Escort West
Escort West | |
---|---|
Directed by | Francis D. Lyon |
Story by | Steven Hayes |
Produced by | Robert E. Morrison Nate H. Edwards |
Starring | Victor Mature Faith Domergue |
Cinematography | William H. Clothier |
Edited by | Otto Ludwig |
Music by | Henry Vars |
Production companies | Batjac Productions Romina Productions |
Distributed by | United Artists (1958, original) MGM (2005, DVD) |
Release date | 1958 |
Country | USA |
Language | English |
Escort West is a 1959 Western, first released on Jan. 23, 1959, but sometimes listed as a 1958 release. The movie is set after the U.S. Civil War, when a former Confederate officer, played by Victor Mature, and his daughter help some survivors of an Indian massacre.
It was the second of two co-productions between Batjac and Romina Productions. Their first was China Doll (1957).[1]
The movie was filmed largely on the Iverson Movie Ranch in Chatsworth, Calif., with additional footage shot on the nearby Bell Moving Picture Ranch. The site of the Bell Ranch location shoot remained a mystery for decades until it was discovered on an expedition by film location researchers in early 2015. The researchers found the location by using information from "Escort West" and the first Elvis Presley movie, Love Me Tender, which filmed its climactic sequence at the same site, known as the "Rocky Hill."
Cast
- Victor Mature as Ben Lassiter
- Reba Waters as Abbey Lassiter
- Elaine Stewart as Beth Drury
- Faith Domergue as Martha Drury
- Noah Beery Jr. as Lt. Jamison
- Harry Carey Jr. as Trooper Travis
- Slim Pickens as Corporal Wheeler
- Ken Curtis as Trooper Burch
- X Brands as Tago
- Roy Barcroft as Sgt. Doyle
- William Ching as Capt. Howard Poole
- John Hubbard as Lt. Weeks
- Rex Ingram as Nelson Walker
- Syd Saylor as Elwood Fenniman
- Claire Du Brey as Mrs. Kate Fenniman
- Chuck Hayward as Indian
- Charles Soldani as Indian
- Eddie Little Sky as Indian (uncredited)
Production
Francis Lyon originally bought the story for his own Leo Productions. He eventually set up the movie with Batjac.[2]
See also
References
- ^ Escort West notes at TCMDB
- ^ MOVIELAND EVENTS: Boach Jr. Planning Musical Feature Los Angeles Times (1923-Current File) [Los Angeles, Calif] 02 Dec 1957: C12.
External links
- Escort West at IMDb
- Iverson Movie Ranch: History, vintage photos.
- The "Rocky Hill," the Bell Ranch shooting location for Escort West and Elvis Presley's first movie, Love Me Tender