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The Horse Soldiers Overview:

The Horse Soldiers (1959) was a Adventure - War Film directed by John Ford and produced by John Lee Mahin and Martin Rackin.

SYNOPSIS

Union colonel Wayne leads a daring commando raid 300 miles into Confederate territory in an attempt to destroy a railway hub. Along the way, he butts heads with Holden, a doctor with misgivings about the mission. Ford's only Civil War movie.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

The Horse Soldiers BlogHub Articles:

The Horse Soldiers (1959)

By 4 Star Film Fan on May 8, 2019 From 4 Star Films

The Horse Soldiers is the one and only teaming of John Wayne and William Holden in a story based on the raids of Colonel Benjamin Grierson during the Civil War. John Ford casts the story as a brand of folklore carried through the air by the songs sung on the trail by a regiment riding in their forma... Read full article

The Horse Soldiers (1959)

By Beatrice on Dec 10, 2016 From Flickers in Time

The Horse Soldiers Directed by John Ford Written by John Lee Mahin and Martin Racklin from a novel by Harold Sinclair 1959/USA The Mirisch Corporation/Mahin-Racklin First viewing/Netflix rental This is an OK civil war flick with good performances from John Wayne and William Holden.  I expect someth... Read full article

The John Ford Blogathon: THE HORSE SOLDIERS

By Dan Day Jr. on Jul 8, 2014 From The Hitless Wonder Movie Blog

The legendary John Ford was a huge Civil War buff. He was fond of telling people that several of his ancestors fought in the conflict, and he even went so far to say that some of them fought on both sides. The Civil War is touched upon in a number of Ford's films, but it wasn't until 1959 that Ford ... Read full article

The John Ford Blogathon: THE HORSE SOLDIERS

By Dan Day Jr. on Jul 8, 2014 From The Hitless Wonder Movie Blog

The legendary John Ford was a huge Civil War buff. He was fond of telling people that several of his ancestors fought in the conflict, and he even went so far to say that some of them fought on both sides. The Civil War is touched upon in a number of Ford's films, but it wasn't until 1959 that Ford ... Read full article

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The Horse Soldiers Quotes:

Major Kendall: That's a pretty primitive outlook; medically speaking, that is.
Col. John Marlowe: Well, doctor, war isn't exactly a civilized business.
Col. John Marlowe: [offers his hand to Kendall] I don't blame you if you... slap it away. Shake hands?
[they shake]
Col. John Marlowe: So long, Croaker.
Major Kendall: Take care, Section Hand. And if you should run into another doctor...
Col. John Marlowe: Yeah, I know... tree moss.
Jackie Jo: Hey there - we're Confederates, but we ain't hostile - honest.
Col. John Marlowe: The Major seems to be out of uniform. Where are your sidearms, Kendall?
Major Kendall: If you check the book, Colonel, you'll see that a Regimental Surgeon doesn't wear one.
Col. John Marlowe: [Angrily, to Gen Hurlburt] First you cut out our artillery, then the wagons, and now you want to saddle us with a medical unit!
Col. John Marlowe: [grabbing Sgt. Mitchell by the arm] Come on, Mitch, I've got some whiskey in my locker...
Major Kendall: [forces Sgt. Mitchell back on the bed] He's staying here and those are my orders!
Col. John Marlowe: You've read the whole book, haven't you?
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The Horse Soldiers Facts
The quote at the Greenbriar dinner, "And yet your fair discourse hath been as sweet as sugar making the hard way sweet and delectable" is from "Richard II", Act II Scene 3 by William Shakespeare.
The film marked the beginning of mega-deals for Hollywood stars. John Wayne and William Holden received $775,000 each, plus 20% of the overall profits, an unheard-of sum for that time. The final contract involved six companies and numbered twice the pages of the movie's script. The film, however, was a financial failure, with no profits to be shared in the end.
Director John Ford's only feature film set during the Civil War, although he did direct a segment of How the West Was Won that was set during the Civil War.
When John Wayne (Col. Marlow) first meets William Holden (Maj. Kendall), he accuses him of being out of uniform because he is not wearing his sidearms. In that particular scene, Marlow is wearing a cavalry sword. But throughout the rest of the film, Marlow does not wear any sidearms. Even when the Confederate forces are charging through the street and one of his junior officers offers him a pistol, he waves it off.
Director John Ford suggested the scene with the boys' military academy, and according to the producers, he ad-libbed it.
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