A young Sam Sutter (Stewart Petersen) sets out to rescue his older sister, captured by a trio of Indian braves at the Sutter homestead while they were the only two there. Apparently, Sam is motivated by an earlier conversation with Charlotte (Jewel Blanch), who with Bible firmly in hand, declared that she would be willing to give her own life for a member of her family if that be her fate.
Sam's mission almost ends before it begins, if not for the life saving action of the Russian, an old coot of an alcoholic prospector, who's life affirming motto seems to be "nothin' prettier than sweet yeller gold". The Russian is enthusiastically portrayed by the old paladin himself, Richard Boone, somewhat heavier and a lot more grizzled than his earlier TV Western character. The Russian's crusty mettle is challenged time and time again on the trail, with his trusty canine friend B'arkiller at his side.
The key to Charlotte's location is learned by befriending a feeble old Indian discovered at a Cheyenne camp known by the Russian. Cut Tongue (Henry Wilcoxon) is at a disadvantage however, as his name implies; he lost his tongue when captured by the Cheyenne and has been their slave ever since. His sign language and drawings in the dirt lead the Russian and Sam to the unnamed tribe that took Charlotte away.
It's a wary squaw named Ashkea (Brenda Venus) that reunites Sam with Charlotte at the Indian camp. Seeing the love between brother and sister, Ashkea is moved to tears, unable to comprehend the devotion the two have for each other. Ashkea figures in the film's surprise ending, though observant viewers will probably see it coming well before it's revelation at the very end.
Filmed in Deluxe Color, the movie was heavy on the blues and greens, and along with some washed out scenes the movie had it's distractions. As slowly as the first half moved, the latter part of the film had a forced pace that seemed off balance, especially when it came to young Sam's challenge. Originally intended to be a race against warrior Temkai, it turned out to be a race against time, with a questionable outcome the result.
As a nice touch, the movie's title song is performed by Jewel Blanch, heard once midstream, and then again at the final curtain. It's not enough though to raise the film much above average, though as others have noted, it's sentimental treatment of family love and loyalty is a rarity by today's standards.
Sam's mission almost ends before it begins, if not for the life saving action of the Russian, an old coot of an alcoholic prospector, who's life affirming motto seems to be "nothin' prettier than sweet yeller gold". The Russian is enthusiastically portrayed by the old paladin himself, Richard Boone, somewhat heavier and a lot more grizzled than his earlier TV Western character. The Russian's crusty mettle is challenged time and time again on the trail, with his trusty canine friend B'arkiller at his side.
The key to Charlotte's location is learned by befriending a feeble old Indian discovered at a Cheyenne camp known by the Russian. Cut Tongue (Henry Wilcoxon) is at a disadvantage however, as his name implies; he lost his tongue when captured by the Cheyenne and has been their slave ever since. His sign language and drawings in the dirt lead the Russian and Sam to the unnamed tribe that took Charlotte away.
It's a wary squaw named Ashkea (Brenda Venus) that reunites Sam with Charlotte at the Indian camp. Seeing the love between brother and sister, Ashkea is moved to tears, unable to comprehend the devotion the two have for each other. Ashkea figures in the film's surprise ending, though observant viewers will probably see it coming well before it's revelation at the very end.
Filmed in Deluxe Color, the movie was heavy on the blues and greens, and along with some washed out scenes the movie had it's distractions. As slowly as the first half moved, the latter part of the film had a forced pace that seemed off balance, especially when it came to young Sam's challenge. Originally intended to be a race against warrior Temkai, it turned out to be a race against time, with a questionable outcome the result.
As a nice touch, the movie's title song is performed by Jewel Blanch, heard once midstream, and then again at the final curtain. It's not enough though to raise the film much above average, though as others have noted, it's sentimental treatment of family love and loyalty is a rarity by today's standards.