Bullet Points: Grayeagle

There are certain directors that I respect not because they are the best at their craft or only make good movies, but because they make movies they want to make. Most of the time these filmmakers work outside of the major studios and include directors like Roger Corman, Charles Band and Quentin Tarantino. One of the major independent directors that doesn’t get the same level of respect is Charles B. Pierce. He might not have made as many films, but he has some classics on his CV like The Town That Dreaded Sundown, The Legend of Boggy Creek, the more infamous Boggy Creek II: And the Legend Continues, and we can’t forget that he wrote the Dirty Harry line “Go ahead, make me day” in Sudden Impact. One of Pierce’s lesser known films is the 1977 adventure film Grayeagle. Like most of Pierce’s work, Grayeagle has a social  message in addition to being entertaining, so saddle up as week take a journey to a time when the Old West was just the West in Charles B. Pierce’s Grayeagle.

• Hey, How Are Ya – John Colter (Ben Johnson, Breakheart Pass) lives as a trapper in the Montana Territory with his daughter Beth (Lana Wood, Diamonds are Forever.) Colter is good friends with Standing Bear (Iron Eyes Cody) but when they spot a Cheyenne far from home the trio start to get nervous. And wouldn’t you know it, that Cheyenne warrior just so happens to be Grayeagle (Alex Cord, Airwolf) and he outsmarts Colter and Standing Bear and kidnaps Beth. The audience is given no motivation for the kidnapping as we are just thrown into the harrowing ordeal and experience the panic right along with the characters.

• The Searchers – Colter and Standing Bear immediately start the search for Beth which leads Colter to meeting with Trapper Willis played by the always reliable Jack Elam. Willis provides a little comic relief, but also has a seriously emotional scene after teaming up with Cotler and Standing Bear. Anyone that has ever had a dog will understand.  While Colter and Standing Bear are on the hunt, Grayeagle and Beth come across a Shoshone camp who passionately attempt to trade ponies for Beth. Not that I can blame them. I would gladly give up two or three of my ponies for Lana Wood. Grayeagle turns down all the horse trading offers which only angers the head Shoshone Scar… and when Grayeagle and Beth sneak out in the middle of the night there is a new party after the pair.
• Poster Worthy – Scar comes across Grayeagle and Beth while she happens to be washing herself in a creek, and once again I can’t blame the Shoshone when he takes a long good look because I didn’t see a single female in the Shoshone camp. This leads to one of the most epic battles, one that is so epic it is depicted on the Grayeagle poster. Grayeagle and Scar start horsebound but it quickly turns into a hand to hand battle in the creek between the two warriors. That might be the best fight, but it isn’t the only one. If you ever wanted to see Charles B. Pierce playing a white man “touched by the Great Spirit” who lives as a Shoshone fight Ben Johnson, only to be hoisted with his own petard, than Grayeagle is for you.

• Love, Native American Style – As with most kidnappings, the good looking female captive starts to care for the good looking male captor. Grayeagle is no different… except something is different. Grayeagle will not tell Beth why he took her only that he must bring her to see Running Wolf (Paul Fix) and the purpose will be clear. I don’t want to spoil the surprise of a decades old movie, but I will let you know that it involves the classic saying “while the trapper husband is away, the lonely frontier housewife will play.”

Grayeagle is pure Charles B. Pierce entertainment. The story might not be original and it features many familiar faces only seen in Pierce productions (Jimmy Clem and Cindy Butler to name a couple.) However, the scenery is beautiful and the music adds to the beauty and can be very playful at times, specifically with Trapper Willis’ excellent jaunty comic relief theme song. Equine lovers will appreciate the skilled horseback riding and it is good to know that no animals were harmed in any way in the production as the producers assure us at the beginning of the film. The social commentary comes through without being bashed over your head, a major plus and it is great to see a movie with Native Americans and the frontier white men being both “good guys” and “bad guys.” Sure in the grand scheme of things the white man did ‘em wrong, but major props should be given to Charles B. Pierce for Grayeagle taking a look at one epic story of a Cheyenne warrior with plenty of characters to root for and against. One thing you can now root for are some Grayeagle Bonus Bullet Points.

• A Simpler Time – The portrayal and accuracy of the Native American existence during frontier times, both from an internal and external view should be commended, but can you imagine trying to make a film today with white actors playing Native Americans like in Grayeagle?
• “Keep America Beautiful” – You might think that Iron Eyes Cody brings some legitimate Native American acting cred, but don’t forget the Italian-American was born Espera Oscar de Corti to Italian immigrant parents.
• Family Affair – The plot to Grayeagle is similar to the 1956 John Wayne classic The Searchers, which stars not only Grayeagle’s Lana Wood but also her older sister, the late Natalie Wood, as the same character in different parts of her life. Highly recommended viewing.
• Mrs. Trapper Willis Will Tell You – After watching Willis eat, Colter playfully asks him, “I guess when you get done licking on that plate you are going to eat it too?”
• Old Timey – I love a movie that features a sepia toned flashback.
• The Eagle Has Landed – If you think you might enjoy additional eagle movies you might want to soar on over to The Essentials – Fly Like an Eagle.