La quercia dei giganti

When the South secedes from the union, starting the Civil War, plantation owner Hoab Dabney (Ward Bond) declares that his land, encompassing the large Lebanon Valley in Mississippi, will not join in, and will be a free land where other like minded farmers can settle and ride out the war in peace. His daughters Morna (Susan Hayward) and Aven (Julie London) both pine for the same man, loyal Confederate officer Clay MacIvor (Whitfield Connor), while Hoab's chief lieutenant, newspaperman Keith Alexander (Van Heflin) has eyes for Morna. Eventually things reach a reckoning, and lives and loves are lost and won.

There's a lot of nice outdoor cinematography to be seen, and the production design is good, with detailed sets and authentic costumes. Heflin seems like an odd casting choice for the womanizing, pistol-packing Alexander, who seems more in the Clark Gable or William Holden vein. Heflin isn't bad, though, and he holds his own among some big scenery chewers,like Ward Bond and Susan Hayward. I watched this for Karloff, who plays a Choctaw Indian and loyal family retainer. His slightly lisping, British-accented voice seems odd for a Mississippi born-and-raised native, but if you roll with it, he does a good job. It's certainly one of the more interesting characters Karloff played around this time. The film's literary roots are apparent in an abundance of characters, themes and subplots, not all of which get enough attention in the script. A fun bit of trivia: Julia London took time off while filming this to elope with Jack Webb in Vegas.

1948's "Tap Roots" has been described as a poor man's "Gone with the Wind," and that pretty much sums up the simplistic plot, with Van Heflin and Susan Hayward supplying the love interest. As Hoab Dabney, patriarch of the Lebanon Valley in Mississippi, Ward Bond enjoys one of his most prominent movie roles, ably assisted by the scene stealing Boris Karloff, surprisingly cast as Choctaw Indian medicine man Tishomingo, equally adept at healing as he is wielding a mean whip. The slave-owning Dabneys decide to stay neutral as the Civil War gets underway, rousing the townsmen to defy the Confederates, regardless of the consequences (Jonathan Hale has one scene as General Joseph Johnston). By this time, Karloff made infrequent returns to the studio that made him a star (ending with 1953's "Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"), and his casting was most definitely inspired by his recent portrayal of Guyasuta, Chief of the Senecas, in Cecil B. De Mille's "Unconquered." The darkly-complected actor had played a multitude of Native Americans, mostly villainous, during the silent era, but had only these two roles since the advent of talkies (his only sound Western was 1930's "The Utah Kid").

"Tap Roots" is a very good Southern drama set in Mississippi at the start of the Civil War. The story evolves around the Dabney family in the Lebanon Valley. Big Sam Dabney had settled the area and befriended a native Choctaw Indian, Tishomingo. He became a faithful companion and overseer of the Dabney estate and valley, with Sam's son, Hoab.

Hoab's three children are Bruce, Morna and Aven. Big Sam wants to see Morna married to her fiancé, Clay MacIvor, before he dies. MacIvor is a captain in the Army, and he and Morna are having an elegant home built. He won't marry until the house is finished; then, at the threat of war, he has further reason to wait. MacIvor's sentiments are strongly with the South, should it secede from the Union. But the Dabney men want no part of secession.

A third main character enters the story after Big Sam dies. Keith Alexander, publisher and editor of an influential and widely read newspaper writes a glowing tribute to Sam. But, Bruce thinks it's an insult to his grandfather. Tishomingo rides with Bruce to confront the editor, who had a reputation as a lady's man and for killing 20 men in pistol duels. Tishomingo's presence was to ensure that Bruce didn't become one of those dueling casualties.

But all turns out well after the mature and wiser Alexander sidesteps Bruce's charge and apologizes. He insists on going with them to apologize to the whole family. Most of the family befriend Alexander who falls for Morna. But he and MacIvor have an immediate dislike for one another. Thus begins a drama of war, romance, hatred, betrayal, revenge and love.

The film has a superb cast. Both leads are Oscar-winners - van Heflin (Alexander) having won his in 1943 for his supporting role in Johnny Eager. Susan Hayward (Morna Dabney) would win her best actress Oscar in 1959 for "I Want to Live." Others include Julie London (as Aven), Ward Bond (as Hoab), Richard Long (as Bruce), Russell Simpson (as Big Sam), Ruby Dandridge (as Dabby), Arthur Shields (as Rev. Kirkland), Whitfield Connor (as Clay MacIvor), and Boris Karloff (as Tishomingo).

