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Devil's Doorway ()


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After the Civil War, a highly decorated Shoshone Indian veteran plans to raise cattle in Wyoming but white farmers plan to grab fertile tribal lands by pitting the whites against the Indians.

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Cast verified as complete

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Lance Poole
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Verne Coolan
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Orrie Masters
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Rod MacDougall
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Red Rock
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Zeke Carmody
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Scotty MacDougall
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Mrs. Masters
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Ike Stapleton
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Lt. Grimes
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Mr. Poole
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Dr. C.O. MacQuillan
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Thundercloud
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
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Posse Member (uncredited)
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Townsman (uncredited)
Vivian Brown ...
Mrs. Campbell (uncredited)
Roy Butler ...
Posse Member (uncredited)
Bertha Cody ...
Mary (uncredited)
Cecil Combs ...
Posse Member (uncredited)
Frank Conlan ...
Telegrapher (uncredited)
Frank Cordell ...
Townsman (uncredited)
Harold A. Deane ...
Surveyor (uncredited)
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Townsman (uncredited)
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Bob Trammell (uncredited)
Dan Foster ...
Rancher (uncredited)
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Spud Keith (uncredited)
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Townsman (uncredited)
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Townsman (uncredited)
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Posse Member (uncredited)
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Townsman (uncredited)
Henry Marco ...
Jimmy (uncredited)
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Posse Member (uncredited)
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Posse Member (uncredited)
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Barfly (uncredited)
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Homesteader (uncredited)
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Posse Member (uncredited)
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Posse Member (uncredited)
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Barfly (uncredited)
Lee Phelps ...
Posse Member (uncredited)
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Ed's Pal (uncredited)
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Townsman (uncredited)
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Townsman (uncredited)
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Lone Bear (uncredited)
Cecil Smith ...
Indian (uncredited)
Titus Spencer ...
Painter (uncredited)
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Townsman (uncredited)

Directed by

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Anthony Mann

Written by

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Guy Trosper ... (written by)

Produced by

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Nicholas Nayfack ... producer

Music by

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Daniele Amfitheatrof

Cinematography by

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John Alton ... director of photography

Editing by

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Conrad A. Nervig

Art Direction by

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Cedric Gibbons
Leonid Vasian

Set Decoration by

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Edwin B. Willis

Costume Design by

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Walter Plunkett

Makeup Department

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Jack Dawn ... makeup creator
Sydney Guilaroff ... hair styles designer

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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Ridgeway Callow ... assistant director (uncredited)
Yakima Canutt ... second unit director (uncredited)

Art Department

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Alfred E. Spencer ... associate set decorator

Sound Department

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Douglas Shearer ... recording supervisor

Special Effects by

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A. Arnold Gillespie ... special effects
Bob McDonald ... special effects (uncredited)

Stunts

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Bob Hoy ... stunts (uncredited)
Frank McGrath ... stunts (uncredited)
Terry Wilson ... stunts (uncredited)

Music Department

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Alex Alexander ... musician: cello (uncredited)
Daniele Amfitheatrof ... conductor (uncredited)
Gus Bivona ... musician: clarinet (uncredited)
David Crocov ... musician: violin (uncredited)
Jakob Gimpel ... musician: piano (uncredited)
Edgar Lustgarten ... musician: cello (uncredited)
Virginia Majewski ... musician: viola (uncredited)
Jack Marshall ... musician: guitar (uncredited)
Uan Rasey ... musician: trumpet (uncredited)
David Tamkin ... orchestrator (uncredited)
Eunice Wennermark ... musician: violin (uncredited)
Si Zentner ... musician: trombone (uncredited)
Crew verified as complete

Production Companies

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Distributors

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Special Effects

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Other Companies

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Storyline

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Plot Summary

US Army Sgt.-Major Lance Poole, a Shoshone Indian, returns home from the Civil War a highly decorated war hero, his intention being to live a quiet life on the family farm outside Big Horn in the Wyoming Territory being a cattle rancher. His family has been able to live the dream of eking out a good life off the impoverished reserve where there is little hope of that good life, in the process, while still retaining their traditional ways, being admired by the locals who know him and his family. Things have changed during his time away, anti-Indian legislation enacted in the Territory which has brought many farmers, ranchers and others to the area to homestead, which they are able to do legally on the Pooles' land since the Pooles do not have official title. With lawyer Verne Coolan being an open bigot who would not help any Shoshone even if asked, Lance turns to the only other lawyer in the area for legal advice, he learning on their first meeting that "A. Masters" is Orrie Masters, a woman. In deciding whether to partner in this fight for Lance and the Pooles' rights, both Lance and Orrie will have to address their own prejudices. If she does decide to assist, Orrie will also have to come to grips with her pledge to work under whatever the law in her overall goal of peace and liberty for all. Regardless, Coolan seems intent on destroying Lance - the face to him of Indians in general - inside and outside the law, his seeming aim to incite a range war which would give those wanting to homestead license to kill Lance and his family if the Pooles do not cooperate. Written by Huggo

Plot Keywords
Taglines M.G.M. presents a Great Drama of Flaming Frontiers ! See more »
Genres
Parents Guide View content advisory »
Certification

Additional Details

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Also Known As
  • La porte du diable (France)
  • La puerta del diablo (Spain)
  • O Caminho do Diabo (Portugal)
  • La puerta del diablo (Mexico)
  • Fluch des Blutes (Austria)
  • See more »
Runtime
  • 84 min
Country
Language
Color
Aspect Ratio
Sound Mix
Filming Locations

Box Office

Budget $1,373,000 (estimated)

Did You Know?

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Trivia After an unsuccessful May 1950 press preview, MGM shelved the film. The grim movie was superbly made, but its uncompromising, downbeat story seemed to spell box-office disaster. After the release of the more mainstream Broken Arrow (1950) the following fall, it did get some bottom-of-the-bill bookings in neighborhood grindhouses but did little business and has remained little seen. See more »
Goofs During a thunderstorm, the lightning and thunder don't always exactly coincide. This only happens when lightning is directly overhead, as light travels faster than sound. Usually, there is some lag time after the occurrence of lightning before you hear the thunder. See more »
Soundtracks Indian Lament See more »
Quotes Lance Poole: I envy you, ma'am., you being a lawyer.
Orrie Masters: Well, I...
Lance Poole: You got a faith, something to go by... like a religion. With you it's the law.
Orrie Masters: My father wanted me to study law. It means a great deal to me.
Lance Poole: Yes, it must. I've always wanted something like that. Something to tell me what's right or wrong.
Orrie Masters: I'm glad you feel the way you do.
Lance Poole: Because then you don't have to bother about your conscience. It's written out for you to follow... no matter what it does to people. It's the law. And changing the law is something you don't have to worry about.
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