Written and Directed by Delmer Daves
Director Of Photography: J. Peverell Marley, ASC
Film Editor: Clarence Kolster
Music by Victor Young
CAST: Alan Ladd (Johnny Mckay), Audrey Dalton (Nancy Meek), Marisa Pavan (Toby), Robert Keith (Bill Satterwhite), Charles Bronson (Captain Jack)
Not long after Shane (1953), Alan Ladd left Paramount, the studio that made him a star, and launched his independent company, Jaguar. Their first film was Drum Beat (1954). Based on the 1873 Modoc War, Ladd plays an Indian fighter recruited by President Grant to find a way to peace with the Modoc. Turns out the tribe wants peace, but a chief named Captain Jack (Charles Bronson) and his band of renegades are lousing things up. Repeated attempts for a peaceful resolution are unsuccessful, and we get a very exciting last couple of reels.
Though I’m not a big Alan Ladd fan, I really liked this one. It wears its “sympathetic treatment of the Indians” thing well, but never forgets that it’s action that puts people in the seats. Boy, a lot of people get shot in this thing.
My job is to protect the wagon train. When somebody shoots at my people, I shoot back.”
— Alan Ladd
Ladd and Daves (and, of course, DP J. Peverell Marley) shot Drum Beat in Warnercolor and the then-new CinemaScope. As was the custom with ‘Scope at the time, they avoided close-ups, went for long takes whenever possible, and gave us lots of gorgeous vistas of Sonora, Arizona, and the Coconino National Forest. Daves always showed off the landscape in his Westerns, making each setting an essential element of the film, and this is one of Drum Beat’s great strengths. If there’s a film that makes better use of the Sonora area, I don’t know what it is.
The cast is a 50s Western fan’s dream: James H. Griffith (as a Civil War veteran who lost a leg at Shilo), Frank Ferguson, Elisha Cook, Jr., Willis Bouchey, Perry Lopez, Anthony Caruso, Denver Pyle and Strother Martin (who I heard was in it, but somehow missed). Of course, Charles Bronson makes quite an impression as Captain Jack in his first film under his new name (it had been Buchinsky, which was considered too Russian-sounding in the HUAC years).
With Drum Beat, Warner Archive gives us a pretty good-looking DVD. The Warnercolor is, well, Warnercolor — but here it looks as good as I’ve ever seen it look. The image is a tad soft at times (varying from shot to shot), some of which we can blame on the early CinemaScope. The audio is excellent; I love the stereo sound of these early Scope pictures, with an actor’s voice following them as they move around within the wide frame. This is a really good film, and a real treat in widescreen and stereo (I’d love to see a Blu-ray turn up someday). Highly recommended.
Alan Ladd and Delmer Daves reunited for The Badlanders (1958), also available from Warner Archive. I haven’t seen it in ages, and I’m really eager to revisit it.
Along with Drum Beat, two more Ladd Westerns came riding into town, thanks to Warner Archive.
The Big Land (1957)
Directed by Gordon Douglas
CAST: Alan Ladd, Virginia Mayo, Edmond O’Brien, Anthony Caruso, Julie Bishop and John Qualen
Ladd’s a cattle man who works to build a town around a railroad hub, which will benefit the local ranchers. Of course, there’s someone who doesn’t want all this to happen.
As a drunk, Edmond O’Brien steals every scene he’s in. He’s terrific. This is WarnerColor again, and it’s not as well-behaved as it is in Drum Beat. Good movie, though, especially if you’re a fan of O’Brien or Virginia Mayo. Gordon Douglas is as dependable as ever.