Most of these and other supporting roles were very good. A few tidbits about various members of the cast are worth noting. Arthur Shields had a fine film career but never became as famous as his brother, Barry Fitzgerald. This is one of the few straight dramatic roles that Boris Karloff had in a career of more than 200 films, including 60 in the silent era. Karloff is widely recognized for his monster and horror films since playing Frankenstein in 1931. But he played diverse roles in early years. Ward Bond was well recognized over time as a solid sidekick to leading men in tons of Westerns, war films, mysteries and other action films. His career spanned just under 30 years. He died of a heart attack at age 57 in 1960. Except for Karloff who lived to be 81 and died in 1969, the rest of the leads in this film all had short lives. Three of them would die in the early 1970s. Van Heflin died of a heart attack in 1971. He was 61. But, Richard Long was only 47 when he died in 1974, after several heart attacks. And, Susan Hayward died in 1975 at age 57 of brain cancer.

This movie was based on a 1942 novel of the same title by James Street. It was the second of five books in his highly popular series about the Dabney family of Mississippi. While fictitious, the story borrows from history and legend, including the life of Newt Knight and Jones County, Mississippi. There was such a non-secessionist faction and area of Mississippi at the start of the Civil War. Knight was a very real person with a long and interesting history. Street, himself, had a short but interesting life. He was a one-time minister who worked as a journalist before becoming a full-time author. And, he was just 50 when he died of a heart attack. Others of Street's stories have been made into films. A short story in 1937 led to a hilarious comedy that year, "Nothing Sacred," that starred Frederic March and Carole Lombard. That also inspired the 1954 Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis comedy, "Living It Up."

"Tap Roots" couldn't match the performances or productions of the best pictures of 1948. It was one of those highly competitive years with many excellent films. But, it was no shame not to win honors against the likes of "Hamlet," "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," "The Snake Pit," "Johnny Belinda," "Key Largo," "Red River," "Red Shoes," "Easter Parade," and many more superb films.

And, "Tap Roots" did well at the box office, taking in $6.6 million against a budget of $2.1 million. A 2016 movie based on the same story didn't fare as well. "Free State of Jones" that starred Matthew McConaughey, had only $25 million in domestic box office, against a budget of $50 million.

This is a fine drama and true love story, with a picture of the South before the Civil War. While the issue of slavery is in the background, this story is about one family, its independence and its tradition of respect for all people. Oh, yes, and just because this is a Civil War period movie that has romance, don't think it's anything like "Gone with the Wind" of 1939. They're two completely different stories, with very different characters.

Here are a couple of lines from the film.

Morna Dabney, "Aven, honey, I'd hate to see you die young. I'd really hate it."

Keith Alexander, "I give you fair warning. I'm gonna keep on making love to you whether you marry him or not."

Nine years after losing the role of Scarlett in GWTW, Susan Hayward got her chance to play a Southern belle in 'Tap Roots'. While her emoting is more than sufficient, the weak script cannot live up to the expensive trappings and handsome production values of this minor technicolor epic from Universal.

Van Heflin, a fine actor, is a dashing newspaper publisher involved with the saucy heroine, as are her brother (Richard Long), an Indian who practices primitive cures (Boris Karloff), and her sister (Julie London). Against a Civil War background in Mississippi, the cliches are all there--and for good measure there's even a fire that destroys a plantation. If you're expecting another GWTW, forget it. It's simply an enjoyable Civil War romance photographed in lush technicolor and designed to showcase Susan Hayward's ability to play a vixenish Southern belle. For added interest, Ward Bond is featured in a strong supporting role--just as he was in GWTW.

Summing up: average entertainment but nothing spectacular.

The story is about the Dabney family and it begins in Mississippi just before the Civil War. The Dabneys are a proud family and not in favor of secession. But they and the folks around them are a distinct minority and eventually they end up seceding from Mississippi once the state joins the Confederacy. Not surprisingly, the new Confederacy is NOT pleased that this county has joined the Union...and bad things are a comin'.

But there's much more to the tale and it centers around Morna Dabney (Susan Hayward). She is vivacious and beloved by Clay--a man who loves the idea of war and secession. But when Morna is injured and it appears as if she'll never walk again, Clay shows his true colors...and the roguish Keith (Van Helfin) steps up and shows he really is a heck of a guy.

This is enjoyable and with very nice acting. The only real problem is that what happens to the Dabneys and the county is pretty much foreordained and there are few surprises here. The story, by the way, was inspired by a similar situation in Jones county, where such a rebellion against the state of Mississippi occurred.