Shenandoah (film)
Encyclopedia
Shenandoah is a 1965 American Civil War film starring James Stewart
, Doug McClure
, Glenn Corbett
, Patrick Wayne
, and Katharine Ross
. The picture was directed by Andrew V. McLaglen. Though set during the American Civil War
, the film's strong antiwar and humanitarian themes resonated with audiences in later years as attitudes began to change toward the Vietnam War
. Upon its release, the film was praised for its message as well as its technical production.
during the American Civil War, James Stewart
plays the role of family patriarch, Charlie Anderson. He and his six sons run the family farm, while his daughter Jenny (Rosemary Forsyth
) and daughter-in-law Ann (Katharine Ross
) take care of the housework. Charlie's oldest son, Jacob (Glenn Corbett
) wants to join the war, but Charlie repeatedly tells his family that they won't join the war until it concerns them. Although a few of the boys want to join, they respect their father's wishes and remain on the farm.
Charlie's daughter Jenny is courting a young soldier named Sam (Doug McClure
). He wants to marry Jenny, and when Charlie gives his permission, the wedding occurs a few days later. As soon as the vows are said, a young corporal rides up and announces that Sam is wanted back immediately. Sam leaves, much to the sorrow of his new bride.
While out hunting raccoon, Charlie's youngest son and his friend stumble onto a confederate ambush. They run away, and stop for a drink at a pond. The boy is wearing an old rebel soldier cap that he found at the river. When a union patrol comes on them, the boy is takes as a prisoner of war. His young friend, Gabriel (Eugene Jackson
), runs to tell the Andersons what happened. When Charlie hears the news, he and his sons and daughter Jenny leave to look for the boy, leaving James (Patrick Wayne
) and his wife Ann at the farm with their young baby.
Meanwhile, the boy is taken to a prisoner of war camp. He finds a man (James Best
) who is going to escape, and decides to let the boy come along. They and a few other men successfully make it out of the camp, and start heading south. Not long after, they come onto a confederate camp, and are soon involved in a skirmish. The boy's friend is killed, and the boy himself is shot in the leg. When a union soldier comes along about to kill him, the boy looks up into the face of his friend, Gabriel. Gabriel helps him off into a bush to hide until after the battle.
Charlie Anderson, still looking for the boy, overpowers the union soldiers on a train carrying prisoners. He looks through the boxcars, searching for the boy. When he finds that the boy is not there, he gets on his horse to leave. As he looks up, he sees young Sam coming through the crowd. Jenny is overjoyed to see her husband, and Sam leaves with the Andersons, telling the soldiers to burn the train and go home.
Back at the farm, scavengers raid the place, killing both James and Ann. On their way back home, the Andersons run across a confederate patrol. The young sentry, startled by the sound of horses, stands up and takes a shot at Jacob, killing him instantly. Charlie starts to kill the sentry, but stops to ask him his age. The sentry replies, "sixteen, sir." Charlie stops, remembering that his youngest son is sixteen. He emotionally tells the sentry that he wants him to live, and be an old man and have many sons. He wants him to know what it feels like to lose one of them. When the Andersons return home, the doctor tells them what happened to James and Ann. Their young child Martha is still alive, and Charlie takes her in his arms.
The following day at the breakfast table, Charlie begins his standard prayer, but is so heartbroken that he can't finish it. He goes out to the family graveyard, to see his wife's grave. He sees the graves of James, Jacob and Ann alongside his wife, and as he talks to her, he hears church bells ringing in the distance.
Coming back to the farmhouse, he demands to know why no one told him it was Sunday. The whole family gets dressed and ready for church, coming in the door of the church house as the singing is started. As the congregation completes the first song, the pastor, (Denver Pyle
), starts to announce the next hymn. As he does so, the boy stumbles through the back door on a crutch. The whole congregation looks, and Charlie Anderson turns to see what is happening. As he sees the boy, he face lights up, and he helps him to the pew. The whole church joyously sings in unison as the film ends.
; he would fly as an observer and additional pilot on one B-52 mission in Vietnam
as part of his reserve duty a year after the film's release.
Stewart's own son Ronald (adopted from his wife's first marriage) would be killed in action in Vietnam as a US Marine Corps officer a few years later. Stewart had four children, including twin daughters Kelly Stewart and Judy Stewart-Murray, who once appeared with their parents on the 1960s television quiz show Password
. He adopted his wife Gloria's two sons from a previous marriage — Ronald (5) and Michael (2) — when they married.