Guns Of The Timberland (1960)
Directed by Robert D. Webb
CAST: Alan Ladd, Jeanne Crain, Gilbert Roland, Frankie Avalon
This time, Ladd’s a lumberjack who arrives in the Northwest to take out a lot of trees. The townspeople are afraid Ladd’s efforts will cause mudslides and do other environmental harm. Frankie Avalon sings “Gee Whiz Whillikins Golly Gee,” which Bugs Bunny used to sing in the bumpers to The Bugs Bunny Show on Saturday mornings. This tune is just one of the things that put Guns Of The Timberland in that goofy time period that a lot of series Westerns exist in, where Old and New West, cars and buckboards peacefully coexist.
Jeanne Crain is beautiful, Gilbert Roland is as cool as ever, and Lyle Bettger actually gets to be a good guy for once. The Technicolor makes it to DVD looking like a million bucks, while alcohol has Ladd looking just terrible.
I am really pleased these westerns have been released by Warner Archive in their correct ratios and in apparently such fine prints.
Alan Ladd is not a personal favourite among leading actors of the day especially, though, having said that, he starred (wonderfully) in what has to be one of the greatest westerns ever made (for me anyway), “SHANE”.
Nice reviews, Toby, that should commend these releases to all of us.
As I have said many times before I really like Ladd in Westerns and
overall they are a pretty decent bunch.I DO hope that RED MOUNTAIN
makes it to DVD sooner rather than later as it’s one of his very best;
amazing cast too!
I am so glad Warner Archive have untangled the “rights” issues and
released these long awaited three Westerns.
I still don’t think Ladd looked too bad in “Timberland” at any rate
he looks far better than he did in ONE FOOT IN HELL a rare mis-fire
from The Ladd.
Regarding “Gee Whizz Whilikens Golly Gee” remember this film was directed
by LOVE ME TENDER’s Robert D Webb,who seemed to like to
have anachronistic songs in his Westerns.Love that electric “twang”
coming from those guys on acoustic guitars!
Webb was a pretty busy contract director for Fox in the Fifties,he had
some interesting credits…THE PROUD ONES being a personal favorite.
Two of Webb’s films are on my wanted list-SEVEN CITIES OF GOLD
and ON THE THRESHOLD OF SPACE two films that I adored as a kid.
I DO hope that when Fox Archives get round to releasing them they are
the CinemaScope versions!
After a while, Ladd began to look like a wax figure of himself. Drum Beat, though, looks pretty good — I don’t think I’ve even ever heard of it. I have to confess, though, that Guns of the Timberland looks like a guilty pleasure that will keep me happy for days to come.
I read the Drum Beat comic book long before I saw the movie, and when I did, it was butchered to fit it on my TV screen. It’s a good one.
Guns Of The Timberland is more than a guilty pleasure. The action scenes are terrific.
Thank you for the posting; this information is useful. I’m not a big fan of Alan Ladd in westerns so I was only going to buy The Big Land; now after reading the comments I’ll be getting Drumbeat also.
Thanks for reminding me; Drum Beat was one of the comics lost in my mother’s great big clear out!!
I have the Aussie release of DRUMBEAT on the BOUNTY label and it’s good enough for me even though the WARNER release may be better. ALAN LADD may have looked a little bloated in his latter films but he always puts in a good performance no matter what he has starred in I do hope they release RED MOUNTAIN on DVD soon and some of his action movies like THUNDER IN THE EAST .John K, THE PROUD ONES is one of my favourites too and ROBERT RYAN is a great actor.
Thanks for putting up this review, Toby – very informative and useful.
I really am a Ladd fan and lap up his movies eagerly. I have the Aussie edition of Drum beat too and I’ll gladly upgrade it. The fact it’s a Daves western is the icing on the cake for me.
I’m very keen to see the other two titles as well – maybe they’re of slightly lesser quality overall but they intrigue me. I liked Louis L’Amour’s novel so Guns of the Timberland has been high on my list for some time.
I recently watched The Badlanders again and thought it was a neat reworking of The Asphalt Jungle – not as good a movie but individual enough to be worthwhile – and I’d love to hear your thoughts on it when you get round to it.
Glad you dug this post.
