The Plainsman Overview:

The Plainsman (1936) was a Western - Biographical Film directed by Cecil B. DeMille and produced by Cecil B. DeMille, William LeBaron and William H. Pine.

SYNOPSIS

DeMille's extravagant way with history is here applied to the oft-filmed tale of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. The two (Cooper and Arthur, fresh from their success in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town) get mixed up with Buffalo Bill and a sneak who's selling guns to the Indians. Arthur tries to come to the rescue and gets herself and Cooper captured. The source of the famous Hollywood story about Quinn answering a casting call for real Indians (and DeMille did stock the cast with authentic native Americans) and performing a Cheyenne war dance with gibberish. He got the part, and won the hand of the director's daughter.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

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BlogHub Articles:

THE PLAINSMAN (1936)

By Dan Day, Jr. on Jul 4, 2020 From The Hitless Wonder Movie Blog

Pandemics, social unrest, a screwed-up baseball season....none of that is going to stop me from buying cheap DVDs or Blu-rays whenever I can. My latest discount purchase is THE PLAINSMAN, a 1936 Western saga from the legendary Cecil B. DeMille. THE PLAINSMAN deals with three legends of the Old West... Read full article


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Quotes from

Calamity Jane: What are you smoking? Chalk?


Calamity Jane: You're a mule-headed man, Bill Hickok.


Wild Bill Hickok: This is a big country and trails cross... sometimes.


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Facts about

The script originally had Anthony Quinn's character entering the campsite with no concern because he thought it was the camp of another Indian. Quinn told Cecil B. DeMille that a real Indian would know the difference between a white man's camp and that of another Indian's, and should show caution when entering. When Quinn insisted, DeMille thought about it and agreed that's how the character ought to react.
One of over 700 Paramount productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since.
Anthony Quinn told Cecil B. DeMille that he spoke fluent Cheyenne. Quinn's description of the Custer battle is gibberish, but DeMille was impressed.
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