A Thunder of Drums *** (1961, Richard Boone, George Hamilton, Arthur O’Connell, Luana Patten, Richard Chamberlain, Charles Bronson, Slim Pickens, Duane Eddy) – Classic Movie Review 13,487

The smart and savvy 1961 Western film A Thunder of Drums stars Richard Boone, George Hamilton, Arthur O’Connell and Luana Patten, along with Richard Chamberlain, Charles Bronson, Slim Pickens and Duane Eddy.

Director Joseph M Newman’s smart and savvy 1961 American Metrocolor and CinemaScope Western film A Thunder of Drums stars Richard Boone, George Hamilton, Arthur O’Connell and Luana Patten, along with Richard Chamberlain, Charles Bronson, Slim Pickens, Duane Eddy and James Douglas.

It’s the cavalry against the Indians again with a combative green cavalry officer, First Lieutenant Curtis McQuade (George Hamilton), the son of a general, having to try to earn the respect of his commanding officer, the bitter, once-disgraced, never-to-be-promoted veteran Captain Maddocks (Richard Boone).

The slightly tired set-up and storyline are problems, but the script is very professionally performed by a sprauncy cast, with young rookie Hamilton and tough old Boone going particularly well as the officers fighting each other as well as the Apache. Charles Bronson is effective in an unusually showy role for him as a boozy soldier, Trooper Hanna. Rock musician Duane Eddy also co-stars as another one of the troopers, Trooper Eddy oddly enough.

Director Newman and James Warner Bellah’s script do have a little sting in the tail. And it is good that it is shot in Metrocolor and CinemaScope widescreen by William W Spencer.

It is Richard Chamberlain’s second movie, cast as another young lieutenant, Lieutenant Porter, following his film debut is the 1960 B-film The Secret of The Purple Reef. TV’s Dr Kildare (1961–66) and then the 1963 courtroom thriller Twilight of Honor, his first movie starring role, followed.

James Warner Bellah adapted the screenplay from his 1946 short story Command, first published in The Saturday Evening Post.

It was Robert Enders’s first film as an independent producer but it recorded a loss of $42,000, having taken $1 million at the box office.

Release date: September 26, 1961 (New York City).

MGM were trying out a number of young actors under contract, including George Hamilton, Richard Chamberlain, Carole Wells and James Douglas. They had mixed career fortunes.

George Richard Chamberlain (March 31, 1934 – March 29, 2025)

James Douglas

James Douglas (May 20, 1929 – March 5, 2016) didn’t have much of a film career: G I Blues (1960), A Thunder of Drums (1961) and Sweet Bird of Youth (1962). But he was a hit on TV soaps.

Carole Wells

Carole Wells (born August 31, 1942) appeared in a long list of TV series and some films: A Thunder of Drums, Come Blow Your Horn, The Lively Set, Zorro in the Court of England, The House of Seven Corpses, Funny Lady and The Cheap Detective.

The cast

The cast are Richard Boone as Captain Stephen Maddocks, George Hamilton as Lieutenant Curtis McQuade, Luana Patten as Tracey Hamilton, Arthur O’Connell as Sergeant Karl Rodermill, Charles Bronson as Trooper Hanna, Richard Chamberlain as Lieutenant Porter, James Douglas as Lieutenant Thomas Gresham, Tammy Marihugh as Laurie Detweiler, Carole Wells as Camden Yates, Duane Eddy as Trooper Eddy, Slim Pickens as Trooper Erschick, Clem Harvey as Trooper Denton, Casey Tibbs as Trooper Baker, Irene Tedrow as Mrs Scarborough, Marjorie Bennett as Mrs Yates, J Edward McKinley as Captain Alan Scarborough, Frank Gerstle as Trooper Drortmander, Mark Allen as Cole Daugherty, John Ayres as Captain Owen Yates, Stewart East as Spencer, and Carol Henry as Trooper Hart.

A Thunder of Drums is directed by Joseph M Newman, runs 97 minutes, is made by Robert J Enders Productions, is released by MGM, is written by James Warner Bellah, is shot in Metrocolor and CinemaScope widescreen by William W Spencer, is produced by Robert J Enders, is scored by Harry Sukman, and is designed by George W Davis and Gabriel Scognamillo.

© Derek Winnert 2025 – Classic Movie Review 13,487

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