Le fort de la dernière chance

Lt. Frank Hewitt absconds from the Union Army to warn fellow Texans that Indian attacks are inevitable due to a massacre at Sand Creek. What he finds is that all the men are away fighting in the Confederate Army so the homesteaders are mainly made up of women. Having to first earn their respect and trust, he convinces them to prepare for an Indian attack at a dilapidated mission station, teaching the majority of them to shoot and fend for themselves in hand to hand combat. Badly outnumbered when the day comes, it will take more than the hand of god to stop this from being another massacre to further darken the South.

What an absolute blast this picture is, for sure it's steeped in "B" movie tropes, but led by the amiable Audie Murphy as Hewitt, the picture is certainly most engaging and never lets the discerning viewer down. Perhaps struggling to shake off the need to be overtly serious, it is none the less dramatic at times and not without serious moments that put the ladies of the piece firmly in a good light. It's not a feminist picture of course because the characters still need their men to be with them, while Hewitt naturally creates a little pitter-patter amongst some of the women. What the picture chiefly portrays is that these gals can step up to the plate when required, and more crucially, the film doesn't rely on sentimentality to raise the story's worth.

Kathryn Grant (soon to me Mrs Bing Crosby), Hope Emerson, Jeanette Nolan, Peggy Maley and Patricia Tiernan are just some of the female cast that brighten up the play. From the intriguing training sequences as Hewitt gets tough with the gals, to the thrilling rush of the Indian attack on the mission, The Guns Of Fort Petticoat is a very enjoyable Western that most certainly doesn't waste the time of the viewer. 7/10

The Guns Of Fort Petticoat is a nice little western flick. Telling the story of Lt. Frank Hewitt, a man who deserts the Union when his colonel decides to attack friendly Indians returning to Sand Creek, resulting in the Sand Creek massacre, he has to prepare a townstead of women to defend themselves as Indians commit attacks in the state in retaliation to the massacre.

This is a neat movie. The idea of women defending their homestead is a bold move, but it works out. The story has everything to expect in a western: action, romance, suspense. If you never saw this, I recommend doing so.

i have seen this film several times. also, i am looking forward to seeing it again on television this week.

my only regret is that when we visited Arlington cemetery in 1990 we did not visit Audie Murphy's grave.

When I first saw the movie title as a boy, I thought it might be something almost ridiculous, but now that I've seen it my thoughts have been somewhat amended. The storyline is brief: during the Civil War an army officer (played well by the veteran western actor Audie Murphy) leads a group of women from Texas against hostile, attacking Indians who want to destroy the old fort where the women are found. Again, I was ready to laugh when I saw the title, but I do not think that in real life I would have wanted to tangle with any of these women who, led by Murphy, became practically sharpshooters. They held off Indians and outlaws well. This cinematic piece was exciting and the action good, which is shown through the fact that the women were very emotional. In one point the matter of killing is addressed, so in one place the movie is controversial. Because of the beautiful scenery, exciting western action, and good story, this has become a favorite western of mine.

I wonder why no one who commented on this movie before noticed how this is the sort of scenario that made El Alamo the thrilling film it was, and that led to so many re-makes. There is a surrounded group, with no escape, and decided not to surrender to a bitter enemy... That this group was of women only, and that they died battling with bravery, makes me wonder where the cable televisions are, what video producer will discover this gem first - a gem it is, as people who saw this film only had praise for it! I'll be the first to buy a VHS or DVD copy of this film. Just tell me where it is.