They Rode West
Dr. Allen Seward, played by Robert Francis, is sent to a western cavalry post that has a reputation for having drunks and slackers as previous residents. Following he disobeys restrictions and tends to sick Indians on the malaria-infested reserve, the post does not take well to him either. This is especially true after the events described in the previous sentence. Seward gets branded as a "woodhawk," which is the bird that turns against its own kind, when the Indians break away from the reserve in order to relocate to a healthier higher terrain. When the Indians join forces with the Comanches to besiege the fort, Seward is also branded as a "woodhawk." May Wynn (who made her screen debut alongside Francis in "The Caine Mutiny") is the white girl raised by the Indians and married to the chief's son. Donna Reed makes an appearance in this film in the role of the post commander's niece. Phil Carey plays a cavalry captain who believes that the only good Indian is a dead Indian. Only two more movies will be directed by Francis before the year1955, when he was murdered in an airplane tragedy.
Released: 1954-12-04
