''The Guns of Fort Petticoat'' is a 1957 American

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film produced by

Harry Joe Brown Harry Joe Brown (September 22, 1890 – April 28, 1972) was an American film producer, and earlier a theatre and film director. Biography Harry Joe Brown was born in 1890 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As a producer, he had a partnership with ...

and

Audie Murphy Audie Leon Murphy (20 June 1925 – 28 May 1971) was an American soldier, actor and songwriter. He was one of the most decorated American combat soldiers of World War II. He received every military combat award for valor available from t ...

for Brown-Murphy Pictures. It was based on the 1955

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

Petticoat A petticoat or underskirt is an article of clothing, a type of undergarment worn under a skirt or a dress. Its precise meaning varies over centuries and between countries. According to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'', in current British Engl ...

Brigade" by Chester William Harrison (1913–1994) that he expanded into a

novelization A novelization (or novelisation) is a derivative novel that adapts the story of a work created for another medium, such as a film, TV series, stage play, comic book or video game. Film novelizations were particularly popular before the advent of ...

for the film's release. It was directed by

George Marshall George Catlett Marshall Jr. (December 31, 1880 – October 16, 1959) was an American army officer and statesman. He rose through the United States Army to become Chief of Staff of the US Army under Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry ...

, distributed by

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

and filmed at the

Iverson Movie Ranch Iverson may refer to: Computing * Iverson Award, an ACM honour for APL contributions * Iverson bracket, a mathematical notation * Iverson Notation, the syntactic basis of APL (programming language) Other uses * Iverson Movie Ranch, Chatsworth, Ca ...

and at

Old Tucson Old Tucson (formerly Old Tucson Studios) is an American movie studio and theme park just west of Tucson, Arizona, adjacent to the Tucson Mountains and close to the western portion of Saguaro National Park. Built in 1939 for the movie ''Arizona'' ...

. The fictional story tells the tale of an Army deserter training a disparate group of women to become Indian fighters climaxing in a

Battle of the Alamo The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo Mission near San Ant ...

-type action.

Plot

In 1864, during the American Civil War, Texan Lt. Frank Hewitt (

) is serving with the

U.S. Cavalry The United States Cavalry, or U.S. Cavalry, was the designation of the mounted force of the United States Army by an act of Congress on 3 August 1861.Price (1883) p. 103, 104 This act converted the U.S. Army's two regiments of dragoons, one r ...

under Colonel

John Chivington John Milton Chivington (January 27, 1821 – October 4, 1894) was an American Methodist pastor and Mason who served as a colonel in the United States Volunteers during the New Mexico Campaign of the American Civil War. He led a rear action ...

. On patrol, Hewitt meets a group of unarmed Indians who are returning to the Sand Creek reservation that they were not supposed to leave. While being briefed by Hewitt, the colonel orders the attack known to history as the Sand Creek Massacre. Hewitt not only disagrees with the punishment of the Indians, but realizes they will use the attack as an excuse to unite and spread terror throughout the Southwest, including his own hometown in Texas, which has sent most of its men to fight for the Confederacy. Colonel Chivington sees Indian attacks on Texas, which will create havoc in the Confederacy, as a bonus. Violently objecting, Hewitt is placed under arrest and confined to quarters. Hewitt deserts to warn the Texans but is hated and ignored as a traitor by his now-Confederate former neighbors, who despise him for serving with the Union. No one believes him until he brings home the dead body of a woman murdered by

Comanche The Comanche or Nʉmʉnʉʉ ( com, Nʉmʉnʉʉ, "the people") are a Native American tribe from the Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the federally recognized Comanche Nation, headquartered in La ...

