Yellowstone Kelly (1959)

 

The second of the three western movies Clint Walker made for Warner Brothers between 1958 and 1961, the other two being Fort Dobbs (1958) and Gold of the Seven Saints (1961).  All three movies were directed by Gordon Douglas. Walker had become a star thanks to the TV-series Cheyenne, aired between 1955 and 1962 and there’s no doubt that Warner Brothers wanted to capitalize on Walker's popularity and his image of a westerner with a good understanding of the red man.

His character from the TV series, Cheyenne Bodie, had lived with the Cheyenne Indians after they had killed his parents. As an adult he had left the tribe and become a loner, a man living between the worlds of the red and white man. Walker's character in Yellowstone Kelly is closely modeled after the character from the TV-series: he's a fur trapper living on Sioux land (with their permission) and also a bit of a doctor. As such, he's asked to save the life of a female Arapaho prisoner called Wahleeh (Andra Martin). Both a young warrior and the tribe's chief Gall (John Russell) are interested in her, but she rejects both men. After her recovery she manages to escape from the Sioux village and seeks refuge in Kelly's cabin. The Sioux want the beautiful woman back, and there's also the army, out for revenge for the events at Little Big Horn. It's up to our fur trapper to solve all these problems.

Apparently this movie was supposed to be directed by John Ford and star John Wayne, but they decided to do The Horse Soldiers (1959) instead. The script, by Burt Kennedy, was based on a novel by Heck Allen about a real-life person called Yellowstone Luther Kelly, an American soldier, scout, hunter and adventurer. Russell's character Gall is historic as well (Gall was one of the war chief's leading the Sioux at Little Big Horn), but no real effort at authenticity is made, it all feels very Hollywood, very fifties, with a more sympathetic portrayal of the Native American culture and an interracial love affair to sugar the message. You wonder what Ford would've done with the material, but Yellowstone Kelly is quite enjoyable. Douglas builds up the tension adequately and handles the action - as usual - quite well. 

The movie also stars Edd "Kookie" Byrnes, who had become a well-known face (and forelock) thanks to his role in the TV-series 77 Sunset Strip ("Kookie, Kookie, lend me your comb!"). With forelock and all – apparently he brought his comb to the set - he may look a bit anachronistic, but he’s otherwise believable as a tenderfoot who wants to become a trapper and therefore asks Walker to become his mentor. Some early scenes with the two men almost seem to suggest a homosexual relationship, but the young man loses his head over the Arapaho woman as soon as he sets eyes on her. He's not the only one, actually all men in the movie seem to fall for her clear blue eyes (that's how Indians looked like in the fifties). 

Well, I would have fallen for her as well ... 

Dir: Gordon Douglas, Cast: Clint Walker (Kelly), Adra Martin (Wahleeah), John Russell (Gall), Edd Byrnes (Anse Harper), Ray Danton (Sayape), Rhodes Reason (Major), Gary Vinson (Lieutenant), Warren Oates (Corporal), Screenplay: Burt Kennedy