IMDb > Buffalo Bill (1944)

Buffalo Bill (1944) More at IMDbPro »

Overview

User Rating:
6.5/10   384 votes
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Director:
William A. Wellman
Writers:
Æneas MacKenzie (screenplay) &
Clements Ripley (screenplay) ...
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for Buffalo Bill on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
April 1944 (USA) more
Genre:
Biography | Western more
Plot:
The story of William "Buffalo Bill" Cody, legendary westerner, from his days as an army scout to his later activities as owner of a Wild West show. full summary | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
User Comments:
As Buffalo Bill saw himself. more (10 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)
Joel McCrea ... William Frederick 'Buffalo Bill' Cody

Maureen O'Hara ... Louisa Frederici Cody
Linda Darnell ... Dawn Starlight
Thomas Mitchell ... Ned Buntline
Edgar Buchanan ... Sergeant Chips McGraw

Anthony Quinn ... Chief Yellow Hand
Moroni Olsen ... Senator Frederici
Frank Fenton ... Murdo Carvell
Matt Briggs ... General Blazier
George Lessey ... Mr. Schyler Vandervere
Frank Orth ... Sherman - Shooting Gallery Owner
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Carl Andre ... Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Arthur Aylesworth ... Pool Player Debunking Cody (uncredited)
Evelyn Beresford ... Queen Victoria (uncredited)
Edward Biby ... Sergeant (uncredited)
Sidney Blackmer ... Theodore Roosevelt (uncredited)
Billy Bletcher ... Short Man (uncredited)
Eddie Borden ... Shooting Gallery Heckler (uncredited)
George Bronson ... Strong Man (uncredited)
Lyle Brown ... Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Jack Carry ... Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Wheaton Chambers ... Customer (uncredited)
George Chandler ... Trooper Clancy (uncredited)
Freddie Chapman ... Boy at Shooting Gallery (uncredited)
Ben Corbett ... Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Frank Cordell ... Undetermined Role (uncredited)
John Dilson ... President Rutherford B. Hayes (uncredited)
Larry Dods ... Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Lester Dorr ... Clerk at Council Bluffs (uncredited)
Tatzumbia Dupea ... Old Indian Woman (uncredited)
Elmer Ellingwood ... Undetermined Role (uncredited)
John Epper ... Undetermined Role (uncredited)
George Fiske ... Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Vincent Graeff ... Crippled Boy (uncredited)
Fred Graham ... Editor (uncredited)
William Haade ... Barber (uncredited)
Reed Hadley ... Narrator (uncredited)
Cordell Hickman ... Negro Boy at Shooting Gallery (uncredited)
Stuart Holmes ... Arcade Extra (uncredited)
Robert Homans ... Policeman Muldoon (uncredited)
Don House ... Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Jack House ... Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Gordon Jones ... Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Eddie Juaregui ... Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Fred Kennedy ... Undetermined Role (uncredited)
John Konorez ... (uncredited)
Larry Lawson ... Adjutant (uncredited)
Arthur Loft ... Barker (uncredited)
Gerald Mackey ... Boy at Shooting Gallery (uncredited)
James Magill ... Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Chief Many Treaties ... Chief Tall Bull (uncredited)
Margaret Martin ... Indian Servant (uncredited)
Kermit Maynard ... Trooper Smith (uncredited)
Frank McCarroll ... Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Pat McKee ... Street Extra (uncredited)
Merlyn Nelson ... Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Eddie Nichols ... Boy at Shooting Gallery (uncredited)
Georgie Nokes ... Boy at Shooting Gallery (uncredited)
Cliff Parkinson ... Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Bob Perry ... Undetermined Role (uncredited)
John Reese ... Tough Guy (uncredited)
Walt Robbins ... Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Merrill Rodin ... Bellboy (uncredited)
Syd Saylor ... Barker (uncredited)
Phil Schumacher ... Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Audrey Scott ... Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Jack Shannon ... Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Clint Sharp ... Undetermined Role (uncredited)
George Sherwood ... Reporter (uncredited)
Joe P. Smith ... Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Edwin Stanley ... Doctor (uncredited)
Harry Strang ... Sergeant (uncredited)
Nick Thompson ... Medicine Man (uncredited)
Chief Thundercloud ... Crazy Horse (uncredited)
Harry Tyler ... Barker (uncredited)
Cecil Weston ... Maid (uncredited)
Buster Wiles ... Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Henry Wills ... Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Thomas Alan Yazloff ... Kit Carson Cody (uncredited)
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Directed by
William A. Wellman 
 
Writing credits
Æneas MacKenzie (screenplay) (as Aeneas MacKenzie) &
Clements Ripley (screenplay) and
Cecile Kramer (screenplay)

Frank Winch (story)

John Larkin  contributing writer (uncredited)

Produced by
Harry Sherman .... producer (as Harry A. Sherman)
Darryl F. Zanuck .... executive producer (uncredited)
 
Original Music by
David Buttolph 
Arthur Lange (uncredited)
 
Cinematography by
Leon Shamroy 
 
Film Editing by
James B. Clark 
 
Art Direction by
James Basevi 
Lewis H. Creber  (as Lewis Creber)
 
