Walk the Proud Land

Walk The Proud Land, I just caught this movie recently on AMC and was shocked at how much I enjoyed it. I am a big Audie Murphy fan, but even I am willing to admit that most of his movies rarely rise above mediocre. This movie, however, has Audie in the hands of a good director, with a competent script, and some very good supporting cast members.

There were a couple of moments when Ann Bancroft was on screen when my mouth dropped open at how utterly gorgeous she was. Simply breathtaking! Charles Drake and Morris Ankrum do nice work, and Jay Silverheels can do no wrong in my book (I could watch that noble face and listen to that great voice all day long).

I confess to not knowing the real story of Clum, so I was not distracted by how factually accurate this account was (or wasn’t, as the case may be). I watched it purely for its entertainment value and walked away completely entertained. Yes, the script has some rather heavy-handed messages we are beaten over the head with throughout, but I feel most of society could stand to be beaten over the head with some positive messages regarding friendship, loyalty, family, and race relations, so that didn’t bother me.

I feel Audie Murphy did some of his best acting work in this film, so if you get a chance to see it, I would highly recommend giving it a shot…it’s good old fashioned entertainment.