Based on the classic writings of James Fenimore Cooper, this exciting frontier adventure series vividly captured the daring exploits of Hawkeye, "first of the long rifles," and his faithful blood brother Chingachgook, last of the Mohicans. Set in New York's Hudson Valley of the 1750s, the series was filmed almost entirely in Canada from 1957 to 1958 utilizing authentic outdoor settings and carefully observed period detail. Athletic and handsome John Hart, famous for playing the title role in Jack Armstrong, The All-American Boy (1947) and numerous action adventure movies, is a natural as Nat 'Hawkeye' Cutler. Lon Chaney, Jr. plays the Chingachgook role with relish, years after he had gained fame for his starring role in Of Mice And Men and the classic Universal movie The Wolfman.
Episode 1--The Search: Hawkeye and Chingachgook rescue an elderly woman from the clutches of two Indians. She enlists their help in finding her son who was abducted 18 years ago by the same tribe.
Episode 2--The Delaware Hoax: The Delaware, an Indian tribe with ties to Chingachgook, are framed by white men for murder and robberies they did not commit. Hawkeye sets out to clear the tribe's name.
Episode 3--False Witness: Army payroll messengers are found murdered, victims of a band of renegade highwaymen. Hawkeye and Chingachgook go undercover, managing the local trading post, to find the culprits.
Episode 4--Hawkeye's Homecoming: Hawkeye learns that his brother Tommy has become a red coat soldier. When Tommy is killed by a corrupt Indian companion, Hawkeye seeks justice.
The Promised Valley: After purchasing land from the Tuscorora Indians, the settlers are ordered to leave the valley by the tribe's new chief. Hawkeye suspects foul play and sets out to uncover the truth.
Way Station: In a desperate bid to be chief, a Kona brave tries to kill his rival and frame Hawkeye for the murder. Hunted by the tribe, Hawkeye and the injured man take refuge in a way station.
False Faces: Reports of masked Mingo warriors raiding and looting wilderness settlements prompt Hawkeye and Chingachgook to venture deep into Indian territory to uncover the source of the uprising.
In addition, every version of The Last of the Mohicans perpetuates the idea of the vanishing Indian. In reality, the Mohicans are still with us, so there was never a "last" one.
For more on the subject, see TV Shows Featuring Indians.
At least Lon Chaney did not turn into a werewolf.
ReplyDeleteThe very first horror movie I ever saw was "The Wolfman" with Lon Chaney, Jr. I recall first seeing that movie in the early Sixties when I was only seven years old in Rapid City, South Dakota, at one of the older downtown theaters.
ReplyDeleteBack in those days in Rapid City, if a movie-goer was Indian, Mexican or black, they were not allowed to sit in the main part of the theater, but were instead made to sit in the "peanut gallery" - the balcony.
The balconies of these movie houses were always patrolled by a pimply faced usher armed with a heavy wooden club that the minority patrons referred to as "the nigger beater." If a minority patron became unruly or displayed an "uppity" attitude, the "nigger beater" was employed with brutal effectiveness.
Years later, in high school wood shop, (on my own time) I made my own "nigger beater" out of an old wooden bowling pin that I sanded all the paint from, drilled a hole through the top, and then ran a thick leather strap through the hole. Then, when no one was watching me, I'd stand on one leg as I leaned against a wall, and jauntily swing the "nigger beater" around by the leather thong - just like the pimply faced theater ushers used to do in Rapid City.
Occasionally, I'd even mutter in a thick Western drawl: "Hey, chief! What-choo a lookin at?" Or my favorite: "Boy, don't roll your eyes at me!"
As a poor Indian kid I had to rely on my own skills as a junior craftsman to make most of my toys, and I had always wanted to be an usher at one of the theaters, but they didn't hire Indians as ushers in Rapid City until the mid-Nineties - at which time my desire to wield a "nigger beater" publicly had become no more than a passing fancy.