Smoke Signal

Smoke Signal stars Dana Andrews as an army deserter who left because his late commanding officer was hell bent on starting an Indian war which he did. When the Indians went on the offense Andrews deserted them and is now a prisoner.

Now the commander is dead and Andrews is a prisoner at his fort. But that might not mean much as most of the fort is dead and the Utes are closing in. There one chance for the survivors and it means heading down the Colorado River which as yet is unexplored, especially around that Grand Canyon area.

One woman the late commander's daughter Piper Laurie, one trapper Douglas Spencer and a bunch of soldiers led by Captain William Talman who has a special reason for hating Andrews as his brother was killed in a battle with the Utes. But it's pretty clear that Andrews is the one guy who really knows what he's doing.

The film is mostly the journey down the Colorado River where we see who makes it and who doesn't. Only six are left in the boat at the end, you have to see which six.

Nice location cinematography and good ensemble performance by a veteran cast.

Smoke Signal is directed by Jerry Hooper and co-written by George F. Slavin and George W. George. It stars Dana Andrews, Piper Laurie, William Talman, Rex Reason, Milburn Stone and Douglas Spencer. A Technicolor production that's primarily filmed at the Grand Canyon of The Colorado, cinematography is by Clifford Stein and musical supervision is provided by Joseph Gershenson.

After their fort is attacked by Indians a small group of survivors escape to the wild Colorado River. Their only hope of survival is to tackle the unforgiving stretch of water whilst holding off the pursuing enemy. But can they survive each other first?

Very much a mixed bag in terms of production, Smoke Signal is enjoyable enough for the undemanding Western fan. The story is a safe one as it focuses on a fractured group dynamic having to come together in order to survive the terrain and hold off the enemy pursuing them. The group consists of a pig-headed Captain (Talman), soldiers with prejudice, a pretty lady (Laurie), a trapper (Spencer) and a prisoner (Andrews), the latter of which is a despised "Indian Lover" because of him having been married to an Indian woman and therefore lived with the Ute tribe. Many human traits and qualities will be tested on this journey, the narrative strong enough to warrant the interest being held to see how it will all pan out.

The central idea and its themes has been done far better before in films like The Last Wagon and River of No Return, to name just two. However, Smoke Signal does feature unique location work on the Big Bend of the Colorado River (Stine doing fine photography work), and it's good to see a rarely seen tribe of Indians featured in a Western, the Utes. Bonus, too, is Talman (The Hitch-Hiker), who gets a good meaty part to show what he could give as an actor. Yet the makers give good stuff with one hand and take it away with the other. Great scenery is coupled with poor back projection shots, dummies are all too evident and Laurie is arguably the ultimate token lone female character in a Western. Even the normally reliable Andrews looks weary throughout, were it not for Talman and Spencer, this would fall into the badly acted drawer.

Western fans don't demand too much from a "B" production, but some of the efforts here are dangerously close to being "Z" grade. A shame because the strong story and the real location photography carry a high interest factor for the genre follower. A better director than Hooper would have certainly improved things, or at the least someone who could stitch things together more knowingly with tricks of the trade. The Pegasus DVD release has a decent print, not pristine, but clear in picture and colour levels. It's not one to recommend with great confidence to like minded Western fans, but there's enough in here to rank it just above average. 6/10

"Smoke Signal" is an exceptional western in many ways. It has very good acting but more importantly it has excellent writing.

The story begins with a company of cavalry soldiers trying to make their way back to the fort...but hostile Ute Indians are trying to stop them. This is unusual because until recently, the Ute had been pacified. But now they most certainly are NOT and they want to wipe out the white men on their land.

When most of them manage to make it to the fort, things aren't a lot better. The fort's been under siege for some time and sooner or later, they're going to take the fort. However, the Captain (William Talman) is surprised when he and his men arrive at the fort...there's an unexpected prisoner there. Apparently Captain Halliday has been captured and his back story is an unusual one. It seems that Halliday objected to the way his commanding officer treated the Ute. The commander essentially wanted them dead...and Halliday's entreaties to treat them well had fallen on deaf ears. Eventually, in desperation, Halliday deserted...going to live with the Ute. So how did he get in the fort? Well, it seems that the Ute are so angry about the white men and their treatment of them, they want Halliday dead as well....so Halliday seems like a dead man regardless. There's a lot more to the story....try to see it if you can...as it only gets better.

