TUMBLEWEEDS

US, 1953, 78 minutes, Colour.
Audie Murphy, Lori Nelson, Chill Wills, Lee Van Cleef.
Directed by Nathan Juran.

Tumbleweeds is the name of the horse that saves the life of Audie Murphy in this ordinary western of the early '50s. Murphy appeared in quite a number of these films during this period, capitalising on his fame as a war hero which he portrayed in To Hell and Back. Chill Wills was a veteran of this kind of film. Lori Nelson was a Universal starlet. Lee Van Cleef was to go on to bigger and better things.

The film shows us a wagon train going through the west, attacked by Indians, Murphy going to negotiate with the chief whose son he had saved, tortured by the Indians and then accused by the townspeople of being a coward. Of course, there is a villain who set the Indians on the wagon train in order to kill his brother and get land which had silver on it. There are Indian chases, lots of confrontations with Indians dying off at a great rate. In some ways the film seems rather quaint in its presentation of cowboys and Indians, but it was par for the course in those days.

1. Popular small-budget Universal western of the '50s? Storyline, characters, expectations, appeal?

2. The American west, the desert, the mountains, the towns? Musical score?

3. The film as an Audie Murphy vehicle, his status as a western hero? Jim Harvey, attacked by the townspeople, with the wagon train, attracted to Laura, helping, hiding them from the Indians, the fights, going out to save them, the Indian chief preparing to kill him, saved by the chief's wife because he had saved her son? His return to the town, accused of being a coward, almost lynched, put in jail for his protection by the sheriff, rescued by the Indian? Getting a horse from Mr Buckley and being helped by his wife, the pursuit, going to the springs, finding the water, the help of Tumbleweeds taking him up the cliff, digging up the water? Found by the sheriff, the confrontation, the Indians and his ruse of playing possum? The revelation of the truth, his pursuit of the villain and fight? The romantic ending? Everything vindicated?

4. The sheriff and his being honourable, trying to protect Jim, the pursuit? His life being saved? Marv and the other people in the town, wanting to hang Jim? The posse, the final confrontation?

5. Lam as the villain, motivation, wanting to marry Laura?

6. Laura, attraction to Jim, her sister-in-law, the siege, the deaths, the sister-in-law's anger at Jim? Laura going with Lam to find Jim?

7. The Indians, the chases, shootings? The saving of the chief's son, the chief and his torturing of Jim? His death and its dignity, revelation of the truth?

8. Popular Hollywood ingredients of the American west? The influence on American thinking about the 19th century and the Indians?