Movie Monday Review: The Guns of Fort Petticoat

The Guns at Fort Petticoat (1957)

Starring: Audie Murphy, Kathryn Crosby, Hope Emerson, Jeff Donnell, Jeanette Nolan, Sean McClory, Patricia Tiernan, and Ainslie Pryor

Summary

Lieutenant Frank Hewitt (Audie Murphy) is a Texan who enlisted in the Union Army during the Civil War, not intending to fight against the South, but to serve his country. He is charged with making sure the Indians stay on their reservations and in good order. When he finds some peaceful Indians off the reservation, he questions them and finding their story sufficient, sends them home. Reporting back to his superior officer, Colonel Chivington (Ainslie Pryor), he gets a mouth lashing due to letting Indians get off of their reservation when they had been told otherwise. After words are exchanged, the Colonel orders Hewitt under personal arrest and immediately sets out with troops to “teach them a lesson”.

Hewitt cannot stomach the fact that the Colonel would do such an inhumane thing as massacre and knows the Indians will retaliate by attacking the settlers in Texas. Hewitt rides off to Texas to worn the settlers, but is only treated roughly by the women left behind by their husbands and sons who joined up with the Confederacy. Hewitt was once part of their community, but they see him only as a traitor.

He rides to see his former sweetheart, Stella, and is angrily greeted. She tells him to leave and includes that she is now married, seeming to look for a reaction. However, Hewitt is only interested in helping everyone stay safe. He comes upon the Martin place and is met with gunfire. He sees a young man firing and soon gets into a rolling fight, only to discover, it is not a man, but young lady Anne Martin (Kathryn Crosby). She is angry with him and soon she forces him off at gunpoint.

Nevertheless, the Indians strike one home and he returns with the dead body to the one woman he knows will listen with this proof – Hannah (Hope Emerson). She does and Hewitt names her Sergeant. Soon, he has collected all the women and children in the area and taken them to an abandoned Mission. He begins to train them in army style, teaching them hand-to-hand combat and how to fire guns. They fortify the Mission and are ready for anything, with little help from the one other man around, Emmett (Sean McClory).

When Emmett refuses to help and tries to leave, the women and Hewitt capture him and put him under arrest. He manages to escape, however, with the help of his sweetheart, only to be caught by three bandits, who kill him. They think there’s something more in the Mission and soon arrive hoping to get gold. When they get there, though, they find out how powerful trained women can be and quickly leave.

They come upon the Indians who explain they’re looking for the settlers’ hides! They try to weasel out of it and tell them where they are, only to get killed by the Indians, as they deserve. The Indians arrive at the Mission and Hewitt knows that it would be better to not interact with them. He orders the women to remain calm and stay hidden. The Indians are convinced that there is no one there and start to leave, when an accidental shot is fired by one of the children.

The Indians return, only to be hit hard by the women soldiers. They back off, but Hewitt knows there is more to come.

Meanwhile, Stella is still “in love” with Hewitt and admits to him that she married another out of spite. Hewitt says there’s nothing to do about it and makes it clear that he has one purpose here and that’s to protect them. When Stella’s brother-in-law (who is a young boy), Bax (Kim Charney) sees them together, he gets Hewitt alone and warns him to back off, in his own childish way. Hewitt, not wanting extra trouble, explains that he has another girlfriend and that’s Anne. The boy is convinced, but Hewitt is now nervous that Anne will find out about his lie.

Unfortunately, Anne does find out and she is slightly annoyed. However, she does have a little bit of heart for Hewitt without knowing what to do with it. There’s no time to think about it, though, because the Indians return.

Several are killed, unfortunately, but the woman army comes out victorious. They have banded together for a common cause and been brought together. Hewitt and Anne have found a love for each other, but he tells her there is something else he must face. He has technically left the Army against orders and needs to return to explain himself and face the consequences.

Upon returning, he is sent to a court martial and found guilty. He tries to explain, but Colonel Chivington is angry and set against Hewitt, claiming he made up the entire story of a women army. As sentence is being cast, a ruckus is heard. In walks the commanding general with a band of women soldiers! They tell Chivington what’s what and the real truth comes out about his ordering the peaceful Indians attacked.

Hewitt’s sentence is remanded, he and Anne are now free to do as they please. He is again saved by his women army!

Review

An interesting film with a mixture of humor and drama! Audie Murphy does a good job of the soldier who knows what needs to be done, despite being ordered otherwise. It’s refreshing that he, as a main character, does not try to win back his old sweetheart, since she’s married – a thing all too common in some movies.

Filmed on location at Old Tucson, the views are wonderful! The high mountain in the background makes for primrose views and add much character to the plot. The beautiful old Mission also assists in character, and since it’s about Texas, it reminds Texans about the Alamo.

Hope Emerson does an excellent job as the women Sergeant! An interesting actress, who seems unusual, yet perfect in this part. She was 6’2 and weighed over 200 pounds, excellent for the rough and husky part played here. Comical, comparing her to Audie Murphy who was not a tall man.

The worst part of the film is when the bandits torture Sean McClory by tying him up to the rafters and taunting him. He is shot in the end, however, there is not gore involved. They pull up a dead man with a rope to show the Indians that they have their leader, but he is not killed by hanging. There is fighting amongst the Indians and the women, but is not too harsh as is expected for a western from the 1950s.

It is neat to see how the characters develop. As the women are faced with the threat of the Indian attack, they each begin to become more and more selfless. As they lose pieces of themselves that were holding them back, they band together more and more!

A good film, a great western, and fun to watch! Enough adventure and romance, comedy and flair for everyone.

Ellen Nolan