The anti-Vietnam War connection was not made by the average moviegoer at the time of the film's release in 1965. The beginning of the American ground war in Vietnam is generally considered to be March 8, 1965, when 3,500 United States Marines were dispatched to South Vietnam. During this initial period, U.S. public opinion overwhelmingly supported the deployment. Anti-war sentiments were still several years away.
for Best Sound (Waldon O. Watson
). For her part in Shenandoah, Rosemary Forsyth
was nominated for a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer - Female.
James Stewart (actor)
James Maitland Stewart was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...
, Doug McClure
Doug McClure
Douglas Osborne "Doug" McClure was an American actor whose career in film and television extended from the 1950s to the 1990s...
, Glenn Corbett
Glenn Corbett
Glenn Corbett was an American actor best known for his role on CBS's adventure drama Route 66.-Acting career:...
, Patrick Wayne
Patrick Wayne
Patrick John Morrison, better known by his stage name Patrick Wayne , is an American actor, the second son of movie star John Wayne and his first wife, Josephine Alicia Saenz. He made over 40 films in his career, including nine with his father...
, and Katharine Ross
Katharine Ross
Katharine Juliet Ross is an American film and stage actress. Trained at the San Francisco Workshop, she is perhaps best known for her role as Elaine Robinson in the 1967 film The Graduate, opposite Dustin Hoffman, which won her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, and her role...
. The picture was directed by Andrew V. McLaglen. Though set during the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, the film's strong antiwar and humanitarian themes resonated with audiences in later years as attitudes began to change toward the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. Upon its release, the film was praised for its message as well as its technical production.
Plot
Set in the state of VirginiaVirginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
during the American Civil War, James Stewart
James Stewart
James Stewart was a Hollywood movie actor and USAF brigadier general.James Stewart may also refer to:-Noblemen:*James Stewart, 5th High Steward of Scotland*James Stewart, the Black Knight of Lorn James Stewart (1908–1997) was a Hollywood movie actor and USAF brigadier general.James Stewart...
plays the role of family patriarch, Charlie Anderson. He and his six sons run the family farm, while his daughter Jenny (Rosemary Forsyth
Rosemary Forsyth
Rosemary Forsyth is a Canadian-born American actress most notable for her role as Bronwyn opposite Charlton Heston in The War Lord in 1965....
) and daughter-in-law Ann (Katharine Ross
Katharine Ross
Katharine Juliet Ross is an American film and stage actress. Trained at the San Francisco Workshop, she is perhaps best known for her role as Elaine Robinson in the 1967 film The Graduate, opposite Dustin Hoffman, which won her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, and her role...
) take care of the housework. Charlie's oldest son, Jacob (Glenn Corbett
Glenn Corbett
Glenn Corbett was an American actor best known for his role on CBS's adventure drama Route 66.-Acting career:...
) wants to join the war, but Charlie repeatedly tells his family that they won't join the war until it concerns them. Although a few of the boys want to join, they respect their father's wishes and remain on the farm.
Charlie's daughter Jenny is courting a young soldier named Sam (Doug McClure
Doug McClure
Douglas Osborne "Doug" McClure was an American actor whose career in film and television extended from the 1950s to the 1990s...
). He wants to marry Jenny, and when Charlie gives his permission, the wedding occurs a few days later. As soon as the vows are said, a young corporal rides up and announces that Sam is wanted back immediately. Sam leaves, much to the sorrow of his new bride.
While out hunting raccoon, Charlie's youngest son and his friend stumble onto a confederate ambush. They run away, and stop for a drink at a pond. The boy is wearing an old rebel soldier cap that he found at the river. When a union patrol comes on them, the boy is takes as a prisoner of war. His young friend, Gabriel (Eugene Jackson
Eugene Jackson
Eugene W. Jackson, II was an American former child actor who was a regular of the Our Gang short series during the silent Pathé era.-Career:...
), runs to tell the Andersons what happened. When Charlie hears the news, he and his sons and daughter Jenny leave to look for the boy, leaving James (Patrick Wayne
Patrick Wayne
Patrick John Morrison, better known by his stage name Patrick Wayne , is an American actor, the second son of movie star John Wayne and his first wife, Josephine Alicia Saenz. He made over 40 films in his career, including nine with his father...
) and his wife Ann at the farm with their young baby.
