After a lot of convincing he's got himself a female troop that proves themselves quite worthy standing up to Indians and renegade white men. It's the Civil War period and Colonel Chivington has just wiped out an Indian village. This brutality puts the white man in disfavor with the Comanche and provides them with a revenge motive. Lieutenant Audie Murphy deserts his command and rides to Texas to warn the settlers. He winds up at a decrepit mission in the middle of nowhere. It's occupied only by about two dozen women and a few kids. Murphy's job? To whip these women out of their winsome civilian ways and make soldiers out of them. The Guns at Fort Petticoat is one of Audie Murphy's best B westerns in his career. Murphy turned out to be a real acting talent, if he hadn't been, his career wouldn't have lasted as long as it did. Hewitt’s return makes Stella realize she doesn’t really love the Rebel soldier she married after Hewitt marched off to join the Union Army. Anne soon develops strong feelings for her commanding officer as well. The photography looks hasty, and probably was. The settings -- Old Tucson with its faux adobe walls -- is attractive enough, but there is a scene in which Sean McClory, as a cowardly traitor, is talking to his girl friend through the barred windows of a jail. The young lady is standing outside and is adequately lighted but McClory is in this dark dump and no viewer could help experiencing a susurrus of disquiet while thinking, "Hey, that guy in the jail has an orange light shining on him from inside!" What I mean is, it's pretty clumsy.

Many of the same elements populate both movies, particularly in how the man trains the women, who grow beyond his tutelage (and leadership) after overcoming difficult odds, but "Fort Petticoat" manages to come up with a few new turns of its own. He died of cancer on May 27, 1958, in Hollywood, California at age 37. [8] Filmography [ edit ] Year Before Pryor acted in films, he performed on stage. [2] He organized a school and community theater while he worked in Greenville. [3] He also managed and directed a little theater group in Raleigh, North Carolina. [2] For three years he acted in The Lost Colony in Manteo, North Carolina, where he befriended Andy Griffith. His performances there, observed by actor Charles Laughton and producer Paul Gregory, led to his Broadway debut as the prosecuting attorney in The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial. [5] Film and television [ edit ] Love Triangle: Frank's affections are split between his childhood sweetheart Stella Leatham, who married a Confederate soldier after Frank left to go fight for the Union, and Anne Martin, a spitfire tomboy he first meets when he's warning everyone. As heroic characters having an extramarital affair was a no-no in a 1957 American movie, Anne wins Frank's heart in the end, while he tells Stella that the two of them together would be wrong.His command includes a former girlfriend named Stella, a spunky brunette named Anne, a religious woman named Cora, an older southern belle named Charlotte, an unmarried pregnant woman named Mary, and a tough-as-nails older woman named Hannah, who has outlived three husbands and earns the rank of “sergeant.” Turns-Out His Instincts were Correct and the Movie Works-Beautifully. It Looks Great, has a Big-Cast and a Story that would be Right at Home in Today's Trend of Gender-Bending. Wilson, Earl (June 8, 1954). "Pryor's Aspiring Director". The News and Observer. North Carolina, Raleigh. p.24 . Retrieved April 15, 2022– via Newspapers.com. a b c d "Little theatre names director". The News and Observer. North Carolina, Raleigh. August 10, 1947. p.4 . Retrieved April 15, 2022.

This movie breaks this unspoken code: highly successfully and entertainingly.In fact it states quite blankly that all women are as good as any man; including in the ability to fight to the death and the last bullet.You have to put aside the 1950s production values, over-long horse-riding long-shots, and just forget the male supporting cast (except the wonderful Audie Murphy) : they are rather clichéd; concentrate on enjoying the entire female ensemble performance: they really do produce an incredible performance; slightly reminiscent to me of The Big Red One. LAUGHTON SIGNED FOR OFFICER ROLE: He Is First of 4 to Be Cast in Leading Parts in 'Bridge Over the River Kwai' Pitts, Michael R. (4 June 2003). Charles Bronson: The 95 Films and the 156 Television Appearances. McFarland. p.299. ISBN 978-0-7864-1702-5 . Retrieved April 15, 2022.

The common bond here is Hope Emerson ("Sergeant" Hannah Lacey), a true pro. She was also Patience Hawley in Wellman's film, playing the same character in both, and it's a good one. I believe MGM hoped to establish Emerson as another Marjorie Main but comparisons are invidious and Emerson, a wonderful actress (see "Caged"), inevitably came off second to Main. Sadly, she died a few years after this movie was made.My TV Guide, with which I sometimes find myself in agreement, gave this three stars out of four and I thought, "Why not?" It wasn't a masterpiece. It had no poetry. It was worth three stars, I guess, if you consider the genre -- inexpensive Western with no bankable big stars. But, really, the plot is rudimentary and derivative. By 1957 the war movies had played themselves out, but this film simply transposes the story of a small heroic band of soldiers finally triumphing over a horde of savage enemy soldiers, only in this case the heroic soldiers are all women and the savage enemy is the Comanche instead of the Japanese or Germans.