On the verge of his retirement at Fort Starke in 1876, a one-troop cavalry post, aging 43-year cavalry veteran US CavalryCaptain Nathan Cutting Brittles is given one last mission: to take his troop and deal with a breakout from the reservation by the Cheyenne and Arapaho following the defeat of George Armstrong Custer at the Battle of the Little Big Horn. Brittles' task is complicated by being forced at the same time to deliver his commanding officer's wife and niece, Abby Allshard and Olivia Dandridge, to an eastbound stage and by the need to avoid a new Indian war. His troop officers, 1st Lt. Flint Cohill and 2nd Lt. Ross Pennell, meanwhile vie for the affections of Miss Dandridge while uneasily anticipating the retirement of their captain and mentor. Assisting him with his mission is Capt. Brittles' chief scout, Sgt. Tyree, a one-time Confederate captain of cavalry; his first sergeant, Quincannon ; and Maj. Allshard, Brittles' long-time friend and commanding officer. After apparently failing in both missions, Brittles returns with the troop to Fort Starke to retire. His lieutenants continue the mission in the field, joined by Brittles after "quitting the post and the Army". Unwilling to see more lives needlessly taken, Brittles takes it upon himself to try to make peace with his old friend Chief Pony That Walks. When that too fails, he devises a risky stratagem to avoid a bloody war by stampeding the Indians' horses out of their camp, forcing the renegades to return to their reservation. The film ends with Brittles being recalled to duty as Chief of Scouts with the rank of Lt. Colonel. Miss Dandridge and Lt. Cohill become engaged. The film ends with the troop of cavalry trotting down the road on patrol.
Director John Ford's older brother Francis appears in only one scene as Connolly, the barman. Ford kept Francis on wages "for eight weeks even through Francis could have completed his scenes in less than a week." Other uncredited cast members include: Irving Pichel as narrator, Harry Woods as Karl Rynders, the sutler; Cliff Lyons as Trooper Cliff; Mickey Simpson as Wagner, the blacksmith; Fred Libby as Corporal Kumrein; and Rudy Bowman as Private Smith. Among Rynders' associates is veteran character actor Paul Fix in a small uncredited role.
Production
Casting
Director Ford initially was uncertain whom to cast in the lead role. However, he knew that he did not want John Wayne for the part—considering, among other factors, that Wayne would be playing a character over twenty years older than he was at the time. Reportedly, Wayne's 1948 performance in Red River changed Ford's mind, causing him to exclaim, "I didn’t know the big son of a bitch could act!" Ford realized Wayne had grown considerably as an actor, and was now capable of playing the character he envisaged for this film. When shooting was completed, Ford presented Wayne with a cake with the message, "You're an actor now." The role also became one of Wayne's favorite performances. Wayne, himself, felt that his Academy Award nomination for Best Actor of 1949 should have been for She Wore a Yellow Ribbon instead of Sands of Iwo Jima.
Filming
The cast and crew lived in relatively primitive conditions in Monument Valley. Most slept in dirt-floor cabins that only had communal cold-water drum showers. The film was completed ahead of schedule and under budget. Although the film's cinematographer, Winton Hoch, won an Academy Award for his work, filming was not a smooth creative process because of conflicts with Ford. Ironically one of the most iconic scenes from the film was created during a dispute. As a line of cavalry rode through the desert, a real thunderstorm grew on the horizon. Hoch began to pack up the cameras as the weather worsened only for Ford to order him to keep shooting. Hoch argued that there was not enough natural light for the scene and, more importantly, the cameras could become potential lightning rods if the storm swept over them. Ford ignored Hoch's complaints; completing the scene as the thunderstorm rolled in, soaking the cast and crew. Hoch later had filed a letter of complaint against Ford with the American Society of Cinematographers over the filming of this scene. The story of Hoch's refusal to shoot in this thunderstorm has often been repeated, but actor Harry Carey, Jr., who was on the set, contests it. He says Ford had finished shooting for the day, but when the picturesque storm brewed he asked Hoch if they could shoot in the declining light. Hoch answered, "It's awfully dark, Jack. I'll shoot it. I just can't promise anything." Ford then instructed, "Winnie, open her up and let's go for it. If it doesn't turn out, I'll take the rap." Winnie complied, saying, "Fair enough, Jack." This was the second John Ford movie filmed in Technicolor. The first was Drums Along the Mohawk.
Publicity
A theater poster featured the male lead wearing a yellow neckerchief with his uniform and a yellow banner behind him, that also looped some 270 degrees around the female lead's shoulders.
