Distant Drums is a 1951 American action Florida Western war film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Gary Cooper. It is set during the Second Seminole War in the 1840s, with Cooper playing an Army captain who destroys a fort held by the Spanish gunrunners then retreats into the deep jungles of the Everglades while under chase.
The actual location of the fort in the film was the historic Castillo de San Marcos in St. Augustine, Florida, where most of the filming took place.
The enduring legacy of the film is that it contains the earliest known use of the Wilhelm scream sound effect, originally used to vocalie a character being bitten by an alligator.[2] it was screamed by cast member Sheb Wooley.
Plot[]
In 1840, U.S. military Army General Zachary Taylor sends out naval Lieutenant Richard Tufts and scout Monk to a remote Florida island home, where the reclusive Captain Quincy Wyatt lives with his 5-year-old Indian son after his wife was murdered by soldiers.
The soldiers' mission is to destroy an old Spanish Seminole fortress used by gunrunners, and rescue men and women taken prisoner by Seminole warriors. One of them, Judy Beckett, develops a romantic attraction to Capt. Wyatt as they flee the Natives into the deep jungles and swamps of the Everglades.
Most of the other Army troops are massacred after Wyatt and Tufts separate from them to construct canoes. Back at his home, Wyatt is distraught to find that his boy is gone. He wins an underwater battle to the death with Seminole chief Ocala, then is relieved to learn that his son is safe.
Cast[]
- Gary Cooper as Captain Quincy Wyatt: a brave cowboy Army captain and the film's main protagonist.
- Richard Webb as Lieutenant Tufts: Wyatt's sidekick and assistant and the film's main deuteragonist.
- Mari Aldon as Judy Beckett: Wyatt's love interest and the film's main tritagonist.
- Arthur Hunnicutt as Monk
- Carl Harbaugh as Duprez
- Ray Teal as Private Mohair
- Robert Barrat as General Zachary Taylor: a military general.
- Larry Carper as Chief Ocala (uncredited): the evil Indian Seminole Warrior Army Chief and the film's main villain. apart from Larry, the actors playing Seminole warriors were in fact actual Seminoles. he is based on the real life Seminole leader Billy "Osceola" Powell.
- Sheb Wooley as Private Jessup (uncredited): an Army soldier.
- Wooley also voiced additional voices of various other characters screaming.
Soundtrack[]
the film's soundtrack score was composed by Max Steiner, was originally to be composed by Alex North but was rejected for its percussion.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- WILHELM SCREAM: heard four times in the movie, the first three times are in the fortress battle sequence when three Indians are shot. the second time is in the swamp sequence when a soldier is attacked, pulled under the water and eaten by a hungry man-eating alligator.
- Gary Cooper loved making Distant Drums, although he had sunk in quicksand during filming and said that he "donated a gallon of his best blood to the leaches and mosquitoes".
Legacy[]
this film contains the earliest known use of the world's most famous sound effect, known as the Wilhelm Scream (originally known as "Man Being Bitten By An Alligator And He Screamed"). it was voiced by actor Shed Wooley, who played Private Jessup in a scene where he was eaten by alligators. it was later used in films such as Springfield Rifle and The Charge At Feather River, which would originate its name after Private Wilhelm. as of today, the Wilhelm Scream has been used in over 433 films.
References[]
- ↑ "Top Box-Office Hits of 1952", Variety, January 7, 1953
- ↑ Lee, Steve (2005-05-17). "The WILHELM Scream". hollywoodlostandfound.net. Retrieved on 2009-06-23.
External links[]
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