Tap Roots (1948)

When Mississippi secedes from the Union and the Civil War begins, a land baron (Ward Bond) declares his property neutral and independent of the state of Mississippi. Naturally, this does not sit well with the Confederacy. Based on the novel by James H. Street and directed by George Marshall (DESTRY RIDES AGAIN). Susan Hayward was one of many actresses that were tested for the role of Scarlett O'Hara in GONE WITH THE WIND (1939). She didn't get the part but as Bond's daughter, this movie is as close as she ever got to her own Scarlett O'Hara. The most refreshing thing about the film is the absence of nostalgia for the Old South which permeated so many of the films of its era. The film's plot is loosely based on the true story of a farmer who attempted to secede from Mississippi which was made into a film called THE FREE STATE OF JONES in 2016. Shot in luminous three strip Technicolor, it's an enjoyable entertainment although the film's final battle between the Confederacy and the land owners goes on too long. With Van Heflin, Boris Karloff, Julie London, Richard Long, Ruby Dandridge and Whitfield Connor.