These films have me wanting to dig into Ladd’s filmography a bit deeper. I’ve only seen the obvious ones.
Maybe it’s about time for another of your 10 Best posts–a beginner’s guide to Alan Ladd!
Now there’s an idea!
Do it! Please.
Enjoyed your reviews, Toby! I’m a Ladd fan but have yet to see DRUMBEAT – hope to rectify that soon. Love the cover of the Dell Comic you shared. That’s a great Ladd pose!
I think our feelings on THE BIG LAND and GUNS OF THE TIMBERLAND are very similar. I liked them both; the former is a stronger film, especially as the latter title is a bit marred by the anachronistic music and Ladd’s sad appearance, but I found GUNS OF THE TIMBERLAND pleasant company when I saw it on TCM a few months ago.
Best wishes,
Laura
Great reviews, Toby. I have the Movie Classic comics for “Drum Beat” (now fifty years old) and “The Big Land” (also with a great cover). The reason that directors avoided close ups in early CinemaScope films was because the primitive Bausch and Lomb anamorphic lenses in use at the time couldn’t handle them. The problem was that the closer the distance between the actor / actress and the lens, the anamorphic ‘squeeze’ became less pronounced, so that, three feet and under from the lens to the subject, the squeeze, instead of being 2 x 1, became something like 1.90:1 which meant that when the film was projected stretched out at 2 x 1 by the anamorphic lens on the projector in the cinema, the subjects faces appeared broader and fatter than in real life. This became known in the trade as ‘the CinemaScope mumps’. Later anamorphic lenses produced by the Panavision company, eradicated this problem with the optics.
Thanks for the kind words, and for the great explanation of the CinemaScope mumps.
I’ve always loved long takes, and I think that’s one of the reasons I’m so enamored of early Scope films. They give you a real feel for the geography of a scene and where the actors are in relation to each other–which can be very important to how a scene plays. That is lost with the later emphasis on close-ups.
The original idea with the long takes in early CinemaScope films was that it would save money on numerous camera set-ups just letting the camera roll and having the actors wander about in front of it. The main drawback with this rather odd idea was that it slowed down the pace of the film and made scenes look like a filmed stage play. Also, the actors had to remember more dialogue than they would have spoken in short takes.
Sorry, I meant to say that the “Drum Beat” comic is now sixty years old (1954).
David, that’s a good explanation about early CinemaScope.
I never knew that before. At one time I used to think I’d got a wrong screen setting on my TV or DVD player when the fat heads appeared.
I’m envious that you still have Drum Beat comic in your collection.
Yes, Mike, I can always tell the difference between an early CinemaScope film and a later Panavision one. Although both systems used anamorphic lenses, with a screen aspect ratio of 2.35:1, the Panavision lenses were much more versatile, meaning that close-ups and zooms were no problem. Yes, I’m very proud of my Movie Classic comic collection. I have most of the DELL issues and a complete set of the WDL issues published between 1954 and 1960. I also have a 45 rpm single from 1960 on the blue His Master’s Voice label with Frankie Avalon singing two songs from “Guns of the Timberland”, The Faithful Kind backed with Gee Whiz Willikins Golly Gee.
That 45 sounds terrific!
In the UK, were you exposed to Bugs Bunny singing it?
I don’t recall Bugs Bunny singing it, Toby. But I do remember seeing plenty of Bugs Bunny cartoons at the cinema. A classic one was where he met Edward G. Robinson and Peter Lorre and the drawings and voices were just like them.
It was one of the bumpers or linking segments of the Bugs Bunny Show on TV. Bugs was animated singing to Frankie’s voice.
It was my first exposure to the song–I knew it as a toddler. There are no doubt many, many American around my age who know that song yet have no idea who Alan Ladd is.
Regarding the aforementioned Aussie edition of DRUM BEAT the Warner
Archive version is superior in every way,the ratio is correct and the
color is far,far superior.
