Westward Ho the Wagons!

Westward Ho the Wagons!
Theatrical release poster
Directed by William Beaudine
Produced by Bill Walsh
Screenplay by Tom Blackburn
Based on a novel by Mary Jane Carr
Starring Fess Parker
Kathleen Crowley
Jeff York
Music by George Bruns
Cinematography Charles P. Boyle, A.S.C.
Edited by Cotton Warburton, A.C.E.
Production
company
Distributed by Walt Disney Productions
Release date
  • December 20, 1956 (1956-12-20)
Running time
 90 min.
Country United States
Language English
Box office $2.75 million (US)[1]

Westward Ho the Wagons! is a 1956 American live-action Disney western film, aimed at family audiences. Based on Mary Jane Carr's novel Children of the Covered Wagon, the film was produced by Bill Walsh, directed by William Beaudine, and released to theatres on December 20, 1956 by Buena Vista Distribution Company.

Fess Parker starred in the film, which also featured the final big-screen appearance of George Reeves. It was released on videotape in 1986 then March 18, 1997. The film was shot in Janss Conejo Ranch, now known as Wildwood Regional Park in Thousand Oaks, California.[2][3]

Four Mousketeers, from the "Mickey Mouse Club" were in the film: Tommy Cole, Doreen Tracey, Cubby O'Brian, and Karen Pendleton.

The film was only a moderate success, and received mixed reviews.

Fess Parker's version of the song "Wringle Wrangle" was released as a single.

Plot

A small group of families join together to travel to Oregon in 1846. Their leader is ostensibly James Stephen (George Reeves, TV's Superman), who has made the trip before, and is now bringing his family along. John Grayson (Fess Parker, TV's Daniel Boone), known as Doc for his ambition to study medicine, however, proves to be the real leader of the wagon train.

The pioneers deal with the elements and occasional raids, but after hostile Pawnees drive off their spare horses, they realize they may not make it to the Oregon Territory. While stopping at Fort Laramie, the pioneer children make friends with Sioux children. After the Sioux chief's son is injured in an accident, Doc Grayson helps heal him, earning the trust of the Sioux. As the story ends, the Sioux warriors escort the wagon train safely through Pawnee territory.

Cast

Songs

  • Westward Ho the Wagons! - lyrics by Tom Blackburn and music by George Bruns
  • The Ballad of John Colter - lyrics by Tom Blackburn and music by George Bruns
  • Wringle Wrangle - written by Stan Jones
  • "I'm Lonely, My Darlin'" (based on Green Grow the Lilacs, Traditional) - lyrics by Fess Parker and music arrangement by George Bruns
  • Pioneer's Prayer (from The Vanishing Prairie) - lyrics by Hazel "Gil" George and music by Paul J. Smith

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Top Grosses of 1957", Variety, 8 January 1958: 30
  2. ↑ Schneider, Jerry L. (2015). Western Filming Locations Book 1. CP Entertainment Books. Page 116. ISBN 9780692561348.
  3. ↑ Fleming, E.J. (2010). The Movieland Directory: Nearly 30,000 Addresses of Celebrity Homes, Film Locations and Historical Sites in the Los Angeles Area, 1900–Present. McFarland. Page 48. ISBN 9781476604329.
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