weezeralfalfa
Victor Mature's second role in a western, the first being as Doc Holiday, in "My Darling Clementine". Here, he has top billing , and is one year away from perhaps his most remembered role, as Samson, in Cecil DeMille's biblical extravaganza.....Mature starts out in jail, apparently, related to an altercation over a crooked card game. Soon, he is free, and heads for Furnace Creek, AZ., where his estranged father recently died of a stroke, while defending himself against a charge of criminal bad judgement as an army officer. Strangely, the trial was conducted in a civilian court, rather than in a court marshal proceeding?! General Blackwell((Glenn Langan) was charged with sending a written message demanding that Capt. Walsh quit escorting an supply wagon train heading for Fort Furnace Creek, AZ, and lead his troopers to Lordsburg, NM. The wagon master pleaded that this was tantamount to a death sentence for the wagon personnel, which turned out to be true. While traveling through Apache territory, they were massacred by a party headed by Little Dog. The Apache then hid in the wagons, which were welcomed in Fort Furnace Creek, where they proceeded to massacre the undermanned, inhabitants, and burn down the fort. Mature was one of 2 sons of Gen. Blackwell, and hoped to find evidence that his father didn't sent the incriminating message, which had conveniently been lost. This meant that an important handwriting comparison could not be made, to settle the issue. Mature's estranged brother, Capt. Rufe Blackwell, also came to Furnace Creek to look for similar evidence of his father's innocence. Mature meets baker Molly Baxter, whose father was killed in the fort raid. She's convinced that town boss Ed Leverett was somehow behind the fiasco, by either bribing the General, or bribing the Apache. In contrast, Mature suspects that Capt. Walsh was somehow involved, but for what motive? He notices that Walsh, who is still around, after resigning from the army, is perpetually nervous and drinking.....Since the 2 brothers, both with an alias, don't like each other , they conduct their investigations separately, until near the end, when circumstances force them to collaborate. I will let you see the film(available at YouTube), to find out the outcome......Europeans were clamoring for the opportunity to make mineral rights claims within the Apache reserve, since silver deposits had been found. The Apache had been punished for their massacres by being stripped of their rights to that land. Leverett had immediately filed claims covering the known silver deposits, fueling speculation that he had somehow been behind the massacres.......Incidentally, the only Furnace Creek I could find reference to is the one in Death Valley, CA, not AZ. Also, the only Chief Little Dog I could find reference to was a Blackfoot, not an Apache: typical name and location confusion built into many westerns of this era. At least, this screenplay was not based on an actual incident, to my knowledge.....Charles Kemper played 'Peaceful' Jones: the town drunk, who was chained to a big tree trunk section every Saturday night, to hopefully keep him from getting drunk. Actually, he could carry the 'log' some distance, so presumably it was made of something light weight..... Filming occurred in the rugged dry country around Kanab Movie Fort, UT. It was shot in crisp B&W, which is retained.
discount1957
A superior B Feature. Mature and Langan are the sons determined to prove their father, the commander of a lonely cavalry outpost, acted correctly and was not responsible for the fort's destruction in an Indian attack. In doing so they expose a plot by Dekker to buy up cavalry land rich in mineral deposits for a pittance. Script and direction give the production a stylish edge. It's not the question if Victor Mature is a good actor or not. I wouldn't like to decide this. It's like real life: Some real people also leave the impression of being bad actors. It's Mature's face that is interesting. It looks not only attractive, but uncommon, too. Behind it seems to be much more than you can immediately see, waiting to be revealed at any moment, wherefore it's interesting to watch him.
jpdoherty
Don't be put off with the misnomer of the title to this little known picture! Fox's FURY AT FURNACE CREEK (1948)is a neat little atmospheric western with a literal screenplay by Charles Booth from a story by David Garth. Expertly directed by Bruce Humberstone it is crisply photographed in Monochrome by Harry Jackson and well played by a good cast. In the leading role is Victor Mature playing a man, who with his estranged brother (Glenn Langan) sets out to clear the name of his army Colonel father (Robert Warwick) who dies suddenly during his military trial after being accused of leaving the fort at Furnace Creek undefended against marauding Apaches resulting in the massacre of its occupants.Humberstone directs in commanding fashion and the story is fully fleshed out with an array of interesting characters - the likes of leering baddie Albert Dekker, the nervous Reginald Gardiner and two players fresh from the studio's "Captain From Castile" the year before Jay Silverheels as the Apache chief Little Dog and Roy Roberts as Dekker's equally crooked associate. In the female lead is Colleen Grey who rejoins Mature after "Kiss Of Death" the year before. And there's an amusing turn from Charles Kemper as the town drunk who, because the town has no jail, is chained to an enormous tree trunk which he must carry on his shoulder if he wants to move around. The only problem I had with the movie is the poor music score. I am hugely surprised at composer David Raksin who cheapens the movie with his awful music which consists of nothing more than orchestral versions of the cowboy ditty "Don't Bury Me On The Lone Prairie". Perhaps Fox music head Alfred Newman was responsible - who knows? But there is no dramatic scoring whatsoever in the picture which I found to be apathetic and doctrinaire. And it could have done with a little musical help here and there!Nevertheless, it's Mature's movie and as usual he gives a likable, workmanlike performance. An actor who never had his fair dues from critics Mature was one of the most underrated actors in the business. He never won any major awards or plaudits for his work and once said of himself "I'm no actor and I've got a scrapbook at home full of reviews to prove it". Yet he was more than convincing in such films as "Kiss Of Death", "Cry Of The City", "My Darling Clementine" (great as Doc Holliday), as the Greek slave Demetrius in "The Robe" and its sequel "Demetrius & The Gladiators". And lest we forget his iconic portrayal of Samson in DeMille's "Samson & Delilah". DeMille insisted that Mature was the only actor who would look the part. He turns in a surefooted and admirable performance here too in "Fury At Furnace Creek" which will not be out of place in any western collection. It is a good looking DVD too with nice and sharp black & white imaging. Extras include a poster gallery, a behind the scenes gallery and there's a good trailer which is somewhat marred by the excessive hard sell of the movie by one of the studios' top stars none other than Gregory Peck would you believe?
