By Violet LeVoit
Rocky Mountain
Brief Synopsis
A Confederate troop makes a last desperate attempt to build up an army in the West.
Cast & Crew
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William Keighley
Director
Errol Flynn
Lafe Barstow
Patrice Wymore
Johanna Carter
Scott Forbes
Lt. Rickey
Guinn Williams
Pap Dennison
Dick Jones
Jimmy Wheat
Film Details
Also Known As
Ghost Mountain
Genre
War
Action
Western
Release Date
Nov
11,
1950
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Location
Gallup, New Mexico, United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 23m
Sound
Mono (RCA Sound System)
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
7,458ft
Synopsis
On 26 Mar 1865, a detachment of Confederate cavalry, led by Captain Lafe Barstow, crosses the state line into California. The soldiers are under secret orders from General Robert E. Lee to meet with outlaw Cole Smith, who allegedly commands 500 men, in order to persuade him to bring them into the war on the side of the South. The rendezvous point is Rocky Mountain, also known as Ghost Mountain. When Barstow and his seven men--Kip Waterston, Pierre Duchesne, Pap Dennison, Kay Rawlins, Jimmy Wheat, Jonas Weatherby and Plank--arrive, Smith is waiting for them. From their vantage point on the mountain, the men see a war party of Indians attack a stagecoach. Barstow's men ride to the rescue and return with Gil Craigie, the driver, and his passenger, Johanna Carter, who is on the way to join her fiancé, Union soldier Lt. Rickey. That night, the Indians burn the stage, and the following morning, a detachment of four Union soldiers and three Shoshone scouts examine the ashes. Barstow and his men capture the soldiers, who include Rickey. From them, Barstow learns that the Union knows about their presence in California. Smith now leaves to round up his men, planning to return in two days. In the meantime, Craigie learns that the scouts are really a chief and his two sons. He tells Barstow his belief that they will escape and return with their tribe. That night, while Jimmy is on watch, the Indians escape. The soldiers kill two of them, but the chief evades their bullets. In the morning, Rickey suggests that he take Johanna to a nearby garrison before the Indians arrive. Barstow, however, hopes that Smith's men will come before the Indians do and rejects the suggestion. That night, Rickey escapes, leaving Johanna behind. The following morning, the men find Smith's riderless horse and realize that he has been killed. Now that the men know no help is coming, they decide to engage the Indians in battle to distract them while Johanna and Craigie escape. Billy leaves his small dog Spot with Johanna, but shortly after the men ride away, Spot wriggles free and runs after his friend. A fierce battle ensues between the Indians and the greatly outnumbered soldiers. During the fight, the Union cavalry reaches Johanna's hiding place, and she tells Rickey what has happened. The cavalry rides to the rescue, but they are too late; all the men have been killed. In their honor, Rickey raises the rebel flag on top of Rocky Mountain and the troops salute it.
Director
William Keighley
Director
Cast
Errol Flynn
Lafe Barstow
Patrice Wymore
Johanna Carter
Scott Forbes
Lt. Rickey
Guinn Williams
Pap Dennison
Dick Jones
Jimmy Wheat
Howard Petrie
Cole Smith
Slim Pickens
Plank
Chubby Johnson
Gil Craigie
Buzz Henry
Kip Waterston
Sheb Wooley
Kay Rawlins
Peter Coe
Pierre Duchesne
Rush Williams
Jonas Weatherby
Steve Dunhill
Ash
Alex Sharpe
Barnes
Yakima Canutt
Ryan
Nakai Snez
Mandog
Crew
Marjorie Best
Wardrobe
Murray Cutter
Orchestration
Lloyd Edwards
Set Design
Rudi Fehr
Film Editor
Stanley Fleischer
Art Director
William Jacobs
Producer
Stanley Jones
Sound
Alan Lemay
Story
Alan Lemay
Screenwriter
Frank Mattison
Assistant Director
Ted Mccord
Director of Photography
Winston Miller
Screenwriter
Max Steiner
Music
Film Details
Also Known As
Ghost Mountain
Genre
War
Action
Western
Release Date
Nov
11,
1950
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Location
Gallup, New Mexico, United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 23m
Sound
Mono (RCA Sound System)
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
7,458ft
Articles
Rocky Mountain -
Errol Flynn had nine lives in Hollywood, but by 1950 the charming rogue was wearing out his welcome. While shooting Montana (1950) Warner Bros. got tired of his on-set carousing and terminated his contract. Rocky Mountain, the picture made just before his termination, (and directed by pal William Keighley in budget-friendly black and white) tells the story of a Confederate officer whose mission to wrangle up renegades for the rebel cause is interrupted by the rescue of a stranded blonde (Patrice Wymore). Wymore looks angelic and pale surrounded by scruffy men, and it's easy to see what inspired Flynn to toss aside his engagement to a princess in order to make Wymore his final wife. The lines in Flynn's face are deeper, but he still stands with vigor admidst the craggy New Mexico landscape. Never mind stories from bit players who tried to take Flynn up on his generous offer to run lines, only to find he was never sober enough to do so: this is one of the last movies where audiences can bask in the devil-may-care greatness of the man who wanted to title his outrageously candid autobiography "In Like Me".
By Violet LeVoit
By Violet LeVoit
Rocky Mountain -
Errol Flynn had nine lives in Hollywood, but by 1950 the charming rogue was wearing out his welcome. While shooting Montana (1950) Warner Bros. got tired of his on-set carousing and terminated his contract. Rocky Mountain, the picture made just before his termination, (and directed by pal William Keighley in budget-friendly black and white) tells the story of a Confederate officer whose mission to wrangle up renegades for the rebel cause is interrupted by the rescue of a stranded blonde (Patrice Wymore). Wymore looks angelic and pale surrounded by scruffy men, and it's easy to see what inspired Flynn to toss aside his engagement to a princess in order to make Wymore his final wife. The lines in Flynn's face are deeper, but he still stands with vigor admidst the craggy New Mexico landscape. Never mind stories from bit players who tried to take Flynn up on his generous offer to run lines, only to find he was never sober enough to do so: this is one of the last movies where audiences can bask in the devil-may-care greatness of the man who wanted to title his outrageously candid autobiography "In Like Me".
By Violet LeVoit
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The film's working title was Ghost Mountain. Hollywood Reporter news items add the following information about the production: Ronald Reagan was considered for the lead, and Lauren Bacall was suspended for the sixth time in six years when she refused to work in this film. Shortly after filming, Patrice Wyman became Errol Flynn's fourth wife. This was the first Warner Bros. film since the war to be entirely shot on location. It was filmed in Gallup, New Mexico.
