It was the only film directed by Elmo Williams, who said he had 50% of the profits but gave it away to attract the star cast. He said the film made a lot of money but he "never saw a dime".[1]
Williams says he asked producer Robert L. Lippert for some extra money. "I thought we had a tag for a couple of thousand dollars", he said. "He said, 'I don't care if you have a beginning, a middle or an end- you're going to finish the picture now I'm calling back part of the crew.' And he did."[1]
Plot
Sheriff Chanbourne (Samuel Herrick) transports convict Ben Trask (Lloyd Bridges) to El Paso in a covered wagon. The wagon also carries sea captain Theodore Bess (Lee J. Cobb) and married couple Laura (Marie Windsor) and Jerry Niblett (Dean Train). The group comes upon a wounded Native American, banished by his tribe, who agrees to lead them to gold. But then the tribe attacks the wagon, killing Jerry and wounding Chadbourne. Ben is freed to help, but the group's troubles have only begun.