I’m glad that there is interest in GUNS OF THE TIMBERLAND too,
it was kinda old-fashioned even when it was released and that’s part
of its appeal.It reminds me of the later Robert Taylor Westerns
CATTLE KING and RETURN OF THE GUNFIGHTER which were an
attempt to revive the old-time “traditional” Western and I find them both
highly enjoyable because of that. Then of course there were those
A.C.Lyles Westerns which must have showed some sort of profit as there
were 13 of them.With the Spaghetti Westerns just around the corner
times certainly were a’changing.
For latter day Ladd I highly recommend the vigilante thriller 13 WEST
STREET.
The saddest of Ladd’s later films was when he went to Italy to make
one of those sword and sandal “epics” which enticed many Hollywood
stars over to Italy. Ladd was in far too bad a shape to be brandishing a
sword and cavorting around in a toga in DUEL OF THE CHAMPIONS.
David Rayner,this one played in London with EVERY DAYS A
HOLIDAY and it was indeed sad to see Ladd reduced to B picture filler
fare.. By the way David; on the previous epic thread (103 replies);
with a bit of research I see that in London HOLD BACK THE NIGHT
supported BAND OF ANGLES on the ABC circuit.
Finally,I must say how delighted I was to see Colin return to the
fold,long may his contributions continue.
I’ll second that final thought, John. Also, I have to say how much I am enjoying the expert information provided by David – priceless information, as far as I am concerned.
Glad it was of use to you, Jerry.
I’ve always liked Alan Ladd. And have enjoyed DRUM BEAT and THE BIG LAND. I’ve seen both on the Encore Western channel, but you know how that is. I will have to pick up the widescreen DVD of DRUM BEAT. I agree with everything David Rayner said about the early Cinemescope pictures. The long takes and long shots are the exact opposite of today’s MTV influenced movies. And I always get a kick out of the directionality, for want of a better word, of the stereo sound, where you can hear the actor’s voices follow them from one end of the frame to the other. What happened to that? Dolby digital is great but most of the dialog seems to come from the center. Another Ladd western you might want to take a look at is BRANDED, another one with Robert Keith. It came out a while ago on DVD in standard format. Good story line with Keith talking Ladd into impersonating the son of a wealthy rancher who disappeared as a kid. Ladd did come upon hard times healthwise at the end, and DUEL OF THE CHAMPIONS (1961) is terrible, but he rallied in THE CARPETBAGGERS (1964)with a rousing fight scene with George Peppard.
These days, and for quite some time, the dialogue remains front and center. I guess it makes things easier to hear and all, especially since you can’t depend on the quality of a theater’s (or a home’s) stereo rig.
I received Guns of the Timberland yesterday. An excellent transfer and the film was better than I remembered…although it was quite obviously Alan Ladd’s stand-in doing the energetic rough and tumble in many shots during the fight scenes (and carrying Gilbert Roland out of the blazing forest),
I now await Oregon Passage (due any day) and I have just ordered The Big Land.
I received Oregon Passage this morning after its long journey from Pennsylvania, have just played it and am very pleased with it. An excellent transfer for such an old film. Allied Artists made some really good Westerns in those days and this is one of their best. The battle scenes were terrific, especially the climatic fight between John Ericson and that Indian chief, with the music score complimenting the action superbly. If it had arrived four days earlier, it would have arrived on August 15th, the 55th anniversary of my first going to see the film in 1959. It was quite a novelty seeing it again in full width CinemaScope after five and a half decades. I was only 12 then and I’m 67 now, so it’s been a long time.
It isn’t Alan Ladd’s birthday until Sept. 3 but today TCM is featuring a whole day of his films, including DRUM BEAT, GUNS OF THE TIMBERLAND, the IRON MISTRESS and the broadcast premier of SANTIAGO.
John, Galatea shop are back in business. If you still want their dvd of STREETS OF LAREDO. They have one copy left.