McKeever as the guardhouse brigade is pinned down by Cheyenne in The Charge at Feather River (1953)