The Charge at Feather River

The Charge at Feather River
Promotional poster advertising the release of the film in 3-D
Directed by	Gordon Douglas
Written by	James R. Webb
Produced by	David Weisbart
Starring	Guy Madison Frank Lovejoy Helen Westcott Vera Miles Dick Wesson Onslow Stevens Steve Brodie James Brown
Cinematography	J. Peverell Marley
Edited by	Folmar Blangsted
Music by	Max Steiner
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release dates	June 30, 1953 (1953-06-30) (Vernon, Texas) July 11, 1953 (1953-07-11) (United States)
Running time	95 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$3.65 million (US)[1]

The Charge at Feather River is a 1953 American Western film directed by Gordon Douglas. It was originally released in 3D with many arrows, lances, and other weapons flying directly at the audience in several scenes.^[2]

The movie is most notable for originating the name of the "Wilhelm scream",^[3] a sound effect used in the Star Wars film series,^[4] as well as countless other movies including the Indiana Jones franchise,^[5] Disney cartoons and The Lord of the Rings film series.^[6] In February 2018 it was announced that Star Wars will no longer use the Wilhelm scream.^[7][8] Sound designer Ben Burtt named the sound after "Pvt. Wilhelm", a minor character in the film who emits the famous scream after being shot by an arrow (although the recording actually originated in the Gary Cooper film Distant Drums in 1951). When the film screened at the Second World 3-D Expo at Hollywood's Egyptian Theatre in 2006, much of the film-savvy audience broke into applause when Pvt. Wilhelm screamed.

The climax of the film has many similarities to the 1868 Battle of Beecher Island, though instead of Army frontier scouts, Madison's character recruits "the Guardhouse Brigade" from Army prisoners and arms them with repeating rifles. Some have also noticed that the plot bears a number of similarities to the later Major Dundee, directed by Sam Peckinpah in 1965, notably the journey leading up to the climactic stand-off.

Plot

The cavalry at Fort Bellows, in Colorado territory, seeks the help of Miles Archer to rescue two white women abducted by the Cheyenne as well as provide security for the railroad construction. The venture entails journey through hostile Cheyenne territory, and facing knives, arrows, spears, tomahawks and an irate rattlesnake.

Cast

• Guy Madison as Miles Archer
• Frank Lovejoy as Sgt. Charlie Baker
• Helen Westcott as Anne McKeever
• Vera Miles as Jennie McKeever
• Dick Wesson as Pvt. Cullen
• Onslow Stevens as Grover Johnson
• Steve Brodie as Pvt. Ryan
• Ron Hagerthy as Johnny McKeever
• Fay Roope as Lt. Col. Kilrain
• Neville Brand as Pvt. Morgan
• Henry Kulky as Pvt. Smiley
• Lane Chandler as Pvt. Zebulan Poinsett
• Fred Carson as Chief Thunder Hawk
• James Brown as Pvt. Connors
• Ralph Brooke as Pvt. Wilhelm (scream voiced by Sheb Wooley)

References

1. "The Top Box Office Hits of 1953". Variety. Penske Business Media, LLC. January 13, 1954.
2. Erick, Hal. "The Charge at Feather River". Allrovi. Rovi Corp. Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved August 1, 2018.
3. Valjak, Domagoj (April 23, 2018). "The origin of the Wilhelm scream, the most famous sound effect in the history of cinema". The Vintage News. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
4. Jung, Pea (August 29, 2016). Xmas Wars - Crazy about Han. Translated by Forsdick, Charlotte. Babelcube Inc. p. 33. ISBN 9781507150726.
5. Winters, Patrick (January 23, 2017). Sound Design for Low & No Budget Films. Taylor & Francis. p. 61. ISBN 9781317557937.
6. Malone, Lee Gjertsen (February 23, 2016). The Last Boy at St. Edith's. Simon and Schuster. p. 55. ISBN 9781481444378.
7. Kurp, Josh (February 21, 2018). "A 'Star Wars' Tradition Dating Back To The Original Movie Has Been Retired". Uproxx. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
8. Dillon, Ananda (February 21, 2018). "Star Wars Has Abandoned the Iconic Wilhelm Scream". CBR.com. Retrieved August 24, 2018.

External links

• The Charge at Feather River at IMDb 
• The Charge at Feather River at the TCM Movie Database