"Smoke Signal" is a product of the 1950s. In the 50s, Hollywood was reassessing the way they portrayed natives. While still they often painted up white folks to play 'Indians' (fortunately they did NOT in this film), often these people were being portrayed more generously....and when they were warlike it was a reaction to their mistreatment and loss of land.

So what did I like about it apart from the acting and writing? Well, I liked the originality of the screenplay.... I cannot think of another western like it...and I've probably seen well over a thousand or more films in the genre. I also loved the Colorado River locale...it was beautiful and seeing the wilderness (mostly around Moab, Utah) is nice. My only complaint is that in closeup shots of the actors as they braved the treacherous river...well, these were done poorly and it's obviously they were rear projecting the river footage behind them...clumsily. It's a shame, as otherwise the footage is amazing...and it's one of the most breathtaking parts of America.

This is an interesting and thrilling one for any Western lover. The heavies are an especial Indian tribe , the Utes , we do not often come across the movies . While the Apaches , for a change , are characterised as peacemakers. Here a group of soldiers ,Willam Tannen , Rex Reason , Milburn Stone , Willam Schallert , Robert J Wilke , and one detained : Dana Andrews who is a suspected Cavalry deserter and a woman : Piper Laurie , are surrounded by hundreds of revengeful Ute Indians , then they escape by Colorado River , being usually harassed by them .

The movie has a formidable combination of of nice performances , espectacular pursuits by river , drama , and gorgeous outdoors. The hothouse plot drives relentlessly forward with noisy action , thrills , shootouts and turns . Convencional casting giving adequate interpretation . The moving tale is enjoyable one and the yarn is marvelouslly set against a background of Grand Canyon . Locations were filmed on the Grand Canyon stretch of the Colorado River , as the picture is attractive and charming to look when it flags dramatically. This picture bears remarkable resemblance to The Last Wagon by Delmer Daves with Richard Widmark in similar role Dana Andrews . The latter gives fine acting as a despised Indian Lover proving the deliverance of a mixed group of whites , these form the motley band of prestigious secondaries such as Rex Reason , William Tannen , William Schallert , Milburn Stone , Douglas Spencer , Pat Hogan and Robert J Wilke .

The motion picture was well directed by Jerry Hooper. He was a good artisan who first worked for Paramount , then he passed to Universal and immediately proved himself on more intimate subjects, especially those dealing with sentimental or comedian elements .Jerry directed all kinds of genres , such Western : Madron , Pony Express , The Bull of the West . And Thriller as Naked Alibi , The Atomic City , The Square Jungle . And particularly adventures as Alaska Seas , The Sharkfighters, Secret of the Incas and The Missouri traveler , it was the best of Hooper last movies before he became entrenched un Television. As he filmed a great quantity of episodes of notorious series as Voyage to the Bottom of the sea , The Fugitive , Perry Mason , Shenandoah , Adams Family , Caravans and Gunsmoke. Rating 6.5/10 . Decent and acceptable Western .

This otherwise routine western has two things going for it—great red rock scenery and William Talman as the cavalry captain. The scenery speaks for itself, but it's Talman's committed performance that lifts the human element. He makes his by-the-book officer utterly believable. Couple that with his screen time and it's really he who has the starring role. Too bad he settled into his long-running D.A. role on Perry Mason; then too, despite his semi-good guy role here, no one from that era could do bug-eyed psychos as well as Talman.

At the same time, it's too bad Andrews couldn't get motivated for his role. He pretty much picks up a paycheck and leaves it at that. But then a Universal western is a comedown for this former TCF movie star, and it shows. It's also pretty much a ditto for Laurie who tags along in indifferent fashion, this not surprisingly being her last film for Universal. Good thing the supporting cast includes so many capable, familiar faces— Stone, Wilke, Jones—to help save the acting day.

Frankly, the plot seems more complicated than the script could lucidly handle, then again, maybe that's just me. But one thing with most westerns—you can enjoy the scenery and action without having to follow the plot. And that appears the case here. On the whole, the centerpiece action on the river is well done with only a few blended process shots. And boy, I really jumped when the one boat suddenly struck a rock in totally realistic fashion.

Anyway, as a western, the movie has its compensations without being anything special.