Google Ads
Login | Sign Up

The Plainsman Overview:

The Plainsman (1936) was a Western - Biographical Film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and produced by Cecil B. DeMille, William LeBaron and William H. Pine.

SYNOPSIS

DeMille's extravagant way with history is here applied to the oft-filmed tale of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. The two (Cooper and Arthur, fresh from their success in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town) get mixed up with Buffalo Bill and a sneak who's selling guns to the Indians. Arthur tries to come to the rescue and gets herself and Cooper captured. The source of the famous Hollywood story about Quinn answering a casting call for real Indians (and DeMille did stock the cast with authentic native Americans) and performing a Cheyenne war dance with gibberish. He got the part, and won the hand of the director's daughter.

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

The Plainsman BlogHub Articles:

THE PLAINSMAN (1936)

By Dan Day, Jr. on Jul 4, 2020 From The Hitless Wonder Movie Blog

Pandemics, social unrest, a screwed-up baseball season....none of that is going to stop me from buying cheap DVDs or Blu-rays whenever I can. My latest discount purchase is THE PLAINSMAN, a 1936 Western saga from the legendary Cecil B. DeMille. THE PLAINSMAN deals with three legends of the Old West... Read full article

See More The Plainsman Articles

The Plainsman Quotes:

Wild Bill Hickok: Keep your hands off your guns or there will be more dead men here than this town can afford to bury!
Wild Bill Hickok: Son, one of these days, you're going to grow up and you ought to know about women. You see, the thing is this - women are... uh, well, they're uh... Well, son, I can tell you what an Indian will do to ya, but you never know what a woman will do.
John Lattimer: I'm not armed, Mr. Hickok, I'm not armed!
Wild Bill Hickok: I'll give you three minutes to fix that. I'll be waiting outside.
John Lattimer: I'm just leaving town.
Wild Bill Hickok: You're not leaving town unless dead men can walk.
Calamity Jane: Tip your hat when you speak to a lady!
Wild Bill Hickok: I will... when I speak to a lady.
Wild Bill Hickok: What started you on the warpath, Yellow Hand?
Yellow Hand: Where sun rise, white man's land. Where sun set, Indian land. White man come, take our land, kill buffalo, our food. White man promise us food. White man lie. Now Cheyenne buy white man thunder stick. Soon war drum sound in all Indian land. All tribes ride with Yellow Hand. We drive white man, like buffalo, away back to rising sun. Yellow Hand has spoken.
See More Quotes from The Plainsman
The Plainsman Facts
Anthony Quinn told Cecil B. DeMille that he spoke fluent Cheyenne. Quinn's description of the Custer battle is gibberish, but DeMille was impressed.
The cavalry sequences were shot with members of the Wyoming National Guard. Two guardsmen were badly hurt during filming of a charge scene.
The script originally had Anthony Quinn's character entering the campsite with no concern because he thought it was the camp of another Indian. Quinn told Cecil B. DeMille that a real Indian would know the difference between a white man's camp and that of another Indian's, and should show caution when entering. When Quinn insisted, DeMille thought about it and agreed that's how the character ought to react.
2,000 Indian actors were used as extras for the Custer massacre sequence.
"Lux Radio Theater" broadcast a 60 minute radio adaptation of the movie onMay 31, 1937 with Jean Arthur reprising her film role.
See More Facts about The Plainsman >>