s who have joined the uprising. Hewitt organizes a brigade of women and trains them in marksmanship and combat tactics. Armed and given military ranks, Hewitt and the women seize the day and hold on to the only safety they have in an abandoned mission (Fort Petticoat). The "blue-belly traitor" Hewitt and the petticoat brigade are deserted by the only remaining man; they fight off scavengers and Comanches as they struggle to build trust and work together during the ensuing attacks. As the final gunfight ends, Hewitt and his greatest female critic fall in star-crossed love left over from childhood memories. But Hewitt cannot reciprocate because as an honorable soldier he must return to his post at Sand Creek and face charges for desertion. As Hewitt is being renounced as a deserter and a liar for his most fantastic story of helping to rescue the women in Texas and training them to fight off Comanches, Col. Chivington's commanding general happened to enter the trial room. As the guilty sentence and execution is about to be pronounced, his female confederates return the favor, marching armed into the trial to stop the proceeding. The commanding general, in a surge of sentimental good will, orders a surrender to the armed ladies who have saved the day and proved Hewitt's truthfulness. Hewitt's testimony snares Col. Chivington (who is relieved of command and ordered held for trial) and his hopes in his new-found Confederate love are restored.

Cast

as 1st Lt. Frank Hewitt * Kathryn Grant as Anne Martin *

Hope Emerson Hope Emerson (October 29, 1897 – April 24, 1960;) was an American actress, vaudevillian, nightclub performer, and strongwoman. An imposing person physically, she weighed between and stood tall in her prime. Early life Emerson was born in ...

as Hannah Lacey *

Jeff Donnell Jean Marie "Jeff" Donnell (July 10, 1921 – April 11, 1988) was an American film and television actress. Early years Donnell was born in South Windham, Maine, to Harold and Mildred Donnell, when her father was superintendent at a boys' reform ...

as Mary Wheller *

Jeanette Nolan Jeanette Nolan (December 30, 1911 – June 5, 1998) was an American actress. Nominated for four Emmy Awards, she had roles in the television series '' The Virginian'' (1962–1971) and ''Dirty Sally'' (1974), and in films such as ''Macbeth'' ...

as Cora Melavan *

Sean McClory Séan Joseph McClory (8 March 1924 – 10 December 2003) was an Irish actor whose career spanned six decades and included well over 100 films and television series. He was sometimes billed as Shawn McGlory or Sean McGlory. Early years M ...

as Emmett Kettle *

Ernestine Wade Ernestine Wade (August 7, 1906 – April 15, 1983) was an American actress. She was best known for playing the role of Sapphire Stevens on both the radio and TV versions of '' The Amos 'n' Andy Show''. Career Born in Jackson, Mississippi, Wade ...

as Hetty *

Peggy Maley Margaret June "Peggy" Maley (June 8, 1923 – October 1, 2007) was an American actress who appeared in film and television. In 1942, aged 18 or 19, she was crowned Miss Atlantic City. Career Film Maley delivered the feeder line to Marlon ...

as Lucy Conover *

Isobel Elsom Isobel Elsom (born Isabelle Reed; 16 March 1893 – 12 January 1981) was an English film, theatre, and television actress. She was often cast as aristocrats or upper-class women. Early years Born in Chesterton, Cambridge, Chesterton, C ...

as Mrs. Charlotte Ogden * Patricia Tiernan as Stella Leatham (as Patricia Livingston) * Kim Charney as Bax Leatham *

Ray Teal Ray Elgin Teal (January 12, 1902 – April 2, 1976) was an American actor.The book ''Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory'' gives Teal's birth date as January 12, 1908. His most famous role was as Sheriff Roy Coffee on the televis ...

as Salt Pork *

Nestor Paiva Nestor Paiva (June 30, 1905 – September 9, 1966) was an American actor of Portuguese descent. He is most famous for his recurring role of Teo Gonzales the innkeeper in Walt Disney's Spanish Western series ''Zorro'' and its feature film ''The ...

as Tortilla *

James Griffith James Jeffrey Griffith (February 13, 1916 – September 17, 1993) was an American character actor, musician and screenwriter. Education Griffith attended Santa Monica High School, where he was a classmate with Glenn Ford. Both were active in s ...

as Kipper *

Ainslie Pryor James Ainslie Pryor (February 21, 1921 – May 27, 1958) was an American actor. Early years Pryor was born in Memphis, Tennessee, the son of William E. Prior. He graduated from Christian Brothers University, Christian Brothers College and att ...

