Sergeant Rutledge

- PLOTCantrell explains that the "buffalo soldiers" were so named because when first seen by the Native Americans, the Natives mistook their woolly coats for those of a buffalo.

In truth, it was the "nappy" hair of the Black soldiers that lead the Natives to dub the unit as "Buffalo Soldiers," but Cantrell could have been misinformed.

When Dr.

Eckner testifies as to the rape/murder, his testimony is shown in flashback and concludes with a conversation between Juano Hernandez as Skidmore and Jeffrey Hunter as Cantrell that took place outside the building.

As the doctor remained inside, he could not possibly have heard it.

When Lt.

Cantrell is holding a picture of the young Miss Lucy Dabney over her dead body, he moves the picture out of camera frame, and you can see her moving her right eyelid.

During Jeffrey Hunter's speech in which he brings up the evidence of the necklace, he bobbles a line by saying "being capable of tipped" instead of "capable of being tipped".

This was a disappointing film. The acting is up to par for a DeMille film, but not so for a Ford western.

"Racist? Me?

When this movie was made, its argument against racism was timely and still enough of a novelty to be interesting. The idea of a troop of black soldiers fighting as well as white ones would no doubt have been satisfying to many well-intentioned people, as would Woody Strode's portrayal of a noble warrior with a strong sense of integrity.

Unlike most of Director John Ford's Westerns that feature much action, "Sergeant Rutledge" is mainly a courtroom drama told mainly in flashback. The time is 1881.

Well, Woody Strode was finally given the opportunity to act in this 1960 film and acted he did in an especially emotionally charged court scene.As for the picture itself, it's routine fanfare.

In these days of Black Lives Matter, I have to applaud the usually tin-eared writers and producers who put together a film about the Dog Soldiers of post-civil war legend. The film does have many clunky parts but this is due to Ford's directing with a nail gun instead of a paint brush.

Sergeant Braxton Rutledge (Woody Strode) is a black cavalry soldier on trial for unknown charges which has the town up in arms. Lieutenant Tom Cantrell (Jeffrey Hunter) is his defense attorney.

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This movie is not a Western but it does have Indians and it is set in the west. It's not a romance although there are some romantic moments.