Coming up next is 1940's "Santa Fe Trail", a story about US abolitionist John Brown and his methods, which ultimately began the Civil War. Along for the ride are two West Point graduates who are in love with the same woman.
The film's cast includes Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Raymond Massey, Ronald Reagan, Alan Hale, Van Heflin, Henry O'Neill, Guinn "Big Boy" Williams, Moroni Olsen, and Susan Peters.
At West Point, a scuffle has broken out amongst the cadets. The instigator, Carl Rader, has been distributing pamphlets that advocate the policies of abolitionist John Brown, who uses violence as part of his plans to end slavery. Rader initiates a fight. Cadets Jeb Stuart and George Armstrong Custer stand up to him, along with several of their fellow cadets.
Stuart and Custer and their friends are brought before the leaders of West Point, who tell them that pursuing ideological causes is against what a US soldier stands for. He tells them they are to be severely punished. Following their graduation, they are to be sent to Fort Levenworth in Kansas Territory, which is the most dangerous posting available. Since that's what they wanted in the first place, the cadets don't argue.
Carl Rader is dismissed from West Point for his part in inciting the fighting and distributing the controversial pamphlets. It won't be the last the cadets see of this man.
The men graduate from West Point a couple of weeks later. They are ready to proudly serve their country.
On the way to Kansas Territory, Jeb and George meet Miss Kit Carson Holliday, and both fall madly in love with her. It gets to be sort of a competition. They each try and win her affections.
Once at Fort Levenworth, Jeb, George, and the rest get their orders. They find out that they are in mighty dangerous territory. They couldn't be more thrilled at the prospect of serving there.
Elsewhere, John Brown is sending word to his allies that anyone who opposes him or his methods will die.
He proclaims himself the right hand of God, ready and willing to do what must be done to end slavery.
Soon enough, Jeb and George meet up with Brown, and also their old acquaintance Carl Rader. Brown initially says he doesn't have any ill feelings toward the soldiers, but he will deal severely with those who stand in his way.
Back at the fort, the men are ordered to seize John Brown, alive if at all possible.
Jeb and George each bid farewell to Kit as they head off to complete their mission.
As they ride through Kansas Territory, the regiment sees the devastation wrought by John Brown and his followers. However, he is always one step ahead of them and always evades capture.
At a regimental dance, Kit admits to George that she is in love with Jeb. Naturally, George is crushed.
Three years later, George and Jeb are back in Washington D.C. It's believed that Brown's forces have been crushed. Kit introduces George to a lovely young woman. George is very happy, and forgets his infatuation with Kit. Of course, Jeb is glad that he no longer has any competition.
Quietly, John Brown has been mustering forces and is ready to launch an attack an arsenal in Lee's Ferry, Virginia. His ultimate aim is to start a war.
Jeb is notified by a deserter of Brown's army of the rebellion, and he launches a successful counterattack.
Brown is captured and tried for treason. He is hanged for his crimes of violence and rebellion.
At the hanging, Kit has to look away. With John Brown's death, she foresees something much more terrible coming to the country.
For now, happy times are ahead. Kit and Jeb are married on a train bound for Kansas Territory.
Cast rundown:
Errol Flynn....................................Jeb Stuart
Olivia de Havilland.........................Kit Carson Holliday
Raymond Massey...........................John Brown
Ronald Reagan...............................George Armstrong Custer
Alan Hale......................................Tex Bell
Van Heflin.....................................Carl Rader
Henry O'Neill.................................Cyrus Holliday
Moroni Olsen..................................Robert E. Lee
Susan Peters..................................Charlotte Davis
And that's it for Santa Fe Trail. This was the seventh film that featured Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland together. There are a variety of opinions about John Brown and what he stood for. Some thing him a mentally ill zealot, others a hero. This film depicts him as the antagonist, though it shows that his principles regarding slavery were right. However, the methods by which he set about achieving slavery's end were wrong.
As this film is in the public domain, it is available to view in its entirety here.
Our next installment which features that famous Alexandre Dumas classic is 1948's "The Three Musketeers". Again we follow D'Artagnan as he embarks on a quest to join the ranks of the fabled Musketeers. The film's cast includes Gene Kelly, Lana Turner, June Allyson, Van Heflin, Angela Lansbury, Frank Morgan, Vincent Price, Keenan Wynn, John Sutton, Gig Young, Robert Coote, Reginald Owen, and Ian Keith.
D'Artagnan, a young man from Gascony, sets out for Paris to become one of the King's Musketeers. He carries a letter of introduction from his father to the commander of the Musketeers.
Along the way, he meets a mysterious lady, who becomes suspicious of D'Artagnan. She has her guards knock him out and burn his letter of introduction before she drives away in her carriage.
