Thunder Pass

THUNDER PASS is a typical, run-of-the-mill Western that certainly won't kill you to watch it.

As a child, I was enchanted -- and still am! -- by the film's captivating march-like theme, played whenever the settlors and cavalry could be seen trudging through the desert to escape from Injuns on the warpath. If you're as sensitively attuned to film score music as I am, you absolutely must get ahold of THUNDER PASS, if, for nothing else, than to hear for yourself these haunting strains.

Unfortunately, the music must have been pilfered from other films, for no mention of the composer(s) is provided; although Edward J. Kay is credited as its musical director.

The rival Comanche and Kiowa tribes form an alliance to attack white homesteaders. A cavalry officer(Dane Clark) persuades their leaders to talk with a government emissary, and uses the time this buys him to set about evacuating the settlers to safety in case the negotiations end in failure. He leads them to Thunder Pass - an area the natives fear - but his other troubles such as a gunrunner in his midst.

Despite some tediousness, this is a fairly enjoyable western which benefits from interesting assortment of characters such John Carradine's gunrunning character, great scenery (Bronson Canyon/Apple Valley), some tense moments and much needed action tacked at the end. It's formula stuff, but B-western devotees should find it passable.

Obviously an attempt to generate some low-buck suspense, in the tradition "Little Big Horn," this effort fails on all counts. The action, such as it is, centers on the attempt of a cavalry commander to bring a group of assorted travelers to safety through hostile Indian territory. The stiff acting, poor direction, and cliche' ridden dialogue only make matters worse. Skip this one.

1954's "Thunder Pass" is a formula Western from low budget Lippert Pictures, naturally shot at the ubiquitous Bronson Canyon. Fresh from two Hammer thrillers in Britain, veteran Dane Clark would soon concentrate solely on television work in series like WIRE SERVICE and BOLD VENTURE. The year is 1876, the Kiowa and Comanche have joined forces to drive the white men from their lands, so Clark's Captain Dave Stone and his cavalry must lead the settlers of Buffalo Valley to safety through Thunder Pass, so named by the Indians who fear it. The fine cast keeps things afloat, as there's precious little action until the rousing climax. Andy Devine is surprisingly sober, Raymond Burr gets to play a good guy, while veteran baddie John Carradine is instantly revealed to be the villainous gunrunner Bergstrom, claiming otherwise as he joins the party, keeping a watchful eye on the injured man blamed for selling Winchester rifles to the Kiowa. Carradine's last Western villain was in 1944's MGM feature "Barbary Coast Gent," and while his work in horror/sci fi would eclipse his frontier movie career, he would be far busier out west on the small screen.

I'm watching Thunder Pass (1954) on Grit TV right now. The complete movie is also available on YouTube. It's a good B/W B western typical of what was produced during the 1950s. The filming for this one began on 12 May 1954 and took 12 days to complete. It was shot in Apple Valley.

The plot concerns stalwart cavalry Captain Dave Storm (Dane Clark) and his small patrol trying to escort some civilians across the desert to Thunder Pass and safety at Fort Terahawk. His patrol includes scout Injun (Andy Devine), Tulsa (Raymond Burr), Murdock (Dorothy Patrick), Bergsrrom (John Carradine), and Charity Hemp (Mary Ellen Kay), and a few others. They are always in danger from ambush by the Comanches and Kiowas, and someone in their group seems to be working against them. They have a few skirmishes and take some casualties. The true character of the individuals comes out in due course.

A small trivia note is that Mary Ellen Kay, who plays Charity, guest starred in the last Lone Ranger episode and has the distinction of being the last person on the series to ask the famous question, "Who is that masked man?"

Watching Thunder Pass (1954) is good way for western fans to spend a cold and rainy winter morning.