Fred MacMurray is Capt. Meriweather Lewis and Charlton Heston is Lt. William Clark, two men sent West to explore the Louisiana Purchase by President Thomas Jefferson.
Before they depart, Clark proposes to Julie Hancock, the woman Lewis loves. Lewis is able to overlook that, realizing Julie must have never loved him. He even vows to share command of the upcoming expedition with his old friend.
But his feelings change and the relationship between the two men is strained when Clark also starts to fall for Sacajawea (Donna Reed), a pretty Shoshone maiden who helps guide them on their journey. In fact, she saves the small band by warning of an Indian attack orchestrated by Charboneau, a Frenchman who isn’t anxious to see the English move into the area.
Still, Lewis eventually comes to see Sacajawea as a threat to the expedition. He orders Clark to leave her behind. And, when Clark refuses to do so, Lewis threatens him with court-martial when they return to Washington.
Review
If this was supposed to be an epic depicting the exploits of Lewis and Clark, the focus got lost somewhere along the way. It’s much more the love story of Clark and Sacajawea — a romance, by the way, that apparently did not exist in real life.
In fact, the characters of Heston and Reed spend so much time on the screen, usually together, that you wonder how top billing went to MacMurray. As for the rest of the cast, William Demarest plays the hard-nosed sergeant serving under Lewis and Clark, Eduardo Noriega is the Shoshone chief the explorers befriend and Larry Pennell plays Wild Eagle, who thinks Sacajawea should be his and isn’t afraid to stir up hostilities with the whites as a result.
In terms of action, the best scene comes when Wild Eagle and his colleagues stretch a net across a river to stop the canoes the explorers are traveling in, then spring an ambush.
Directed by:
Rudolph Mate
Cast:
Fred MacMurray … Capt. Meriweather Lewis
Charlton Heston … Lt. William Clark
Donna Reed … Sacajawea
Barbara Hale … Julie Hancock
William Demarest … Sgt. Gass
Alan Reed … Charboneau
Eduardo Noriega … Cameahwait
Larry Pennell … Wild Eagle
Argentina Brunetti … Old Crone
Ralph Moody … Le Borgne
Herbert Heyes … President Thomas Jefferson
Lester Matthews … Mr. Hancock
Helen Wallace … Mrs. Handock
Runtime: 108 min.
Memorable lines:
Lt. Clark to Sacajawea: “That name’s going to give me a lot of trouble. Mind if I call you Janie?”
Sacajawea to Capt. Lewis: “I will take care of Chief Red Head.”
Lt. Clark: “Who?”
Sacajawea: “He (Lt. Clark) has given me a white girl’s name. I have given him an Indian name.”
Lt, Clark: “Where I come from, a man is only allowed one wife.”
Sacajawea: “This is a good idea.”
Sgt. Gass: “What do we do now, Captain. Carry the boat or remove them mountains?”
Capt. Lewis: “We’ll try to find a river that runs uphill.”
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