''Untamed'' is a 1955 American

CinemaScope CinemaScope is an anamorphic lens series used, from 1953 to 1967, and less often later, for shooting widescreen films that, crucially, could be screened in theatres using existing equipment, albeit with a lens adapter. Its creation in 1953 by ...

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

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 directed by Henry King and starring

Tyrone Power Tyrone Edmund Power III (May 5, 1914 – November 15, 1958) was an American actor. From the 1930s to the 1950s, Power appeared in dozens of films, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads. His better-known films include '' Jesse James'', ...

Susan Hayward Susan Hayward (born Edythe Marrenner; June 30, 1917 – March 14, 1975) was an American film actress, best known for her film portrayals of women that were based on true stories. After working as a fashion model for the Walter Thornton Model A ...

and Richard Egan, with

Agnes Moorehead Agnes Robertson Moorehead (December 6, 1900April 30, 1974) was an American actress. In a career spanning four decades, her credits included work in radio, stage, film, and television.Obituary ''Variety'', May 8, 1974, page 286. Moorehead was th ...

Rita Moreno Rita Moreno (born Rosa Dolores Alverío Marcano; December 11, 1931) is a Puerto Rican actress, dancer, and singer. Noted for her work across different areas of the entertainment industry, she has appeared in numerous film, television, and thea ...

and

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 ...

. It was made by

Twentieth Century-Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...

DeLuxe Color DeLuxe Color or Deluxe color or Color by DeLuxe is Deluxe Laboratories brand of color process for motion pictures. DeLuxe Color is Eastmancolor-based, with certain adaptations for improved compositing for printing (similar to Technicolor's "sele ...

. The screenplay was by William A. Bacher,

Michael Blankfort Michael Seymour Blankfort (December 10, 1907 – July 13, 1982) was an American screenwriter, writer of books and playwright. He served as a front for the blacklisted Albert Maltz on the Academy Award-nominated screenplay of '' Broken Arrow (19 ...

, Frank Fenton and

Talbot Jennings Talbot Lanham Jennings (August 25, 1894 – May 30, 1985) was an American playwright and screenwriter. He received two Academy Award nominations for co-writing the screenplays for ''Mutiny on the Bounty'' (1935) and '' Anna and the King of Siam' ...

from a 1950 novel by Helga Moray. The music score was by

Franz Waxman Franz Waxman (né Wachsmann; December 24, 1906February 24, 1967) was a German-born composer and conductor of Jewish descent, known primarily for his work in the film music genre. His film scores include ''Bride of Frankenstein'', '' Rebecca'', ...

and the cinematography by

Leo Tover Leo Tover, A.S.C. (December 6, 1902 – December 30, 1964) was an American cinematographer, twice nominated for Academy Awards for his work on ''The Heiress'' (1949) and ''Hold Back the Dawn'' (1941). His other credits include the silent ve ...

. ''Untamed'' was the last film edited by

Barbara McLean Barbara "Bobby" McLean (November 16, 1903 – March 28, 1996) was an American film editor with 62 film credits. In the period Darryl F. Zanuck was dominant at the 20th Century Fox Studio, from the 1930s through the 1960s, McLean was the stud ...

, and her twenty-ninth with Henry King.

Plot

In 1847, Paul van Riebeck (

), a

Boer Boers ( ; af, Boere ()) are the descendants of the Dutch-speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape Colony, Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. From 1652 to 1795, the Dutch East India Company controll ...

cavalry commander, travels to

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

from

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

to buy horses for his

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back home. He meets Katie O'Neill (

), daughter of the man selling the horses. She falls in love, but Paul tells her that he has dedicated himself to the establishment of a new country. Squire O'Neill (

Henry O'Neill Henry O'Neill (August 10, 1891 – May 18, 1961) was an American film actor known for playing gray-haired fathers, lawyers, and similarly dignified roles during the 1930s and 1940s. Early years He was born in Orange, New Jersey. Career ...

) dies during the Great Famine that devastates Ireland. Katie marries Shawn Kildare (

John Justin John Justin (24 November 1917 – 29 November 2002) was a British stage and film actor. Early life John Justinian de Ledesma was born in Knightsbridge, London, England, the son of a well-off Argentine rancher. Though he grew up on his father' ...

) and they emigrate to South Africa. Their son is born on the sea voyage to

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

. They and their friend Aggie O'Toole join a group of settlers on an 800-mile trek to Hoffen Valley for free farm land. The most dangerous part of the journey is the crossing of Zulu territory; Van Riebeck and his men are supposed to escort them at that point, but they do not show up at the rendezvous. Kurt Hout, son of the trek leader, becomes enamoured with Katie, even though he already has a girlfriend, Julia, who has also come on the trek. Later, a scout reports that thousands of Zulus are camped ahead of them. They prepare defenses. Simon Hout tries to negotiate with the

Zulus Zulu people (; zu, amaZulu) are a Nguni ethnic group native to Southern Africa. The Zulu people are the largest ethnic group and nation in South Africa, with an estimated 10–12 million people, living mainly in the province of KwaZulu-Natal ...

