Fort Utah

In his review, revdrcac was right on--this is a fairly typical sort of A.C. Lyles production. In the 1960s, he made quite a few westerns starring folks who used to be stars. Few of these films were particularly distinguished and most seemed to have very small budgets--but they were entertaining (especially "Johnny Reno"). The likes of Dana Andrews, Richard Arlen, Howard Keel, George Montgomery, Rory Calhoun, Lon Chaney and Yvonne De Carlo all found work in his films--folks whose careers had long seen better days. Perhaps Lyles just liked these older and experienced professionals or, more likely, he liked that they could be had for a lot less money than the hotter and younger actors of the day. Here, John Ireland, Arlen and Virginia Mayo all get a second chance--which I appreciate, as they were good actors (particularly Ireland).

The film begins with Ireland on his horse--minding his own business. Suddenly, an Indian attacks him and the attacker is killed in the mêlée. Soon, an Indian agent (Robert Strauss--in a VERY atypical sort of role for him) meets him and they decide to ride together for safety. Soon, they are attacked by even more natives. Obviously, SOMETHING is up with the local Indian tribes! Then, they soon meet up with a wagon train and their leader (John Russell)--and they decide to help them, otherwise they could soon be massacred. What about this Fort Utah? Well, the hope is that someone can get their and get help...otherwise they're all on their own. But, when Ireland makes his way to the fort, he finds it nearly abandoned...except for some nasty killers who are deserters. See this film to see and to find out what happens next.

What I first started watching this film, I thought this was yet another film where the Indians were stupid and one-dimensional. Well, fortunately, this turned out not to be the case--they had a darned good reason to be mad! Aside from a bit of macho posturing and cheap production values (the lousy use of stunt-men in the fight between Ireland and the would-be rapist is pretty laughable), the film manages to work pretty well due to good acting and a decent script. I particularly like the relationship that developed between Ireland and Mayo, but also LOVED the weird casting of Strauss--he was a hoot. Not at all brilliant overall, but well worth seeing if you like the genre.

1967's "Fort Utah" was the tenth of 13 B Westerns courtesy Paramount producer A.C. Lyles, populated by a large number of familiar faces who had seen better days. John Ireland takes the top slot as infamous gunfighter Tom Horn, finding himself in the middle of an insurrection by Indians and unable to find help at the nearby fort because it's deserted. Meanwhile, John Russell's wagon master suffers a number of casualties from a redskin attack, leading what's left of his settlers to that same fort, where they learn that villainous Scott Brady's marauders butchered every soldier in a fruitless search for gold bullion that had been secretly moved elsewhere months earlier; Brady is the real target after his evil band led a massacre on a helpless Indian village, making haste for the safety of the fort before vengeance catches up with them. The cast is smaller this time around, with Richard Arlen, James Craig, Jim Davis, and Donald Barry, plus Virginia Mayo a very fetching heroine. The only true spark is provided by Robert Strauss, a very witty government agent who makes a good team with Ireland's Tom Horn.

A.C. Lyles produced a number of cheapie westerns in the 1960's, many of which featured former marquee stars that were approaching senior citizen status. This reformed gunman vs. the greedy villain follows that same, tired pattern. The writing and budget were poor.

Don "Red" Barry, John Russell and others were always at home in the saddle, but this low-budget, unchallenging western did not give them a whole lot to work with. The film had a lack of energy & freshness that failed to draw me in as a viewer.

Fort Utah is a mediocre film, that leaves you wanting more ........ Recommended for die-hard sagebrush fans only .

John Ireland is Tom Horn, a famous gunfighter. Robert Strauss is Ben Stokes, a government agent for the Indians. Virginia Mayo is Linda Lee, an "Opera singer". And Scott Brady is Dajin, an army deserter who's wanted by the Indians. Oh, and then there's Jim Davis as Scarecrow, one of Dajin's men among others in the cast. I'm not a big fan of heroes attacking Indians since that usually means those Natives are being portrayed as savages but here, there's at least a reason they're not always friendly to the white men who are simply trying to survive. The fights between Horn and various of the villains attacking him are, however, quite entertaining the way they're choreographed. I also liked Ireland's dialogue with Ms. Mayo and his friendship with Strauss. Oh, and knowing about Davis' previous western roles as both bad and good guys and his later iconic role as Jock Ewing in the original "Dallas", he was the highlight of the picture for me. So on that note, I highly recommend this obscure oater, Fort Utah.

John Ireland plays Tom Horn, a man trying to go from nowhere to somewhere who rides right into an Indian uprising in the process. He finds himself trying to save the members of a wagon train, first from the Indians, then from the renegade whites who massacred an Indian village to set the redskins on the warpath in the first place.

John Russell plays Ela Jonas, a guide who lost one wagon train and desperately wants to lead this one to safety. Robert Strauss plays Ben Stokes, a grizzled Indian agent. And Virginia Mayo is Linda Lee, a woman headed West as a singer ... or a mail-order bride ... or perhaps a prostitute ... who tries to hide the truth from everyone but Horn.

All find themselves in the abandoned Fort Utah, wondering who they'll have to fight off - the Indians or the white renegades, led by Dajin (Scott Brady). And wondering where the cavalry troop that was supposed to occupy the fort has gone.

Wagon train travelling in perilous country, smoke signals, renegades, deserted fort and angry native Americans - this western full of familiar tropes but it's not any less enjoyable. Actually the plot is quite good - there's no cavalry coming to the rescue and the bad guys are not the Indians, but a band of renegade led by Scott Brady. There's some good action sequences especially at the end and good performances by John Ireland, Virginia Mayo and John Russell. It might have stock footages, poor stunt doubling but it does its job as diverting time filler.