Meanwhile, the boy is taken to a prisoner of war camp. He finds a man (James Best
James Best
James Best is an American actor best known for his role as bumbling Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane in the CBS television series The Dukes of Hazzard. He has also worked as an acting coach, artist, and musician.-Early years:...
) who is going to escape, and decides to let the boy come along. They and a few other men successfully make it out of the camp, and start heading south. Not long after, they come onto a confederate camp, and are soon involved in a skirmish. The boy's friend is killed, and the boy himself is shot in the leg. When a union soldier comes along about to kill him, the boy looks up into the face of his friend, Gabriel. Gabriel helps him off into a bush to hide until after the battle.
Charlie Anderson, still looking for the boy, overpowers the union soldiers on a train carrying prisoners. He looks through the boxcars, searching for the boy. When he finds that the boy is not there, he gets on his horse to leave. As he looks up, he sees young Sam coming through the crowd. Jenny is overjoyed to see her husband, and Sam leaves with the Andersons, telling the soldiers to burn the train and go home.
Back at the farm, scavengers raid the place, killing both James and Ann. On their way back home, the Andersons run across a confederate patrol. The young sentry, startled by the sound of horses, stands up and takes a shot at Jacob, killing him instantly. Charlie starts to kill the sentry, but stops to ask him his age. The sentry replies, "sixteen, sir." Charlie stops, remembering that his youngest son is sixteen. He emotionally tells the sentry that he wants him to live, and be an old man and have many sons. He wants him to know what it feels like to lose one of them. When the Andersons return home, the doctor tells them what happened to James and Ann. Their young child Martha is still alive, and Charlie takes her in his arms.
The following day at the breakfast table, Charlie begins his standard prayer, but is so heartbroken that he can't finish it. He goes out to the family graveyard, to see his wife's grave. He sees the graves of James, Jacob and Ann alongside his wife, and as he talks to her, he hears church bells ringing in the distance.
Coming back to the farmhouse, he demands to know why no one told him it was Sunday. The whole family gets dressed and ready for church, coming in the door of the church house as the singing is started. As the congregation completes the first song, the pastor, (Denver Pyle
Denver Pyle
Denver Dell Pyle was an American film and television actor. He is best remembered for playing Uncle Jesse in The Dukes of Hazzard .-Early life:...
), starts to announce the next hymn. As he does so, the boy stumbles through the back door on a crutch. The whole congregation looks, and Charlie Anderson turns to see what is happening. As he sees the boy, he face lights up, and he helps him to the pew. The whole church joyously sings in unison as the film ends.
James Stewart
In view of the decidedly anti-war tone of this film, and that of the character of Charlie Anderson, it is worth noting that James Stewart was a brigadier general in the US Air Force Reserve at the time of its filming, and had been a decorated bomber pilot and squadron commander in World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
; he would fly as an observer and additional pilot on one B-52 mission in Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
as part of his reserve duty a year after the film's release.
Stewart's own son Ronald (adopted from his wife's first marriage) would be killed in action in Vietnam as a US Marine Corps officer a few years later. Stewart had four children, including twin daughters Kelly Stewart and Judy Stewart-Murray, who once appeared with their parents on the 1960s television quiz show Password
Password
A password is a secret word or string of characters that is used for authentication, to prove identity or gain access to a resource . The password should be kept secret from those not allowed access....
. He adopted his wife Gloria's two sons from a previous marriage — Ronald (5) and Michael (2) — when they married.
The anti-Vietnam War connection was not made by the average moviegoer at the time of the film's release in 1965. The beginning of the American ground war in Vietnam is generally considered to be March 8, 1965, when 3,500 United States Marines were dispatched to South Vietnam. During this initial period, U.S. public opinion overwhelmingly supported the deployment. Anti-war sentiments were still several years away.
Cast
- James StewartJames Stewart (actor)James Maitland Stewart was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...
as Charlie Anderson - Doug McClureDoug McClureDouglas Osborne "Doug" McClure was an American actor whose career in film and television extended from the 1950s to the 1990s...
as Sam - Glenn CorbettGlenn CorbettGlenn Corbett was an American actor best known for his role on CBS's adventure drama Route 66.-Acting career:...
as Jacob Anderson - Patrick WaynePatrick WaynePatrick John Morrison, better known by his stage name Patrick Wayne , is an American actor, the second son of movie star John Wayne and his first wife, Josephine Alicia Saenz. He made over 40 films in his career, including nine with his father...