Set Decoration by
Thomas Little 
 
Costume Design by
René Hubert  (as Rene Hubert)
 
Makeup Department
Guy Pearce .... makeup artist
 
Production Management
Sid Bowen .... unit manager (uncredited)
R.L. Hough .... production manager (uncredited)
Charles Stallings .... production manager (uncredited)
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Otto Brower .... second unit director
Joseph C. Behm .... assistant director (uncredited)
William Eckhardt .... assistant director (uncredited)
 
Art Department
Fred J. Rode .... associate set decorator
Ben Wurtzel .... construction supervisor (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
Alfred Bruzlin .... sound
Roger Heman Sr. .... sound (as Roger Heman)
 
Special Effects by
Fred Sersen .... special photographic effects
 
Stunts
Ben Corbett .... stunts (uncredited)
Frank Cordell .... stunts (uncredited)
John Epper .... stunts (uncredited)
George Fiske .... stunts (uncredited)
Fred Graham .... stunts (uncredited)
Jackie Hamblin .... stunt double (uncredited)
Howard Hill .... stunts (uncredited)
Jack House .... stunts (uncredited)
Eddie Juaregui .... stunts (uncredited)
Fred Kennedy .... stunts (uncredited)
Kermit Maynard .... stunts (uncredited)
Frank McCarroll .... stunts (uncredited)
Cliff Parkinson .... stunts (uncredited)
Phil Schumacher .... stunts (uncredited)
Audrey Scott .... stunt double (uncredited)
Jack Shannon .... stunts (uncredited)
Clint Sharp .... stunts (uncredited)
Joe Smith .... stunts (uncredited)
Buster Wiles .... stunts (uncredited)
Henry Wills .... stunts (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sam Benson .... wardrobe (uncredited)
 
Music Department
Emil Newman .... musical director
Arthur Morton .... orchestrator (uncredited)
David Raksin .... orchestrator (uncredited)
 
Other crew
Natalie Kalmus .... technicolor director
Richard Mueller .... associate technicolor director
Joe De Young .... technical advisor (uncredited)
Dick Dickson .... assistant: Harry Sherman (uncredited)
Howard Hill .... archery expert (uncredited)
Ray C. Moore .... location manager (uncredited)
Lt. Col. J.G. Taylor .... technical advisor (uncredited)
Chief Thundercloud .... technical advisor (uncredited)
 
Crew verified as complete


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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
90 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Recording)
Certification:
Iceland:12 | Argentina:Atp | USA:TV-G (TV rating) | Norway:A | Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:Approved (certificate #9533)
Filming Locations:
Crow Indian Reservation, Montana, USA more
Company:
Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Early production charts had Vincent Price in the role of "Murdo Carvell," but he was replaced by Frank Fenton when the role was severely cut. Many of the uncredited cast had more lines and screen time than Fenton, who was credited on screen. more
Quotes:
Yellow Hand: Men of the Nation. There's a black cloud coming from the east to cover us all. We, the Cheyenne, have called our brothers of the Sioux so we can hear the words about this thing. Yesterday, the buffalo was many as the blades of grass upon the prairie... more
Movie Connections:
Featured in "Biography: Linda Darnell: Hollywood's Fallen Angel" (1999) more
Soundtrack:
Hail to the Chief more

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
9 out of 9 people found the following comment useful.
As Buffalo Bill saw himself., 9 November 2004
6/10
Author: bkoganbing from Buffalo, New York

If William F. Cody had lived until 1944 he would have loved this film. Most of all he would have approved of the casting of Hollywood's most straight arrow hero Joel McCrea as himself. That's the image Cody liked to convey even if it wasn't exactly the truth.

The real Cody was a brave enough hero all right and this film does mention some of the highlights of his real life, the buffalo hunt with Grand Duke Alexei of Russia, the hand to hand fight with Yellow Hand at War Bonnet Gorge, and the formation of his wild west show.

The trouble was the real Cody got into show business and he was ballyhooed out of all proportion to his real accomplishments. And Cody was lent himself admirably to exploitation.

The movie is the kind of ballyhoo that Cody would have approved. Cody's chief publicist in real life was Ned Buntline who is faithfully portrayed here by Thomas Mitchell. Maureen O'Hara is Louisa Frederici Cody and she's the faithful, but eastern bred wife. No hint of the real marriage problems that plagued the Codys.

Linda Darnell and Edgar Buchanan are in this film and I don't really know why. Darnell is an Indian school mistress and Buchanan is a grizzled old army trooper. No real reason for either of them in the film. Darnell is killed at War Bonnet Gorge and she must have been the first squaw who rode into battle. Buchanan's character is also left hanging in the air. Anthony Quinn is Cheyenne chief Yellow Hand and is Cody's worthy adversary on the screen.

Buffalo Bill Cody's real contribution was the wild west show. Cody had many imitators, but he was the original. Until Hollywood took over with the making of the first silent westerns, these shows created the myths surrounding the winning of the west. Sadly that part of Cody's life is given short shrift.

But Buffalo Bill would have loved this film. Whether today's audience would is open to speculation.

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