as Col. John Chivington *

Hugh Sanders Hugh Howard Sanders (March 13, 1911 – January 9, 1966) was an American actor, probably best known for playing the role of Dr. Reynolds in the movie ''To Kill a Mockingbird''. Biography Born in Illinois, Sanders graduated from Northwestern U ...

as Sgt. Webber * Al Wyatt, Sr. as Sgt. Lebbard

Production

The novel ''Guns of Fort Petticoat'' was published in March 1956. In July 1955 Murphy announced he would make the film, which then had the working title ''Petticoat Brigade'', after ''The World in My Corner'' and a biopic of

Charles Marion Russell Charles Marion Russell (March 19, 1864 – October 24, 1926), also known as C. M. Russell, Charlie Russell, and "Kid" Russell, was an American artist of the American Old West. He created more than 2,000 paintings of cowboys, Native Americans, an ...

. He called the movie a "Destry-style Western." Murphy produced the movie through Brown-Murphy Pictures, which he had set up with producer

. On November 9, 1955, Murphy signed a contract with Walt Disney Productions and Brown-Murphy Pictures to appear in two films, of which this was the first. Disney wanted Murphy to make another movie; Murphy, who had the right to select stories, submitted proposals to appear in adaptations of ''

Peer Gynt ''Peer Gynt'' (, ) is a five- act play in verse by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen published in 1876. Written in Norwegian, it is one of the most widely performed Norwegian plays. Ibsen believed ''Per Gynt'', the Norwegian fairy tale on wh ...

'' by

Henrik Ibsen Henrik Johan Ibsen (; ; 20 March 1828 – 23 May 1906) was a Norwegian playwright and theatre director. As one of the founders of modernism in theatre, Ibsen is often referred to as "the father of realism" and one of the most influential playw ...

and ''

The Idiot ''The Idiot'' ( pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform rus, Идиот, Idiót) is a novel by the 19th-century Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky. It was first published serially in the journal ''The Russian Messenger'' in 1868–69. The title is an ...

'' by

Dostoevski Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (, ; rus, Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский, Fyódor Mikháylovich Dostoyévskiy, p=ˈfʲɵdər mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪdʑ dəstɐˈjefskʲɪj, a=ru-Dostoevsky.ogg, links=yes; 11 November 18219 ...

. Brown accused Murphy of trying to get out of his contract and sued him for $1 million. The

working title A working title, which may be abbreviated and styled in trade publications after a putative title as (wt), also called a production title or a tentative title, is the temporary title of a product or project used during its development, usually ...

of the film was ''Petticoat Brigade''; screenwriter and television director

Walter Doniger Walter J. Doniger (July 1, 1917, in New York, New York - November 24, 2011, in Los Angeles, California) was an American film and television director. He was a graduate of the Harvard School of Business. Career In the early 1940s, Doniger starte ...

was originally set to have directed the film.

Aline MacMahon Aline Laveen MacMahon (May 3, 1899 – October 12, 1991) was an American actress. Her Broadway stage career began under producer Edgar Selwyn in ''The Mirage'' during 1920. She made her screen debut in 1931 and worked extensively in film, thea ...

was to appear in the cast but found the role too strenuous. She was replaced by

Lucy Marlow Lucy Marlow ( Lucy Ann McAleer; November 20, 1932 – December 18, 2018) was an American film and television actress. She may be best-known for playing the role of Helen in the 1955 film ''My Sister Eileen''. Biography Marlow was born in Los Ang ...

was cast in a key role then dropped out and was replaced by Patricia Livingston.LAUGHTON SIGNED FOR OFFICER ROLE: He Is First of 4 to Be Cast in Leading Parts in 'Bridge Over the River Kwai' By THOMAS M. PRYOR Special to The New York Times. 18 Apr 1956: 25.

References

External links

* * * *
''The Guns of Fort Petticoat''
at Audie Murphy Memorial Site {{DEFAULTSORT:Guns of Fort Petticoat, The 1957 films 1957 Western (genre) films American Western (genre) films Audie Murphy Columbia Pictures films Fiction set in 1864 Films based on short fiction Films directed by George Marshall Western (genre) cavalry films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films