as James Anderson - Rosemary ForsythRosemary ForsythRosemary Forsyth is a Canadian-born American actress most notable for her role as Bronwyn opposite Charlton Heston in The War Lord in 1965....
as Jennie Anderson - Phillip AlfordPhillip AlfordPhillip Alford is an American actor best known for his role as Jem Finch in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird.-Career:...
as Boy Anderson - Katharine RossKatharine RossKatharine Juliet Ross is an American film and stage actress. Trained at the San Francisco Workshop, she is perhaps best known for her role as Elaine Robinson in the 1967 film The Graduate, opposite Dustin Hoffman, which won her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, and her role...
as Ann Anderson - Charles RobinsonCharles Knox Robinson IIICharles Knox Robinson III was an actor.-Biography:He was born April 13, 1932, to Charles Knox Robinson II, playwright, and Geraldine O'Loughlin, painter in Orange, New Jersey. Siblings include Judith Kirby Robinson, actress, and Toni Stuart Robinson Thalenberg, former actress/academic. Cousin of...
as Nathan Anderson - Jim McMullanJim McMullanJim McMullan, born October 13, 1936, is an American actor from Long Island, New York best known for his role as Dr. Terry McDaniel on the 1960s series Ben Casey and as Senator Andrew Dowling on the CBS Primetime Soap Opera Dallas.-Career:...
as John Anderson - Tim McIntireTim McIntireTim McIntire was an American character actor, probably most famous for his portrayal of disc jockey Alan Freed in the film American Hot Wax...
as Henry Anderson - Eugene JacksonEugene JacksonEugene W. Jackson, II was an American former child actor who was a regular of the Our Gang short series during the silent Pathé era.-Career:...
as Gabriel (as Eugene Jackson Jr.) - Paul FixPaul FixPaul Fix was an American film and television character actor, best known for his work in westerns. Fix appeared in more than a hundred movies and dozens of television shows over a 56-year career spanning from 1925 to 1981...
as Dr. Tom Witherspoon - Denver PyleDenver PyleDenver Dell Pyle was an American film and television actor. He is best remembered for playing Uncle Jesse in The Dukes of Hazzard .-Early life:...
as Pastor Bjoerling - George KennedyGeorge KennedyGeorge Harris Kennedy, Jr. is an American actor who has appeared in over 200 film and television productions. He is perhaps most familiar as the convict Dragline in Cool Hand Luke , airline troubleshooter Joe Patroni in the Airport series of disaster movies from the 1970s and...
as Col. Fairchild - James BestJames BestJames Best is an American actor best known for his role as bumbling Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane in the CBS television series The Dukes of Hazzard. He has also worked as an acting coach, artist, and musician.-Early years:...
as Carter, Rebel Soldier - Tom SimcoxTom SimcoxThomas William Simcox, known as Tom Simcox is a former actor who resides in the unincorporated community of Leona Valley west of Palmdale in Los Angeles County, California....
as Lt. Johnson - Berkeley Harris as Capt. Richards
- Harry Carey, Jr.Harry Carey, Jr.Harry Carey, Jr. is an American film actor. He appeared in over 90 films. He is mostly remembered for appearing in Western films — notably those by his friend John Ford — and in television programs.-Early life:...
as Jenkins (rebel soldier) - Kevin Hagen as Mule (rebel deserter)
- Dabbs GreerDabbs GreerRobert William "Dabbs" Greer was an American actor who performed many diverse supporting roles in film and television for some fifty years. His distinctive, southern-accented voice fitted well in shows featuring rustic characters, such as westerns...
as Abernathy - Strother MartinStrother MartinStrother Martin was an American actor in numerous films and television programs. Martin is perhaps best known as the prison "captain" in the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke, where he uttered the line, "What we've got here is...failure to communicate."-Early life:Strother Martin Jr. was born in Kokomo,...
as Train Engineer - Kelly Thordsen as Federal Purchasing Agent Carroll
Awards
In 1966, the film was nominated for an Academy AwardAcademy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for Best Sound (Waldon O. Watson
Waldon O. Watson
Waldon O. Watson was an American sound engineer. He was nominated for six Academy Awards in the category Sound Recording...
). For her part in Shenandoah, Rosemary Forsyth
Rosemary Forsyth
Rosemary Forsyth is a Canadian-born American actress most notable for her role as Bronwyn opposite Charlton Heston in The War Lord in 1965....
was nominated for a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer - Female.