The stage curtains open ...
This one really takes me back to my youth. Back in the days when we only had CBS, NBC and ABC for television stations, no VCR's (much less DVD players), no iPods, no Internet ... I think you get the picture. We had TV and radio back then and that was pretty much it. Once in a great while, there would be a movie that my parents would let me stay up late to watch, and this was one of them. Aired on NBC back in 1977, this made-for-TV movie was one of my childhood favorites.
It is the classic story by James Fenimore Cooper for a new generation. Hawkeye (Steve Forrest), Chingachgook (Ned Romero), and his son, Uncas (Don Shanks) find themselves guiding and protecting a British officer, two women, and a singing master after they are misled by their indian guide, Magua. Hawkeye informs the small party that Magua is actually a Huron warleader and not to be trusted. With Huron warriors all around them, it is up to the Hawkeye and his two Mohican brothers to get them through safely to the fort.
This was such a fun movie. Steve Forrest was perfect for the role of the all-knowing and wise Hawkeye. Ned Romero as the Mohican father and Don Shanks as Uncas were also both perfectly cast. Don Shanks was also Grizzly Adams indian friend, Nakoma on the TV series, and would go on to play the part of Michael Myers in Halloween 5 - The Revenge Of Michael Myers.
In 1992, the latest version of Last of the Mohicans would come out on the big screen with Daniel Day Lewis and Madeleine Stowe starring. And though that was also very, very good, this 1977 version is still my personal favorite. Hard to find, but if you do ... give it a go. You'll enjoy it.
