''Westward Ho the Wagons!'' is a 1956 American

Western film The Western is a film genre defined by the American Film Institute as films which are "set in the American West that mbodythe spirit, the struggle, and the demise of the new frontier." Generally set in the American frontier between the Calif ...

starring

Fess Parker Fess Elisha Parker Jr. (born F. E. Parker Jr.;Weaver, Tom.Sci-Fi Swarm and Horror Horde: Interviews with 62 Filmmakers p. 148 (McFarland 2012). August 16, 1924 – March 18, 2010)(March 18, 2010Daniel Boone Actor Fess Parker Dies at 85" '' CBS ...

and

Kathleen Crowley Kathleen Crowley (born Betty Jane Crowley; December 26, 1929 – April 23, 2017) was an American actress. She appeared in over 100 movies and television series in the 1950s and 1960s, almost always as a leading lady. Biography Early life B ...

and produced by

Walt Disney Productions The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...

. Based on

Mary Jane Carr Mary Jane Carr (April 23, 1895 – January 4, 1988) was an American author. Carr wrote her first poem at the age of eight. While at high school, she relied on her writing to pay her way through school. She had a contract with Walt Disney. Other ...

's novel ''Children of the Covered Wagon'', the film was produced by

Bill Walsh William Ernest Walsh (November 30, 1931 – July 30, 2007) was an American professional and college football coach. He served as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers and the Stanford Cardinal, during which time he popularized the West Coast off ...

, directed by

William Beaudine William Washington Beaudine (January 15, 1892 – March 18, 1970) was an American film director. He was one of Hollywood's most prolific directors, turning out a remarkable 179 feature-length films in a wide variety of genres. He is best know ...

, and released to theatres on December 20, 1956 by

Buena Vista Distribution Company Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures is an American film distributor within the Disney Entertainment division of the Walt Disney Company. It handles theatrical and occasional digital distribution, marketing, and promotion for films produced and ...

. The supporting cast features Mouseketeer

Cubby O'Brien Carl Patrick "Cubby" O'Brien (born July 14, 1946), better known by his nickname Cubby, is an American drummer and former child actor. He is known as one of the original Mouseketeers on the weekday ABC television program ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' f ...

Jeff York Jeff York (March 23, 1912 – October 11, 1995), also known as Granville Owen, was an American film and television actor who began his career in the late 1930s using his given name, Granville Owen Scofield. He was also sometimes credited as Jef ...

, Sebastian Cabot (in his first film role for Disney),

David Stollery David John Stollery III (born January 18, 1941, in Los Angeles, California) is a former American child actor and, as an adult, an industrial designer. He appeared in numerous Disney movies and television programs in the 1950s. He is best known fo ...

, and

George Reeves George Reeves (born George Keefer Brewer; January 5, 1914 – June 16, 1959) was an American actor. He was best known for portraying Superman, Clark Kent/Superman in the television series ''Adventures of Superman (TV series), Adventures of ...

(his final feature film appearance).

Plot

A small group of families join together to travel to Oregon in 1846. Their leader is ostensibly James Stephen (

), who has made the trip before, and is now bringing his family along. John Grayson (

), known as Doc for his ambition to study medicine, proves to be the real leader of the wagon train. The pioneers deal with the elements and occasional raids, but after hostile Pawnees drive off their spare horses, they realize they may not make it to the

Oregon Territory The Territory of Oregon was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from August 14, 1848, until February 14, 1859, when the southwestern portion of the territory was admitted to the United States, Union as the Oreg ...

. While stopping at

Fort Laramie Fort Laramie (; founded as Fort William and known for a while as Fort John) was a significant 19th-century trading post, diplomatic site, and military installation located at the confluence of the Laramie and the North Platte Rivers. They joi ...

, the pioneer children make friends with

Sioux The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin ( ; Dakota/ Lakota: ) are groups of Native American tribes and First Nations people from the Great Plains of North America. The Sioux have two major linguistic divisions: the Dakota and Lakota peoples (translati ...

children. After the Sioux chief's son is injured in an accident, Doc Grayson helps heal him, earning the trust of the Sioux. As the story ends, the Sioux warriors escort the wagon train safely through Pawnee territory.

