Le fort de la dernière chance

An earlier reviewer writes that the title of this Audie Murphy oater suggests a comedy--"F Troop" meets "Petticoat Junction." He can be forgiven this wit since both of those sitcom inanities post-date this western by many years.

But in a way he was not far wrong. While not a comedy it has comedic elements, as all good action films should, and it's a merger of two stories that could be described as "The Alamo" meets "Westward the Women".

The latter is an (apparently) little known film by William Wellman made six years earlier. Robert Taylor has the Audie Murphy role as wagon-master Buck Wyatt leading a group of mail-order brides from Chicago to California. He's also a hard-nosed martinet whose crew deserts him when they can't obey his orders to stay away from the women, thus setting up a similar scenario. Although not the only male guiding the wagon train west (there are four), the setup is pretty much the same as "Fort Petticoat".

The common bond here is Hope Emerson ("Sergeant" Hannah Lacey), a true pro. She was also Patience Hawley in Wellman's film, playing the same character in both, and it's a good one. I believe MGM hoped to establish Emerson as another Marjorie Main but comparisons are invidious and Emerson, a wonderful actress (see "Caged"), inevitably came off second to Main. Sadly, she died a few years after this movie was made.

Many of the same elements populate both movies, particularly in how the man trains the women, who grow beyond his tutelage (and leadership) after overcoming difficult odds, but "Fort Petticoat" manages to come up with a few new turns of its own.

As for Audie, he does well--reprising Buck Wyatt in spirit but remaining true to his own personality. He plays as well off Emerson as Taylor did in "Westward" and both make this an entertaining movie.

This movie can be frequently found on Encore Westerns but if you can catch "Westward the Women" on TCM, I urge you to do so. It's a bit grittier but the two are a credit to each other thanks to Hope Emerson.

On the sacred ground where were shot El Dorado, Walk the Proud Land, The Badlanders, the Deadly Companions, just named a few, also served to Guns of Fort Petticoat, plainly an unusual western in every sense, when a bold southern Texan Lt. Frank Hewitt (Murphy) joined in the Union Army during the Civil war, sounds contradictory, however when a Indians uprising took place, he willfully defects to return to Texas at Sand Creek to warning all settlers in time, which have only women, due their husband still fight on the war, notwithstanding he was treated overtly as renegade, all these inhabitants avoiding his degrading presence, although after farm's woman has been killed by the Comanche, they finally are convinced that have to join under orders of the Lt. Frank at small Church, also added and strengthened by passing through prostitutes, together they are strong to face the Comanche attack, meanwhile each one has to stare your own matters, as the missing husband, the pregnant and unwanted single woman, the religious woman who refuse to kill anyone and the brave woman the Sergeant Hanna Lacey (Hope Emerson) in outstanding performance, finally Lt. Frank having side by side with the boy Bax Leatham working as cupid between he and the pretty girl Anne Martin (Kathryn Grant), awesome and charming Columbia production!!!

Resume:

First watch: 1999 / How many: 3 / Source: Cable TV-DVD / Rating: 7.75.

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.

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.