Muralla de sangre

I finally got to see Yellowstone Kelly today and found it to be a decent enough western. Back in the day I was going to see it at the age of 12, but did not want to deal with the unbelievably long lines or the screaming teens who came to see Kookie.

This was not Edd Byrnes first feature film, but the first after his success on 77 Sunset Strip. The bobbysoxers were nuts about him back in the day and crowded out us connoisseurs of the western. I remember the long lines and the stories about how one could not hear the dialog with the adolescent females going gaga for Kookie.

The real star in the title role was another Warner Brothers TV veteran, Clint Walker. He plays a mountain man trapper and scout, the last of a breed. He's allowed to do his thing on Sioux land because he saved John Russell's life who is the chief.

After taking on Edd Byrnes as a young assistant, the two visit the Sioux where both of them catch the eye of Andra Martin who is an Arapahoe captive and Russell's personal squeeze. Another brave Ray Danton would like to replace Russell in her tepee. When she runs away and follows Walker and Byrnes to their cabin, Russell and Danton come calling with the tribe. These kind of things start wars as the Ancient Greeks would be the first to tell you.

As much as Kookie got all the publicity and was the reason for Yellowstone Kelly's box office, this film belongs to the stoic Clint Walker who if he had come along a decade earlier would have been a great cowboy hero. Walker is smart and stoic in the title role.

I have to say that Andra Martin as a blue eyed Arapahoe was most disconcerting. Just like Burt Lancaster in Apache.

Despite that Yellowstone Kelly was a well made action western that any fan of the horse opera will love.

I like Clint Walker, I'm a fan of Gordon Douglas' movies (e.g., "Them!", "Rio Conchos", "The Detective") and I can even tolerate Edd Byrnes--in small doses--but I really wasn't expecting much from "Yellowstone Kelly" when I first saw it a few days ago. Turned out that I got a lot more than I bargained for.

First off, Walker is a hell of a screen presence. I haven't seen "Cheyenne" in many, many years, and I kind of forgot just how much he can fill up the screen, and not just physically; he has the kind of commanding presence that John Wayne has, and although Wayne's a better actor, Walker's no slouch himself. He does a first-rate job here, and Burt Kennedy's script doesn't make him the kind of stock "hero" type that many "B" westerns tend to make of their stars.

Second off, the scenery--as pointed out by other reviewers--is spectacular. It has the kind of power that John Ford brought to the screen with his Monument Valley locations yet it doesn't overwhelm the overall film, as Monument Valley tended to do. In addition, Gordon Douglas' westerns are noted for their "balls to the wall" action scenes, as in "Rio Conchos", and this film doesn't disappoint in that department. There are several of them, from bar-room brawls to full-out Indian attacks, and they're all extremely well done.

Then there's Andra Martin. She's not given much to do, actually, but she is one of the most strikingly and exotically beautiful women to have ever graced the screen, and she does the most here with what she's given, and she's actually quite good.

A good supporting cast--Claude Akins and Warren Oates stand out, and even Edd Byrnes is far less annoying than he usually is--helps greatly. If there's any downside to this picture, it's the casting of white actors in Indian roles. John Russell and Ray Danton are good actors, but they don't even come close to being convincing as Indians and, as this practice usually does, actually hurt the picture.

Overall, though, I was more than pleasantly surprised with "Yellowstone Kelly". Walker turns in a first-rate performance, the scenery is beautiful, the action is well done, and on top of everything else there's Andra Martin. A very good combination. Walker made another western that I haven't seen, "Fort Dobbs", and if it's half as good as this one was, I'll have to check it out.

