Drums Across the River

1954
Approved
1h 18m

IMDb RATING

6.1/10

1.1K

YOUR RATING

Walter Brennan and Audie Murphy in Drums Across the River (1954)

When whites hunger after the gold on Ute Indian land, a bigoted young man finds himself forced into a peacekeeping role.

Play trailer2:10

1 Video

29 Photos

Drama Western

When whites hunger after the gold on Ute Indian land, a bigoted young man finds himself forced into a peacekeeping role.When whites hunger after the gold on Ute Indian land, a bigoted young man finds himself forced into a peacekeeping role.When whites hunger after the gold on Ute Indian land, a bigoted young man finds himself forced into a peacekeeping role.

Director
- Nathan Juran
Writers
- John K. Butler
- Lawrence Roman
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.1/10

1.1K

YOUR RATING

Director
- Nathan Juran
Writers
- John K. Butler
- Lawrence Roman
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Videos1

Trailer 2:10

Trailer

Photos29

+ 24

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Drums Across the River (1954) was shot mostly on the Universal back-lot, with location filming at Barton Flats, Red Rock Canyon State Park, San Bernardino National Forest, Burro Flats Simi Hills, Mojave desert, Kernville and Angeles National Forest, all in California. The Ute territory in Colorado, which had recently been damaged in a forest fire, was recreated for the film.

Goofs
Stirrups are visible beneath the blankets on the Indians' horses.

Quotes
Sam Brannon: Now look - you don't have to see a skunk to know he's around.

Connections
Featured in Biography: Audie Murphy: Great American Hero (1996)

User reviews18

Review

Featured review

5/10

STRONG CAST, WEAKISH STORY...!

An Audie Murphy western from 1954. A father/son transpo enterprise are hired to bring a shipment of gold to an embattled location where the Ute Indians hold a tenuous truce w/the passersby. Murphy & Western vet Walter Brennan play the business owners & what they don't know is there are outside forces at play hoping that a war will ignite between the white man & the native peoples so that the Ute's land can be properly exploited. Brennan is hurt in an early skirmish so its up to Murphy to smoke the peace pipe, as it were, w/the Indian elder but he carries a deep seated grudge against them since the chief's son caused the death of his mother. Being a film on the cusp of being truly great & memorable, it's a shame some of the individual elements are glossed over (something a more insightful director may've focused on) so that finish line could be crossed at the 90 minute mark. Look for Jay Silverheels (TV's Tonto from the Lone Ranger series of the 50's) in a pivotal role as the chief's son.