Cast

as John 'Doc' Grayson *

as Laura Thompson *

as Hank Breckenridge *

as Dan Thompson * Sebastian Cabot as Bissonette *

as James Stephen *

Doreen Tracey Doreen Isabelle Tracey (April 13, 1943 – January 10, 2018) was a British-born American performer who appeared on the original ''Mickey Mouse Club'' television show from 1955 to 1959. Early life Tracey was born in St Pancras, London, England. ...

as Bobo Stephen *

Morgan Woodward Thomas Morgan Woodward (September 16, 1925 – February 22, 2019) was an American actor who is best known for his recurring role as Marvin "Punk" Anderson on the television soap opera ''Dallas'' and for his portrayal of Boss Godfrey, the sungla ...

as Obie Foster *

Barbara Woodell Barbara Woodell (born Barbara Mae Smith; May 25, 1910 – January 16, 1997) was an American stage, film and television actress, born in Lewistown, Illinois. Taking the stage name Woodell after her grandmother's name, she was married to composer ...

as Mrs. Stephen *

Iron Eyes Cody Iron Eyes Cody (born Espera Oscar de Corti, April 3, 1904 – January 4, 1999) was an American actor of Italian descent who portrayed Native Americans in Hollywood films, including the role of Chief Iron Eyes in Bob Hope's '' The Paleface'' ...

as Many Stars *

John War Eagle John Henry St Pierre, a.k.a. John War Eagle (8 June 1901 – 7 February 1991) was a Yankton Sioux film and television actor. He was born September 24, 1901, in Wagner, Charles Mix, South Dakota. He was of the Sioux people, and was raised on ...

as Wolf's Brother * Anthony Numkena as Little Thunder *

as Jerry Stephen *

Karen Pendleton Karen Anita Pendleton (August 1, 1946 – October 6, 2019) was an original ''Mickey Mouse Club'' Mouseketeer on the ABC television series from 1955 to 1959. She was one of only nine Mouseketeers who were on the show during its entire original ru ...

as Myra Thompson *

Tommy Cole Tommy Cole (born December 20, 1941) is an American make-up artist, actor, and singer who appeared as a Mouseketeer on the '' Mickey Mouse Club'' television series. Early life Although born in Burbank, California, Tommy Cole grew up in the Los ...

as Jim Stephen * Jane Liddell as Ruth Benjamin *

Leslie Bradley Leslie Ernest Bradley (1 September 1907 – 20 July 1974) was an English actor. He died in Desert Hot Springs, California. Filmography * '' The Way of Youth'' (1934) as Lieut. Burton (film debut) * ''Play Up the Band'' (1935) as Jack Heck ...

as Spencer Armitage *

Jon Locke Joseph Lockey Yon, also known as credited as Jon Locke, (October 10, 1927 – October 19, 2013) was an American actor who appeared in many television and film westerns. Early life Locke was borne in Orlando, Florida. He became involved in theate ...

as Ed Benjamin Additionally, several actors appear in the film uncredited. They include:

Max Wagner Max Wagner (November 28, 1901 – November 16, 1975) was a Mexican-born American film actor who specialized in playing small parts such as thugs, gangsters, sailors, henchmen, bodyguards, cab drivers and moving men, appearing more than 400 ...

as a Wagon man; Chuck Courtney as a Wagon man,

Gertrude Astor Gertrude Astor (born Gertrude Irene Eyster; November 9, 1887 – November 9, 1977) was an American motion picture character actress, who began her career playing trombone in a woman's band. Early years Astor was born on November 9, 1887, in ...

as a Wagon woman,

Eddie Little Sky Eddie Little Sky (August 15, 1926 – September 5, 1997), also known as Edward Little, was an American actor. A citizen of the Oglala Lakota tribe Eddie had parts in 36 feature films and over 60 television shows,''Indian Country Today'', retrie ...

as a Pawnee Indian, and

Carl Mathews Carl Mathews (February 19, 1903 – May 3, 1959), also sometimes credited as Carl Matthews, was an American character actor and stuntman of the 1930s through 1950s. Born on February 19, 1903, in Oklahoma, his first film role would be in '' Rough ...

as an Indian.

