O
n Television TCM today In ‘Yellowstone Kelly’ Clint ‘Cheyenne’ Walker plays a muscular fur-trapper who prevents war between Indians and U.S. Cavalry, and who survives only to find true love in the arms of a beautiful and talented newcomer Andra Martin.
Warner Brothers came up with a winner in this film set in Montana high country against the background of an Indian uprising. There is a fine battle scene between the soldiers and the Indians, one of the best of its type and is the film’s high point.
John Russell, Ray Danton and Claude Akins are among the cast names that contribute to a good story.
Andra Martin is striking as the Arapahoe girl and a point of contention between Kelly and the Sioux warriors. Ed Byrnes plays Kelly’s young helper. There is outstanding camera work on this largely forgotten western – but a good one at that Andra Martin was at the time of this film, was married to Ty Hardin and she had two children with him.
He does not seem to have a good record with marriage – he had eight wives in all.
I went to see this film in April, 1960, aged 13, which is now an incredible sixty years ago and was a big fan of Clint Walker and used to watch him in “Cheyenne” every Saturday night on ABC Weekend Television. The year before, I went to see him in another excellent Warner Brothers Western, “Fort Dobbs”. I thought “Yellowstone Kelly” was very good and I liked Howard Jackson’s score, but Edward Byrnes badly acted and overlong death scene was cringe making in the extreme. It proved he was no actor. I have seven out of the eight colour stills in the British Front-of-House set for the film, but I’ve never come across the eighth still from the set and have no idea what the scene on it is. I also have the DELL Movie Classic comic of the film.