There's also a nice performance by Mara Corday who is Bettger's squeeze and does quite a bit more for him than the usual moll. Silverheels was on hiatus from the Lone Ranger and he ought to be remembered for more than just playing Tonto. Lots of action and a really nice performance by Jay Silverheels as the young Ute chief. When he does he's the heroic Audie we know in most of his B westerns. Brennan sees the game for what it is, but it takes Murphy a while to come around. Lyle Bettger plays on the greed of the white folks to invade the Ute treaty land so the government will send in troops to move them. There's some rich mineral deposits on Ute land which is separated by a river boundary. 7/10ĭrums Across the River concerns freighters Walter Brennan and his son Audie Murphy trying very hard to prevent a full scale Indian war which Lyle Bettger and sidekicks seem bound and determined to start. Few surprises narratively speaking, and the odd B Western budget error shows its face, but this is a colourful Audie Oater and it's all about enjoying without having to think too hard about it. The stunt work is also of a high standard, with one particular leap of death truly worthy of high praise, and the story rounds out to put a smile on your face as the last sip of beverage trickles down the throat. Juran (Gunsmoke) directs without fuss or filler, proving to have a keen eye for action construction as the film is flecked with a number of hand to hand fights, shoot-outs and horse play, and prolific Western scorer Gershenson offers up another in a long line of undervalued genre compliant flavours. Bettger (Union Station) is a more than capable villain, as is the black clad O'Brian (The Lawless Breed), Corday and Gaye are underwritten but a treat for the eyes, and Brennan is the class act that he mostly always is. The Technicolor is gorgeous (TV print I saw was very good), with the blues and greens very striking, and the story is interesting as Murphy plays a bigoted young man who finds himself trying to avert a war with the Ute's whilst being framed for robbery himself. Drums Across the River is a goodie in that context, it also boasts some lovely photography by Lipstein out of California locations that include Barton Flats (San Bernardino Mountains), Burro Flats and Red Rock Canyon. Pour yourself a jug of beer or a glass of wine and enjoy the handsome Murphy going about his Oater business with energy and a straight forward willingness to entertain. I'm Gary Brannon, my Dad and me ran a freight outfit." There's a reoccurring saying that often crops up when viewing most of Audie Murphy's Westerns, that of them being unassuming afternoon entertainment. People get desperate when their means of livelihood's cut off, and I was no exception. "This is Crown City, born and build on gold mining, but by 1880 about the only gold left was across a near by river in the San Juan Mountains, Ute Indian land. Music is by Joseph Gershenson and Technicolor cinematography by Harold Lipstein. It stars Audie Murphy, Walter Brennan, Lyle Bettger, Lisa Gaye, Hugh O'Brian, Mara Corday and Jay Silverheels. Drums Across the River is directed by Nathan Juran and written by John K.
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