Songs

* ''Westward Ho the Wagons!'' - lyrics by Tom Blackburn and music by

George Bruns George Edward Bruns (July 3, 1914 – May 23, 1983) was an American composer of music for film and television. His accolades include four Academy Award nominations and three Grammy Award nominations. He is mainly known for his compositions fo ...

* ''The Ballad of John Colter'' - lyrics by Tom Blackburn and music by George Bruns * ''Wringle Wrangle'' - written by Stan Jones * "I'm Lonely, My Darlin'" (based on

Green Grow the Lilacs Green Grow the Lilacs is a folk song of Irish origin that was popular in the United States during the mid-19th century. The song title is the source of a folk etymology for the word ''gringo'' that states that the Mexicans misheard U.S. troops si ...

, traditional) - lyrics by

and music arrangement by George Bruns * ''Pioneer's Prayer'' (from ''

The Vanishing Prairie ''The Vanishing Prairie'' is a 1954 American documentary film directed by James Algar and released by Walt Disney Productions. The theme music was given a set of lyrics by Hazel "Gil" George. It was rechristened as "Pioneer's Prayer" in '' W ...

'') - lyrics by Hazel "Gil" George and music by

Paul Smith Paul Smith is the name of: Music * Paul Smith (composer) (1906–1985), American film music composer * Paul Smith (pianist) (1922–2013), Los Angeles jazz pianist * Paul Smith (English singer) (born 1979), vocalist and songwriter of British in ...

Production

stars in the film, which also features the last and posthumous big-screen appearance of

. It was released on videotape in 1986 and on March 18, 1997. The film was shot in Janss Conejo Ranch, now known as

Wildwood Regional Park Wildwood Regional Park is a suburban regional park in the western Simi Hills and Conejo Valley, in Ventura County, California. It is located in western Thousand Oaks, northern Newbury Park, and southern Moorpark. Wildwood is home to over 27 ...

Thousand Oaks, California Thousand Oaks is the second-largest city in Ventura County, California, located in the northwestern part of Greater Los Angeles. Approximately from the city of Los Angeles and from Downtown Los Angeles, it is named after the many oak trees pr ...

. Four Mousketeers from the "Mickey Mouse Club" were in the film: Tommy Cole, Doreen Tracey, Cubby O'Brien, and Karen Pendleton. The film was only a moderate success, and received mixed reviews. Fess Parker's version of the song "Wringle Wrangle" from the film was released as a single.

Reception

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' noted: "Cinemascope treatment allows a vast panorama against which to limn the simple, yet stirring, narrative, and there's the marquee lure of Fess Parker for the younger trade particularly." ''

Harrison's Reports ''Harrison's Reports'' was a New York City–based motion picture trade journal published weekly from 1919 to 1962. The typical issue was four letter-size pages sent to subscribers under a second-class mail permit. Its founder, editor and publish ...

'' wrote: "Set against highly impressive outdoor backgrounds and beautifully photographed in CinemaScope and Technicolor, this Walt Disney live-action western should go over well with the family trade, particularly the youngsters, for children play an important part in the proceedings." ''

The Monthly Film Bulletin The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 until April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those wi ...

'' wrote: "Walt Disney's latest western adventure contains neither the excitement, the good humour nor the high spirits of his ''Davy Crockett'' films. There is a sense of strain; the humour hangs heavy; the action and its outcome is always predictable. The undaunted Fess Parker, however, remains as resolute as ever, and sings with the same charm and style."

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Westward Ho The Wagons! 1956 films 1956 Western (genre) films Walt Disney Pictures films 1950s English-language films Films about Native Americans Films based on American novels Films directed by William Beaudine Films produced by Bill Walsh (producer) Films produced by Walt Disney Films set in 1846 Films set in Wyoming Films shot in California Films adapted into comics Films scored by George Bruns American Western (genre) films CinemaScope films 1950s American films English-language Western (genre) films Sioux in popular culture Pawnee in popular culture