Jon Hall is Prince Hannoc, the son of a Delaware chief who is being introduced to white society by friends George Washington (James Seay) and Christopher Gist (John Ridgely). Mary Castle is Elizabeth Deeds, the loveliest woman in Williamsburg.
She’s also a French spy who wants to charm Prince Hannoc to the point where she can steal secrets from him, perhaps even convince him to keep the Delaware tribe from aligning itself with the British.
For a while, her wiles work, though not in the manner she intended. When Hannoc guides the British to the Delaware village, he professes his love for a white woman. At that point, his father denounces his son as lost to the white man’s world and vows never to fight for the British.
He has a change of heart when the British arrive in the nick of time to save the Delaware village from a French attack. Hall also has a change of heart, once Deeds is revealed as a spy, falling back in love with his girlhood sweetheart, Morna.
Review:
The French and Indian war setting is refreshingly different, and there’s plenty of action packed in the 78 minutes.
But some of the best action scenes are clearly stock footage. And some of the dialogue is dreadful. The idea of the loveliest woman in Williamsburg flirting with a Delaware Indian, prince to not, seems equally far-fetched.
As for historical accuracy, forget it. The film concludes with an attack on Washington’s troops and Fort Necessity. And … well, let’s just say it doesn’t work out the way the history books tell us.
Directed by:
Lew Landers
Cast:
Jon Hall … Prince Hannoc
Mary Castle … Elizabeth Leeds
James Seay … Col. Washington
John Ridgely … Christopher Gist
Sherry Moreland … Morna
Pedro de Cordoba … Chief Shingiss
John Dehner … John Delmont
Lewis Russell … Gov. Dinwiddie
William Bakewell … Appleby
Runtime: 78 min.
Memorable lines:
Prince Hannoc: “Having been impressed by other men also, you now wish to add me to your collection?”
Elizabeth Leeds: “Every woman has a collection, until the right man makes her discard it.”
Gist to Col. Washington, under French attack at Fort Necessity: “How long do you think we can hold out?”
Col. Washingon: “I don’t know. They’ve hit several of our water barrels.”
Chief Shingiss, indicating the bed he’s been sleeping in while awaiting a treaty to arrive: “I will just have to suffer in that saddle of the devil a little more.”
Prince Hannoc: “A chief who has stood the torture of fire can surely defeat such a soft enemy.”
Shingiss: “White man wants all the ground and sky there is. And then when he has it, he sleeps on beds so he cannot feel the ground and puts roofs over his head so he cannot touch the sky.”
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