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.
Spikeopath
Fury at Furnace Creek is directed by H. Bruce Humberstone and collectively written by Charles G. Booth, Winston Miller and David Garth. It stars Victor Mature, Glenn Langan, Coleen Gray, Albert Dekker and Reginald Gardiner. Music is by David Raksin and cinematography by Harry Jackson.When General Blackwell (Robert Warwick) is accused of instigating an Apache massacre, he refutes the allegation so strongly in court he keels over and dies. With the family name tarnished, the estranged Blackwell brothers (Mature and Langan) must put aside their differences to hopefully unearth the truth and clear their father's name.Nice. Without bringing new dimensions to this formula of plotting, Fury at Furnace Creek is stylish and doesn't take the easy narrative options so prevalent in other Westerns of the 40s. Sure, the standard action quotient is adhered to, with Apache attack, pursuits, saloon shoot-out and the good versus bad finale, but screenplay and scripting has an intelligence about it; and the cast performances coupled with Jackson's shadowy infused black and white photography, make this well worthy of a look by the Western faithful. 7/10