, but they attack. Alerted by Tschaka, Paul and his men arrive and save the settlers, but Shawn is among the dead. Told by his friend Kurt that Katie is his woman, Paul tries to stay away, but when Katie tells him that she loves him, he tells her that he loves her too. Feeling betrayed, Kurt attacks Paul with a whip, but is beaten. Katie and Paul begin building a home, with the help of natives and Aggie. Then Lieutenant Christian arrives to tell Paul that he must either return to his men or disband the commando. Despite Katie's strong resistance, Paul chooses the former, earning her public declaration of hatred. Later, Kurt shows up and helps her run the farm and the native workers, still hoping she will fall for him, though he is displeased to find Julia also working for her. Provoked by Julia, Kurt starts to chop down a tree Katie expressly ordered him not to. When Katie tries to stop him, he tries to force himself on her, even though Katie tells him she is pregnant. Lightning from a storm strikes the tree, causing it to fall on Kurt, resulting in the amputation of one of his legs. The storm wrecks the farm. Katie has her second child, whom she names Paul, and starts rebuilding her farm. An itinerant peddler informs the settlers that next time he will no longer accept Dutch money, only gold, which is present in the nearby mountains. Katie starts trading her meager possessions to the natives for gold. Then one trades her a diamond, one of the largest ever found in South Africa. With the money, she settles into a life of luxury in Cape Town in Paul's refurbished childhood home. Years pass, and Katie is lonely without him. Finally, Paul's dream is realized: the Dutch Free State is born. Seeking representation in the national assembly for his state, Paul comes to Cape Town, where he is reunited with Katie. They still love each other, but quarrel, and Katie orders Paul to leave. She loses her fortune, so she takes her sons and Aggie to Kolesburg in search of diamonds, despite being warned that outlaws have taken it over. She discovers that Kurt is the embittered leader of the outlaws. The same day, Paul shows up with his men to retake Kolesburg for the government. Kurt prepares an ambush, but Paul outwits him and captures all of his men. Kurt takes Paul's son hostage and gets ready to shoot an unarmed Paul, but Tschaka kills him with his spear. Paul slips a wedding ring on Katie's finger and they set out for Hoffen.

Cast

as Paul van Riebeck *

as Katie O'Neill * Richard Egan as Kurt Hout *

as Aggie O'Toole *

as Squire O'Neill *

as Shawn Kildare *

as Julia *

as Maria DeGroot *

Brad Dexter Brad Dexter (born Boris Michel Soso; April 9, 1917 – December 12, 2002) was an American actor and film producer. He is known for tough-guy and western roles, including the 1960 film ''The Magnificent Seven'' (1960), and producing several fil ...

as Lt. Christian * Paul Thompson as Tschaka

Production

The film was based on a novel, by Helga Moray, who was born in South Africa in 1917, and was married to director

Tay Garnett William Taylor "Tay" Garnett (June 13, 1894 – October 3, 1977) was an American film director and writer. Biography Early life Born in Los Angeles, Garnett attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and served as a naval aviator in Wo ...

; the story is based on the adventures of Moray's Irish grandmother in South Africa. Producer William Bacher became aware of it in 1945, when it was only a 17 page story with the working title ''Katie Called Katje''. Bacher read it and optioned the film rights, helping Moray shape the novel and contributing funds to enable her to finish it. Bacher tried to interest Fox, MGM and Paramount in the project, but all the studios turned it down, worried about the cost.HOLLYWOOD ROUND-UP New York Times 20 Dec 1953: X5 The novel was published in 1950. The ''Washington Post'' called it a "trifle indigestible" although "ready for filming." William Bacher announced he wanted

Glenn Ford Gwyllyn Samuel Newton "Glenn" Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006) was a Canadian-American actor who often portrayed ordinary men in unusual circumstances. Ford was most prominent during Classical Hollywood cinema, Hollywood's Golden Age as ...

to star in the film version. No movie resulted. Bacher teamed with Bert Freidlob and in 1953 managed to sell the project to Fox, who were looking for projects to make that would exploit their new CinemaScope technique.

was hired to write the script. Freidlob wanted

Jean Simmons Jean Merilyn Simmons, (31 January 1929 – 22 January 2010) was a British actress and singer. One of J. Arthur Rank's "well-spoken young starlets", she appeared predominantly in films, beginning with those made in Great Britain during and afte ...

Eleanor Parker Eleanor Jean Parker (June 26, 1922 – December 9, 2013) was an American actress. She was nominated for three Academy Awards for her roles in the films '' Caged'' (1950), ''Detective Story'' (1951), and ''Interrupted Melody'' (1955), the first ...

for the female lead and

Gregory Peck Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the 12th-greatest male star of Classic Hollywood ...

for the male lead. He planned to shoot ninety percent of the film on location in South Africa and ten percent in Europe. Eventually Henry King was signed to direct, and Susan Hayward to star. King and Hayward left for Africa to film background footage in March 1954. In April he went to Ireland for some additional filming. Filming took place in

Valley of a Thousand Hills The Valley of a Thousand Hills is a valley between Pietermaritzburg and Durban, South Africa. The Umgeni River meets the Msunduzi River ( Duzi River) in the valley, and the Dusi Canoe Marathon is run through the area every year. Geography The Va ...

. The unit returned to Hollywood and filming did not resume in the studio until mid July. ''Untamed'' was Tyrone Power's last film at Fox after 18 years.

Victor Mature Victor John Mature (January 29, 1913 – August 4, 1999) was an American stage, film, and television actor who was a leading man in Hollywood during the 1940s and 1950s. His best known film roles include ''One Million B.C.'' (1940), '' My Darlin ...

was meant to play the third lead, but refused and was put on suspension; Richard Egan played the part instead.Victor Mature Suspended by 20th Century-Fox Hopper, Hedda. Los Angeles Times 4 Aug 1954: 2.

References

External links

* * * * {{Henry King 1955 films 1955 adventure films 1950s historical films American historical films 1955 Western (genre) films American Western (genre) films 20th Century Fox films American romantic drama films Films scored by Franz Waxman Films based on South African novels Films directed by Henry King Films set in Ireland Films set in South Africa Films set in the 1840s Films set in the 1850s Films shot in South Africa CinemaScope films 1950s English-language films 1950s American films

Plot

Cast

Production

See also

References

External links