Warner Brothers came up with a winner in this film of a fur trader who finds himself caught in the middle of a cavalry-Indian just wants to run his trap lines in Montana high country but proposed treaty-breaking by the government poses the threat of an Indian uprising. The film dwells a bit on a sub plot that has Kelly saving an Indian maiden's life as well as playing wet nurse to a tenderfoot who seeks to win the trapper's friendship and respect. There is a fine battle scene between the soldiers and the Indians, one of the best of its type and is the film's high point. John Russell, Ray Danton and Claude Akins are among the cast names that contribute greatly to fine story. Andra Martin is striking as the Arapahoe girl and a point of contention between Kelly and the Sioux warriors. Edd Byrnes is okay as Kelly's young helper. Outstanding camera work and music score make this forgotten western one of the genre's best pictures.

In 'Yellowstone Kelly,' Clint 'Cheyenne' Walker plays a muscular fur-trapper who prevents war between Indians and U.S. Cavalry, and who survives only to find true love in the arms of a beautiful and talented newcomer Andrea Martin...

Becoming a 'squaw man' and a devoted one, Clint Walker goes Western all the way in this standard action film with routine excitements and a cast of TV faces: John Russell as the tall, darkly chief prancing across the plains; Ray Danton as the Indian with conviction and authority; Claude Akins as the heavy tough sergeant; and Warren Oates making his debut as a proud soldier...

With the absence of a strong story line in the screenplay, but displaying an outstanding Technicolor photography, 'Yellowstone Kelly' is

Set in 1870s , it deals with Yellowstone Kelly, Clint Walker , a mountain man and explorer , he lives in the Sioux territory South of Missouri . Kelly has a particular code of survival and lives in a brutal land of isolated woods and mountains and hostile Indians , he becomes part of the wilderness , eventually taking on responsability a boy and acting as a protector . He is hired by a Cavalry Major : Rhodes Reason from the army at Fort Butford .Kelly reluctantly takes on responsability as preceptor and helper an obstinate young : Edd Byrnes , but both of them run into problems with the Sioux led by two tough warriors : John Russell and Ray Danton . Troubles emerge when Kelly and the boy fall in love with the same woman, the beautiful Indian Arapahoe , Andre Martin , and the Sioux warriors arrive ro reclaim her.

It is a very nice film that could become another western worthy of any anthology . Interesting and moving screenplay by the notorious Burt Kennedy who wrote and directed several westerns .Being based on a true role , a historic figure who became a know scout and trapper in Wyoming territory. This agreeable and charming flick displays a colorful and brilliant cinematography by Carl Guthrie , adding an impressive production design by William Wallace .And pretty good musical score by Howard Jackson , full of thrilling and attractive sound . Enjoyable Indian western with adventures , thrills , noisy action , a love story , battles , and wonderful landscapes. Well developed story in leaps and bounds , strong energy , attractive roles , abundant action scenes , elegant camera movements , special dramatic pace and including a dialectic about racism .Stars Clint Walker as a trapper and Indian scout who saved the life of a Sioux chief and gives shelter to a runaway Arapahoe Indian played by the gorgeous Andre Martin and then problems emerge. The tall Clint does his own stunts and performed a lot of westerns and Tv series as Cheyenne , Yuma, White Buffalo , None but the brave, Pancho Villa, The bounty man, and Night of Grizzly also directed by Gordon Douglas .He is accompanied by the young tenderfoot Edd Byrnes who was a beefcake who made various Westerns and Spaghetti. Support cast is frankly excellent such as Claude Akins , Rhodes Reason , Warren Oates , Ray Danton and John Russell .

The motion picture was well directed by GordonDouglas, at his best , though It was supposed to be shot by the great John Ford , later on , he turned down the direction to film The horse riders , instead. Gordon was expert on adventure genre as Black arrow , Fortunes of captain Blood , both starred by Louis Hayward ; and Western , as he proved in the movies starred by Clint Walker as Fort Dobbs , Gold of Seven Saints , Yellowstone Kelly ; Gregory Peck as Only the valiant ; Rod Taylor in Chuka and Rio Conchos with Richard Boone deemed the best and upon legendary bandits as Doolins of Oklahoma , Great Missouri raid , among others.