D'Artagnan arrives in Paris and meets up with some Musketeers: Athos, Aramis, and Porthos. He finds himself in hot water when all three Musketeers challenge him to separate duels for some grievance he's made against them.
When Cardinal Richelieu's guards try to arrest them for dueling, D'Artagnan joins in the fight and endears himself to the Musketeers, who welcome him with open arms to their ranks after defeating the guards.
Later at an inn, D'Artagnan meets the innkeeper's goddaughter Constance, who is a lady-in-waiting to the Queen. The two are instantly attracted to one another and fall in love.
The Queen is in love with the Duke of Buckingham. But for the peace of their two countries, she tells him to go and never see her again. She gives him a present of a set of twelve diamonds as a keepsake.
Wanting to start a war with England and hearing of the Queen's gift to Buckingham, Cardinal Richelieu dispatches the Countess de Winter to use whatever means necessary to retrieve the diamonds, thus embarrassing the Queen and making the King begin the war.
Constance goes to D'Artagnan and tells him about the plot to start a war. He agrees to help and bring back the diamonds so the Queen can wear them to a dinner that the Cardinal is planning.
He enlists the help of Athos, Aramis, and Porthos, who agree that if they all pitch in, one of them has a chance of making it out alive and foiling the Cardinal's plan.
D'Artagnan meets with Buckingham, who is only too happy to help out the Queen. When the jewel box is opened, it's discovered that two of the jewels are missing. (Countess de Winter had already been there to see the Duke). The Duke has two replacements hurriedly made and then sends D'Artagnan on his way.
Countess de Winter gives Cardinal Richelieu the two diamonds she took. He orders his guards to not let D'Artagnan into Paris.
On the night of the dinner, the Queen nervously prepares to face the Cardinal without her jewels.
D'Artagnan has to be crafty in the way he enters the palace. He swings from ropes and scales the rooftops to get to Constance.
The Queen enters the room with the King and Richelieu. Constance appears and gives her the box of twelve diamonds, just as the Cardinal pulls out the two he has. Puzzled, the Cardinal deduces that D'Artagnan was able to outsmart his guards. The Queen apologizes and says she didn't have time enough to display the jewels properly because her dressmaker was late.
The Cardinal has D'Artagnan brought to him and offers him a position in his own guards. He has also kidnapped Constance in an attempt to entice D'Artagnan to accept his offer. The Countess de Winter is also recruited to help persuade him. When D'Artagnan and the Countess meet, instant recognition lights up both of their eyes.
Musketeer Athos tries to warn D'Artagnan that the Countess de Winter is his former wife who is also a traitor to France. D'Artagnan, falling under the Countess's spell, doesn't believe him. Athos tells him that she bears the mark of a criminal on her shoulder.
The Countess tries to kill D'Artagnan and in the ensuing fight, the mark which Athos told him about is revealed on the Countess's shoulder.
The Queen finds Constance and is planning to send her away for safekeeping to Buckingham. She and D'Artagnan are married before she leaves.
Things aren't going well with the war that Richelieu had hoped to start, so he sends the Countess to London to assassinate Buckingham. She asks for a carte blanche (official letters stating that she has the full power to act), which Richelieu grants.
The Musketeers hear the Countess discussing their plans and follow the Countess to London.
Unfortunately, they are too late. The Countess assassinates Buckingham and kills Constance, but D'Artagnan and Athos track her to Athos's ancestral home.
Athos interrupts her while she is fixing her hair. She begs for mercy, but Athos remains firm in his resolve that she is too dangerous to be left alive even though he still loves her. She walks unaided to her execution.
The Cardinal's men arrest D'Artagnan and the Musketeers and they are brought before the King.
When they produce Richelieu's letter of carte blanche, the tables are turned and Richelieu must navigate the situation quickly, advising the King to reward them for stopping a war.
This the King is only too glad to do. D'Artagnan is rewarded with a position with the Musketeers. Aramis is allowed to join a monastery. Athos is granted the restoration of his lands and title. And Porthos is to be given an introduction to a rich widow. Happy that they have finished their quest, the Musketeers take their leave of the King. Cast rundown:
Ian Keith............................................Rochefort And that's all for this edition of The Three Musketeers. This was Gene Kelly's first non-musical role, and it was also Lana Turner's first appearance in a colorized film. Angela Lansbury felt she was too young to portray Queen Anne, and actually wanted the role of Countess de Winter. Vincent Price portrayed Cardinal Richelieu again in a television movie version of "The Three Musketeers". This version of the film was the first that uses the whole storyline of the novel. All previous adaptations (and most since) stop halfway through it and end with the successful return of the Queen's jewels. As always, if you wish to leave a comment, please remember our posting rules.
