One of the best fiction movies based on frontier Oklahoma will be released as a dvd. "Last Train from Gunhill," starring Kirk Douglass and Anthony Quinn will be released as a dvd on November 9, 2004. The deputy U.S. marshal in the movie, played by Douglass is from a town named Pauley. There is a town named Paoli in the Chickasaw Nation that is on the Santa Fe line. I believe Gunhill is a fictional town in North Texas according to the book that the movie was based on. The marshal's wife, a Cheyenne, is raped and murdered. A horse and saddle is recovered and the marshal has to travel to Gunhill to make the arrest and return the fugitive, who happens to be an old friend's son. His friend now a big rancher controls Gunhill, which is essence is an extension of his huge ranch. I am not a huge fan of fictional books or movies, but this is a good one.

Sounds like a great movie. I'll make sure to get it when it's released.

I'm probably more of a fan of fiction than you are, and if anybody else shares this weakness I strongly recommend the novels of Speer Morgan, who I believe is a Fort Smith native.

Probably the best is The Whipping Boy (New York: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1994), which is an excellent coming-of-age novel about a young Indian orphan boy in the Territories set in 1894. Great period detail which as far as I can tell is historically accurate. (Though not always--for some reason he includes a scene with a dying Blackface Charley Bryant, who had been dead since 1891). The villian in the book is Deacon Jim Miller, and much of the plot features Miller pursuing the protagonists through the Territory countryside.

Speer wrote a sequel to this called The Freshour Cylinders which centers around the Spiro archeological Mounds, and is also quite good. He also wrote a novel about Belle Starr.

Does anybody else have any recommendations about pertinent books and movies?

--meursault

The best fiction books that I have read on the Indian Territory are by Robert Conley and his Go-Ahead-Rider mystery series and a couple of other period books on the Indian Territory concerning law enforcement by him which have been great. He has also written fiction books on Crazy Snake, Ned Christy and Henry Starr. All of them are also great reading. Conley is a Cherokee and resides in Tahlequah. He has won numerous awards from the Western Writers of America. Another great fiction writer concerning the Indian Territory and Fort Smith is the late author, Douglas C. Jones. He wrote three great mysteries; "Winding Stair;" Search for Temperance Moon;" and "Spider for Loco Shoat." If anyone has written better fiction on the Indian Territory than Conley and Jones I would love to see it.

Also,
I forgot to mention one movie I seen years ago. The plot of the movie was a deputy U.S. marshal was killed and he asked a stranger to get his prisoner to Fort Smith, with all the dangers that would take. The title was something like, "The Legend of Kiowa Jones." At the time I thought the movie was pretty good. Would love to see it again to get another more critcal take on it.

I believe the movie you have in mind is "The Dangerous Days of Kiowa Jones," starring Robert Horton, released in 1966.

For what's it's worth my wife, who is a film scholar, tells me that Last Train From Gun Hill is very well respected in academic film circles. The movie (1959) was directed by John Sturges who went on to direct my favorite western of all time, The Magnificent Seven. Kirk Douglas was at the peak of his career in Gun Hill having just finished his "The Vikings" and immediately before then what is arguably his best performance as Colonel Dak in Kubrick's "Paths of Glory."

--meursault

Muersalt,
Thank you for the clarification and the correct title on that movie. I will see if I can locate somewhere in cyberspace or the liberary. Since your wife is a film scholar maybe you can help me with another film question. In the 60s, I remember seeing a movie, that was broadcast on television, made in the early 50s or late 40s. This movie I thought starred Joel McCrea, but I may be wrong. The plot was based in the Oklahoma Territory and the main character was either a preacher or judge. The main character also was a former gunman/peaceofficer who had to strap on his guns again at the end of the movie and clean out the outlaws. Again, when I viewed the movie, then as a teenager, I thought it was pretty good. I could have sworn it was McCrea. Would love to locate this Oklahoma film.

Muersalt, Sorry, about misspelling your name. Art

Joel McCrea starred in a 1957 movie called "The Oklahoman." Is this what you're thinking of?

--meursault (with help from Mrs. meursault)

Just passing through; but thought I'd put my two cents in this conversation. I personally like the movie,HOMBRE.
LATER

No, the movie was nnot "The Oklahoman," which I am familiar with. I believe the movie I am searching for was shot in black and white. The lead character played a judge who eventually had to put his guns on to deal with some malcontents. "Hombre" is also one of my favorite westerns, but it is not about Oklahoma but New Mexico.