Product Details

• Actors: Claire Trevor, John Wayne, George Sanders, Brian Donlevy, Wilfrid Lawson
• Format: NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• VHS Release Date: May 12, 1993
• Run Time: 81 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6301325486
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #364,134 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Allegheny Uprising is an engaging blend of historical fiction, boisterous backwoods comedy, and pretty much nonstop rowdydow that qualifies as one of John Wayne's more offbeat vehicles. Made half a year after his stellar breakout in Stagecoach, the picture re-teams Wayne with Claire Trevor as a frontier tomboy who supplies feisty love interest. A decade and a half before the Revolutionary War, a community in south-central Pennsylvania (apparently Chambersburg) stages a principled rebellion against King George III's forces that's more social protest than full-fledged revolt. Wayne plays a thoughtful fellow named Jim Smith who, with his "men of the Conococheague," demonstrates to the Crown that it's bad faith to lend military protection to unscrupulous traders (cue Brian Donlevy) clandestinely peddling firearms and English-made weaponry to the Indians.

Now, there just aren't that many "Westerns" set in Pennsylvania, so Allegheny Uprising gets points for freshness. It also falls into a limbo between A and B movies, coming in at a trim 80 minutes but boasting larger action set-pieces (shot on location in credibly Pennsylvanian pockets of California) than was customary for RKO, a studio that tended toward in-house miniatures; Nicholas Musuraca, a future Val Lewton and film noir mainstay, proves himself a master of sunlit cinematography as well. Director William A. Seiter (with a string of Shirley Temple movies behind him) never finds a satisfying overall rhythm, and there are odd scraps of unrealized intentions in producer P.J. Wolfson's script (e.g., the sudden murder of a captured Indian raider at knifepoint, whereupon Smith ruefully observes, "We teach 'em everything, don't we?"). The most interesting element of the film is George Sanders' performance as an intransigent Brit officer who causes much of the strife with the Colonials, yet discloses unexpected vulnerability in private moments. --Richard T. Jameson

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wayne at his BEST!, July 7, 2007

By 

Andrew P. Kluka (Chicago) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Allegheny Uprising [VHS] (VHS Tape)

I have to admit it. John Wayne made a LOT of "generic" westerns.

This hides the fact that he really DID provide some STELLAR performances.
And this is one of them.

ALLEGHENY UPRISING, Stagecoach, The Searchers, Back To Bataan and True Grit are ALL John Wayne at his best.

He got the Oscar for Best Actor in "True Grit" but he deserved it more for his performance in "The Searchers." a movie in which he portrays a man dead-set on EVIL revenge.

Allegheny Uprising presents John as an early colonist (before the American Revolution). It tells a fascinating tale of when we were all proud to call ourselves "British" citizens.

No cheesy shootouts or costumes...but an intricate portrayal of the building of our Nation.

Newly out on DVD...it's well worth a watch!

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good cast buoys this Eastern Western., August 2, 2001

By 

Doghouse King "eddie_denman" (Omaha, NE United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Allegheny Uprising [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is an enjoyable movie set in Colonial America, and it seems fresher for that reason than maybe it really is. But the story is good, managing to be both patriotic and cynical, until a limp ending.

John Wayne battles Loyalist George Sanders and corrupt trader Brian Donlevy, who is selling arms to Indians, under the *protection* of Sanders. So Duke does what Duke does so well, busting up the shipment and seeing that the values of Western Civilization prevail. Then the movie ends not with a shootout or tomahawk battle, but rather with well-acted yet shallow courtroom intrigue. Sigh.

Still, another thing that makes this movie better than the plot might otherwise allow is the charismatic Claire Trevor, beautiful even in what is basically a throwaway tomboy role. Let’s call her the Duchess, at least for the purposes of this movie; not because she was in very many notable westerns or had any particular tie to the Duke, but because she was such a consummate performer that she could hold her own in a scene with him, as she did in Stagecoach.

Another point this film serves to illustrate is how even programmers like this one had better scripts than most anything produced today. Despite the lopsided story, it is evident that great care was given to the dialogue, and much devotion given to performances.

In summation: Generally more entertaining than Drums Along the Mohawk; not better, mind you, just more entertaining.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars We enjoyed this movie, but..., November 2, 2006

By 

mmb (PA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Allegheny Uprising [VHS] (VHS Tape)

We enjoyed our copy of Allegheny Uprising that was recently purchased on Amazon. We are history buffs, so picking up a few more facts about about US history pleased us. However, the Claire Trevor character was totally un-necessary! We wondered what movie she was acting in because her part didn't fit in at all. Here were these colonial characters talking and then Trevor starts talking a la 1930s movie style. Great for 1939, but not for the 1700s! Kinda reminds one of the bouffant hairdos on the 1960s tv shows like "The Big Valley"! Anyway, if you want something with a plot and is interesting, buy it. Especially if you want to just relax and not worry about something distasteful popping up on the screen -- it won't. Just phase out the Trevor character!