Pillars Of The Sky (1956)

Set in 1868 Oregon, when the U.S. Cavalry crosses into Indian territory to built a fort, the indigenous Indians consider the action breaking the treaty which gave them the land. War is inevitable. Based on the novel FRONTIER FURY by Heck Allen and directed by George Marshall (DESTRY RIDES AGAIN). Shot in CinemaScope and balancing actual Oregon locations with sound stage interiors, this is a straight forward western with an emphatic pro-Christian bent. Indeed, the film's ads proclaimed, "This was the night of the tomahawk and the cross!". The film could have well been funded by the Trinity Broadcasting Network had it been around in 1956. The Indians have been baptized as Christians by a minister (Ward Bond) and some of the tribes desert the Church when the fighting breaks out while others stick to their faith and help the white man. An adulterous triangle between Jeff Chandler, Dorothy Malone and Keith Andes also ends in a way that should please the faithful. Co-starring Lee Marvin (doing a terrible Irish accent), Sydney Chaplin, Michael Ansara, Martin Milner, Olive Carey and Frank DeKova.