Massacre at Sand Creek (Playhouse 90)

13th episode of the 1st season of Playhouse 90
"Massacre at Sand Creek"
Playhouse 90 episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 13
Directed byArthur Hiller
Written byWilliam Sackheim
Cinematography byRay Cory
Original air dateDecember 27, 1956 (1956-12-27)
Guest appearances
  • Everett Sloane as Col. John Templeton
  • John Derek at Lt. Norman Tucker
  • Gene Evans as Sgt. Maddox
Episode chronology
← Previous
"The Family Nobody Wanted" 		Next →
"Snowshoes: A Comedy of People and Horses"

"Massacre at Sand Creek" was an American television film broadcast on December 27, 1956, as part of the CBS television series, Playhouse 90. It was the 13th episode of the first season.

Plot

The film tells a story of the Sand Creek massacre, an 1864 massacre of Cheyenne and Arapaho people by the U.S. Army.

Cast

The cast included performances by:

  • Everett Sloane as Col. John Templeton
  • John Derek at 2nd Lt. Norman Tucker
  • Gene Evans as 1st Sgt. Maddox
  • Roy Roberts as Col. Collery
  • Ken Mayer as Major Downing
  • William Schallert as Defense Attorney
  • Haim Winant as Free Horse
  • Marshall Bradford as Presiding Officer
  • Rick Vallin as Henshaw
  • Ben Wright as Prosecuting Attorney
  • Michael Granger as Little River
  • Anthony Lawrence as Reed
  • William Bryant as Calhoun

Production

Arthur Hiller was the director in his first production for Playhouse 90. William Sackheim was the producer and also wrote the teleplay. Ray Cory was the director of photography, and Henry Batista was the editor. The film was produced by Screen Gems for Playhouse 90.[1] It was the third Playhouse 90 film produced by Screen Gems.[2]

Steve Drumm, a Blackfoot Indian, served as the makeup and hair expert for the actors playing the parts of the Indians. He was in charge of ensuring the use of authentic haircuts, applying war paint, and overseeing scalpings.[3]

The production used approximately 75 horses. Actor John Derek emphasized the importance of the horses: "Any western star is only as good as his horse. Put a dashing hero on a drooping, plodding horse and even the most cityfied youngster would pelt the television screen . . . A spirited, prancing hunk of horseflesh is as necessary as the camera."[4]

Reception

Donald Kirkley in The Baltimore Sun criticized the film for its historical "changes and inventions." In addition to changing the villain's name from Chivington to Templeton, Kirkley noted that the production radically altered the details of the massacre as well as the motive. The real Chivington, wrote Kirkley, was a former minister motivated by a fervent belief that Indians "were no better than wild beasts, to be exterminated when found." The script changed the fictional Templeton's motive to one of personal ambition.[5]

References

  1. ^ Oscar Godbout (October 25, 1956). "Basehart to Star on 'Playhouse 90': Will Be Seen as Hired Killer in 'So Soon to Die,' Fourth in Screen Gems Series". The New York Times.
  2. ^ "'Playhouse 90' Gets 3 New Video Plays". The New York Times. September 25, 1956.
  3. ^ "Scalp Specialist Helps "Massacre" on "Playhouse 90," Dec. 27". The Bedford Daily Times-Mail. December 22, 1956 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "'Playhouse 90' Is Sitting Tall In the Saddle". The Marshfield news-Herald. December 22, 1956. p. 13 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Donald Kirkley (December 31, 1956). "Look and Listen". The Baltimore Sun – via Newspapers.com.

External links

  • Massacre at Sand Creek at IMDb Edit this at Wikidata
  • v
  • t
  • e
Films directed by Arthur Hiller
  • v
  • t
  • e
People
Season 1
  • "Forbidden Area"
  • "Requiem for a Heavyweight"
  • "Sizeman and Son"
  • "Rendezvous in Black"
  • "The Country Husband"
  • "The Big Slide"
  • "Heritage of Anger"
  • "Eloise"
  • "Confession"
  • "Made in Heaven"
  • "Sincerely, Willis Wade"
  • "The Family Nobody Wanted"
  • "Massacre at Sand Creek"
  • "Snowshoes: A Comedy of People and Horses"
  • "The Ninth Day"
  • "So Soon to Die"
  • "The Star Wagon"
  • "The Greer Case"
  • "The Miracle Worker"
  • "The Comedian"
  • "The Coat of White"
  • "The Blackwell Story"
  • "Invitation to a Gunfighter"
  • "The Last Tycoon"
  • "The Hostess with the Mostes'"
  • "Charley's Aunt"
  • "Clipper Ship"
  • "If You Know Elizabeth"
  • "Three Men on a Horse"
  • "Four Women in Black"
  • "Child of Trouble"
  • "Homeward Borne"
  • "Helen Morgan"
  • "Winter Dreams"
  • "Circle of the Day"
  • "Without Incident"
  • "Clash by Night"
  • "Ain't No Time for Glory"
  • "The Fabulous Irishman"
Season 2
  • "The Death of Manolete"
  • "The Dark Side of the Earth"
  • "Topaze"
  • "A Sound of Different Drummers"
  • "The Playroom"
  • "Around the World in 90 Minutes"
  • "The Mystery of Thirteen"
  • "The Edge of Innocence"
  • "The Clouded Image"
  • "The Jet Propelled Couch"
  • "The Troublemakers"
  • "Panic Button"
  • "Galvanized Yankee"
  • "The Thundering Wave"
  • "For I Have Loved Strangers"
  • "The Lone Woman"
  • "Reunion"
  • "The Last Man"
  • "The 80 Yard Run"
  • "Before I Die"
  • "The Gentleman From Seventh Avenue"
  • "The Violent Heart"
  • "No Time at All"
  • "Point of No Return"
  • "Portrait of a Murderer"
  • "The Last Clear Chance"
  • "The Male Animal"
  • "The Right Hand Man"
  • "Turn Left at Mount Everest"
  • "The Dungeon"
  • "Verdict of Three"
  • "Rumors of Evening"
  • "Not the Glory"
  • "Nightmare at Ground Zero"
  • "Bomber's Moon"
  • "Natchez"
  • "The Innocent Sleep"
  • "A Town Has Turned to Dust"
  • "The Great Gatsby"
  • "A Bitter Heritage"
Season 3
Season 4
Revivals