Mohawk
Brief Synopsis
When a Boston artist is commissioned to paint landscapes, he gets caught up in a land war between settlers and the Mohawks.
Cast & Crew
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Kurt Neumann
Director
Scott Brady
Jonathan [Adams]
Rita Gam
Onida
Neville Brand
Rokhawah
Lori Nelson
Cynthia [Stanhope]
Allison Hayes
Greta
Film Details
Also Known As
Mohawk Massacre, Mohawk: A Legend of the Iroquis
Genre
Western
Release Date
Apr
1956
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
National Pictures Corp.
Distribution Company
Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp.
Country
United States
Location
Utah, United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 20m
Sound
Mono
Color
Color (Eastmancolor)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.85 : 1
Film Length
7,146ft
(9 reels)
Synopsis
In eighteenth-century New York, early Mohawk Valley settler Butler, who wants to keep the valley for himself, is alarmed when a new group of settlers arrives and warns Mohawk Chief Kowanen that the settlers have brought a shipment of arms with them. Kowanen refuses to declare war on the white man, explaining that there is enough land for all. When Rokhawah, a Tuscarora brave, warns that the white man took his own tribe's land, however, Kowanen's son Keoga organizes a raiding party to steal the muskets from the fort. Meanwhile, artist Jonathan Adams, commissioned by the Massachusetts Society to paint landscapes of the valley, is torn between his attentions to local barmaid Greta and his visiting fiancée, a proper Boston society woman named Cynthia Stanhope. That night, Keoga and his beautiful sister Onida secretly lead the raiding party into the fort. As they are stealing the arms, however, a guard spots them and shooting erupts. All of the braves escape or are shot, leaving Onida trapped inside the fort. Jonathan finds her hiding in his cabin and, struck by her beauty, smuggles her out of the fort the next morning. Realizing that Jonathan bears no ill will against Indians, Onida asks him to observe the ways of her people and then explain to the white man that the Mohawk want to live in peace. Jonathan eagerly agrees, and while he is visiting the village, he falls in love with Onida. At the fort, Greta and Cynthia fear Jonathan has been attacked by the Mohawk and urge Captain Langley to take action. Eager to be rid of both the Mohawk and the settlers, Butler warns that the Indians will slaughter all the settlers if their village is not destroyed first. Langley, who respects the Mohawk, visits the village and urges Jonathan to return home in order to quiet the alarmed populace. As the artist heads back to the fort with Keoga, however, Butler, hiding behind a tree, shoots the young brave. Jonathan brings Keoga's body back to the village, but when Rokhawah convinces the tribe to declare war because of the killing, Jonathan becomes their prisoner. Onida helps him to escape, and he returns to the fort to warn the settlers. Jonathan surmises that Butler killed Keoga, whereupon Butler is ejected from the fort and killed by the approaching warriors. The battle has already begun, however, and before reinforcements arrive to save the fort at the last moment, many are killed. Although he is now a prisoner, Kowanen declares that all of the Iroquois, including the Mohawk and the Tuscarora, will drive the white man out of the valley. Upon learning that Butler caused all the trouble, however, he relents and makes peace with Langley. Cynthia returns to Boston with Jonathan's paintings, while the artist goes to live with Onida and the Mohawk tribe.
Director
Kurt Neumann
Director
Cast
Scott Brady
Jonathan [Adams]
Rita Gam
Onida
Neville Brand
Rokhawah
Lori Nelson
Cynthia [Stanhope]
Allison Hayes
Greta
John Hoyt
Butler
Vera Vague
Aunt Agatha
Rhys Williams
Clem Jones
Tommy Cook
Keoga
John Hudson
Captain Langley
Ted De Corsia
Kowanen
Mae Clarke
Minikah
Michael Granger
Priest
James Lilburn
Sergeant
Chabon Jadi
Dancer
Clegg Hoyt
Driver
Kenneth B. Harp
Militiaman
Harry O. Tyler
Settler
John Bennes
Settler
Robert Carson
Settler
Sid Clute
Settler
Lyle Latell
Settler
Paul Lukather
Settler
Troy Melton
Settler
James Nusser
Settler
Jack Rutherford
Settler
Crew
Edward L. Alperson
Presented By
Edward L. Alperson Jr.
Composer
Edward L. Alperson Jr.
Music
Richard Einfeld
Executive Assistant
Ernst Fegté
Production Design
Charles B. Fitzsimons
Associate Producer
Maurice Geraghty
Screenplay and story
Herold Goodwin
Dial Supervisor
D. R. O. Hatswell
Technical Advisor
Paul Herrick
Composer
Louis Hippe
Makeup
Raoul Kraushaar
Music Conductor
Milton Krims
Screenplay and story
Lillian Lashin
Hair
Lee Wm. Lukather
Assistant Director
Herbert Mendelson
Production Manager
Wm. B. Murphy
Film Editor
Norma
Wardrobe Designer
Darrell Silvera
Set Decoration
Karl Struss
Photography
Richard Tyler
Sound
Film Details
Also Known As
Mohawk Massacre, Mohawk: A Legend of the Iroquis
Genre
Western
Release Date
Apr
1956
Premiere Information
not available
Production Company
National Pictures Corp.
Distribution Company
Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp.
Country
United States
Location
Utah, United States
Technical Specs
Duration
1h 20m
Sound
Mono
Color
Color (Eastmancolor)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.85 : 1
Film Length
7,146ft
(9 reels)
Articles
Mohawk (1956)
When a Boston artist is commissioned to paint landscapes, he gets caught up in a land war between settlers and the Mohawks.
Mohawk (1956)
When a Boston artist is commissioned to paint landscapes, he gets caught up in a land war between settlers and the Mohawks.
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
Working titles for the film included Mohawk Massacre and Mohawk: A Legend of the Iroquis. The released film contained the phrase "A legend of the Iroquis..." above the opening title. According to news items, Peter Lawford was initially cast in the leading role, Maurice Geraghty was to direct and Twentieth Century-Fox acquired distribution rights to the film in mid-December 1955, after the picture was completed. Information in the file on the film in the MPAA/PCA Collection at the AMPAS Library indicates that much of the film was shot on location in Utah.
