Fort Osage (1952) Online

This a nice B western about a wagon master trying to make wrong a right done by the businessman behind a wagon drive.

I can't say I'm familiar with any of the films made by the lead Rod Cameron. Although lacking the gravitas of the great cowboy actors he does a decent job as the righteous good guy. The rest of the cast are more than adequate.

The plot is pretty standard but it comes with a healthy amount of the required fist fights, horse chases and shootouts with the obligatory romantic interlude tucked in for good measure. It's all filmed in vivid colours which give the film a nice if dated feel.

This is no Hign Noon and holds few surprises but it is sharply scripted, well acted and enjoyable. For those that like old westerns this is well worth watching.

Fort Osage is directed by Lesley Selander and written by Dan Ullman. It stars Rod Cameron, Jane Nigh, Morris Ankrum, Douglas Kennedy, John Ridgely and William Phipps. Music is by Marlin Skiles and Cinecolor cinematography is by Harry Neumann.

Little seen or forgotten, Fort Osage is one of those quintessential early 1950s "B" Westerns that stands up tall and proud in wishing to entertain all the family.

Plot has Ankrum as greedy businessman Arthur Pickett, who is charging extortionate prices for the travellers staying in Fort Osage who wish to join the Wagon train he's organising to travel from Missouri to California. However, the hired Wagon Master, Tom Clay (Cameron) has witnessed an Indian attack on a lone wagon travelling through Osage Indian territory and smells a rat straight away. Once in town it becomes clear to Clay that a treaty has been broken and unless he can weed out the corrupt bad guys, a devastating war will arise.

This is no hidden Western classic, the formula would become old hat as the decade wore on, and any hopes of great thesping and thematic potency will be crushed within the first 15 minutes. That said, there are plenty of Western fans who just love a basic "B" Western with plenty of action, machismo, romance and good old good guys versus bad guys larking about. Fort Osage fills those requirements comfortably.

Selander wastes no time in showing his hand for what type of movie he is making, an Indian attack straight away raises the pulses. From there he introduces the main players in the story, setting their respective character traits from the off. Clay is our hero, who naturally is up against it in the beginning, and the trajectory has him refuse to help the weasel types in their operations; with Kennedy's George Keane the aggressive muscle scumbag leading the henchmen offensive ready to put Clay in his grave.

Nigh (as Ann Pickett) files in for beauty dressage (she fits it well for sure), with the added kicker that she is the daughter of Ankrum's corrupt businessman. But frustratingly there is a dangled theme involving her that isn't given any more thought. Clearly there is some jealousy from the other town ladies towards Ann because of her wealth, but this being a Selander "B" Western means we aren't about to explore that thematic when you can throw in an action scene instead!

So! Enter a good old barroom fight, a chase and shootout, then some dialogue scenes to find out why the treaty has been broken? Bad dudes attack reservation to further compound the heated atmosphere, which leaves Clay in a tricky situation as he has a great relationship with the Osage Tribe. It of course will all come out in the wash, via a posse formation after Clay rallies the denizens of Fort Osage and via a touch and go accord with the Osage Indians. Cue great chase sequence and a great shootout finale before Clay, the lucky devil, is obviously going to be getting his oats for a long time from Ann. Yee-Haw. 6.5/10

The film Fort Osage is marked by some truly stupid and greedy villainy. Because of that some truly preventable bad things happen.

Rod Cameron stars and he plays a wagonmaster who is refusing to take a train west and the settlers scheduled to travel want to know why. Easy enough, the Osage Indians are on the warpath. Cameron goes to Osage country to find out the answer.

His previous boss had his own treaty with the Osage. The tribe got a delivery of supplies with each wagon train for safe passage. Kind of like in Charge Of The Light Brigade where the British where the British stop their stipend to C.Henry Gordon, but trust he won't go on the warpath there.

Difference is that Morris Ankrum is more interested in money and Douglas Kennedy is a nasty sort in general. Kennedy dominates Ankrum in any event. Just sheer stupid greed.

At 6'5" Cameron cuts a taller figure in the saddle than John Wayne, he's also a bit stiffer in his acting. Ankrum and Kennedy are the real story in Fort Osage.

This is a short (72 min.) Cinecolor B western, by Monogram Pictures, starring Rod Cameron, as wagon master Tom Clay. Morris Ankrum plays businessman Arthur Pickett, while Douglas Kennedy plays his business partner George Keane. The action takes place in and around Fort Osage, Missouri, named for the nearby Osage Indians, who were the main tribe in that area......... A little historical background about Fort Osage: It was built just a few years after the return of Lewis and Clark, with the consent of the Osage. It had a dual purpose as a center for trade with the surrounding Indians, and as a military post for keeping the peace with and between the nearby Indians, and as a deterrent to possible Spanish military invasion. However, it was abandoned in 1822, which is several decades before this story takes place, which is probably in the 1860s, with a reference to the Civil War and California mining camps. .......It's clear from near the beginning that Mr. Pickett and Mr. Keane will be the chief architects of villainy, and that Clay will likely be their chief nemesis in their goal of making maximum profits from their business of outfitting and protecting wagon trains going primarily to California and Oregon, and by reneging on their promise to send the Osage certain supplies as a bribe not to attack wagons traversing their territory. The partners assumed that most wagoners would be willing and able to pay their doubling of fees from that of the previous owner. It's the last wagon train of the year to leave. Sounds like it's fall: not when you would like to be starting a 4-6 month trip across the plains and mountains. The travel time usually depended upon the type of animal used to pull the wagons, with oxen the slowest, and the less common mules or horses faster, thus advisable for journeys late in the season. The pair also assumed that enough Osage had moved to the west, out of the relevant territory, that they wouldn't have enough braves to mount an effective threat to wagon trains of a certain size or more. These assumptions turned out to be only partially valid. One wagoner decided to forego the usurious train fees and set out alone. They were killed and their provisions stolen by a small war party. News of this tragedy reached the other wagoners, who then wanted to pullout of the train for fear they too would be killed by a larger war party. Pickett gave them a speech that made them more confident that they wouldn't likely meet a similar fate. However, Clay didn't want to lead a train when the Indians were on the warpath. So, he took a risky trip to talk to the chief, and find out what the problem was. Keane made his second attempt to kill Clay, to prevent him from finding out their cheating the Indians. However, like the first attempt, it resulted in the death of his sharpshooter, rather than Clay. This was actually good for the wagon train, as the ;pair knew of no other wagon master who approached Clay's experience and rapport with the Indians. When Clay reported back to Pickett that he had found out the reason for hostility of the Indians, Pickett admitted that he had made a miscalculation, and promised to send the bribe goods as soon as possible. But, Keane didn't agree, and when Pickett was alone, he shot him, and grabbed the money to buy the supplies. Before, he and his henchmen had attacked a small Osage village, killing some, to serve as a warning against attacking Europeans. Unfortunately, it had the opposite effect. When he and his henchmen set out for California without wagons(!), a large war party was gathered and zeroed in on them. Clay joined the Indians, and wound up in a wrestling match with Keane, who accidentally shot himself dead. Fortunately, Clay found the stolen money on Keane, so that he could keep his promise of sending goods to the Indians....In the meanwhile, Clay had gotten friendly with Pickett's eligible daughter Ann(Jane Nigh). With the deaths of her father and Keane, she apparently sold their business and joined the wagon train, with Clay as wagon master.