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I saw this film years ago, and still remember it for the incredible photography of the traveling stagecoach and backgrounds.The Cinematography rivals anything John Ford has done. The movie has received mediocre reviews, however, one should remember that the story was told as a ballad. I felt it dealt surprisingly well with inter-race prejudice. Barbara Stanwyck had a reputation for being pro-native-american. She acted her role as the white mother of an indian child well. Joel McCrea also was under-rated in his role as the sympathetic cavalryman. The supportings were solid gold character actors-Royal Dano as the stagecoach driver, Earl Holliman as the shy drifter, Rudolfo Hoyos as the Apache leader determined to get his son back. For a non-color film, it was better than most westerns of the era. I hope that someday it can be released on vhs for all to enjoy the wonderful camera work in it.

Joel McCrea and Barbara Stanwyck are well-matched in an okay western with a theme that's been done before in other films, namely "Duel at Diablo" several years later. Most of the film take place in a stagecoach as a white woman with a half-breed son journeys home to her husband after years of captivity among the Indians. The citizens are unwelcoming to mother and son and McCrea is along to serve as an escort and buffer against the bigotry shown to his charges. There are a few action scenes but the film centers on Stanwyck's hardships against frontier attitudes about her situation. McCrea is a comforting presence in Stanwyck's life and their friendship and trust deepen during the journey. Rudy Acosta is good as the Indian chief who wants to reclaim his son, as is Earl Holliman as a wandering cow puncher. John Denher is the hard case rancher who reluctantly accepts his wife but not her Indian son. Royal Dano has some colorful lines as the stagecoach driver.

Another fine McCrea Western with more substance than most. Cavalry sergeant McCrea must get white Indian squaw Stanwyck and little half-breed son past bigoted whites and hostile Apaches to her former husband Dehner. Along the way, they encounter many difficulties from both whites and Indians.

Those scenic Utah vistas, even in b&w, lend real credibility to the proceedings. And catch that opening scene. Note the brutality from both cavalry and Apaches, as latter execute prisoners, while former lays waste to Indian encampment. Throughout, the subtext hints at an underlying commonality between the two races despite the hostility. Or, as Apache Nanchez and cavalryman McCrea observe during a peace parley, there's a little of each in both of them.

Now, the question logically arises—given the warfare and brutality, why is McCrea so basically kind to enemy Stanwyck and son. Sure, she was captured and made a squaw and still has white skin, but she's also born Nanchez's son, captivity or no captivity. That's enough for most whites to hate her. Thanks to an intelligent script (except for the contrived ending), we find out. McCrea was a captive during the Civil War and stayed alive by imitating a dog, of all things. So, he knows what it's like to humiliate oneself in order to stay alive, which is what the unrepentant Stanwyck has done as a captive of the Apaches. It's a solid psychological point and a credit to McCrea that his character would risk such a demeaning episode in his background.

There's also the suspenseful stand-off around the fallen stagecoach. It's pretty clear that McCrea will shoot the boy if Nanchez attacks. It's also a pretty cold-blooded gamble. What's rather surprising is that McCrea shows no doubts or compunctions about risking the boy's life. Not too many Westerns of the time showed the hero holding a gun (through Holliman) to a little boy's head, amounting to an unusual departure, particularly for McCrea's apparent lack of feeling. Of course, what's going on underneath the steely resolve is likely entirely different.

Stanwyck is excellent as the stoical Cora Sutcliff. Her career had fallen off since there weren't many A-pictures available to a middle-aged star. But being the down-to-earth person she was known to be, she gives this B-Western her best, and it shows. I just wish Earl Holliman had more screen time. Some people are born to play certain parts, and he was born to play a good-natured, slightly oafish cowboy. His scenes with McCrea amount to little gems of unspoken affection. At the same time, I'm guessing young lady Kohner's part was added to Holliman's to give the movie more youth appeal. But most of all, the film has the great Joel McCrea. No actor brought more quiet dignity and less egotism to the traditional cowboy role than he. Unfortunately, I expect it's that very low-key approach that has lowered his public profile over the years. Too bad.

This 1957 release came at a time when both movies and TV were saturated with cowboys and six-guns. As a result, many quality Westerns got lost in the crowd, and, I expect, this humane little effort is one of them. Nonetheless, the ending is much too conventional and conveniently pat to distinguish the results completely from the pack. I just wish the script showed the same imagination in the last 5 minutes that it showed in the other 70-some. Then we would have had a complete little gem.

Trooper Hook is directed by Charles Marquis Warren and collectively written by David Victor, Jack Schaefer and Herbert Little Jr. It stars Joel McCrea, Barbara Stanwyck, Earl Holliman, Royal Dano and Rudolfo Acosta. Music is by Gerald Fried, with theme tune song by Tex Ritter, and cinematography is by Ellsworth Fredericks.

Upon capturing a band of marauding Apaches, Cavalry Sergeant Clovis Hook (McCrea) finds a white woman amongst the group. Cora Sutliff (Stanwyck) was taken by the Apache years ago and became the squaw of their leader, Nanchez (Acosta), she also bore him a child, Quito (Terry Lawrence). The army decides to reunite Cora with her white husband and charge Hook with delivering both her and Quito safely across country to the Sutliff homestead...

Splendid cast is assembled for this black and white Oater that is more about racism and the problems of inter-racial relations in the Old West, than it is a Cavalry Vs Indians shoot 'em up. Story essentially follows a stagecoach travelling across country that finds Hook, Cora and Quito encountering all manner of characters along the way, most of whom are racist. While of course there is the small matter of the Apache being on their tail as well.

Hook is a grizzled old badger, orders are orders, regardless of if he had any sort of objections to his mission, he's there to keep order and see the job through. For various reasons, everyone on the journey will be looking to him for action and decisions, not least Cora and Quito who begin to form a warm relationship with him. It of course builds to a head once the Apache come back onto the scene, and there's the issue of if Cora's husband will accept her and her half-breed son into his life?

It's very competently performed, and with the exception of some of the lower budget aspects of the production, it's well crafted by Warren. Unfortunately the writing doesn't always give the outside characters a quality of script befitting the themes of the story. Hook and Cora get some good back story, she in explanation of her captivity and he with his rueful recollections as a prisoner of the Civil War. While Holliman is served well as a genial cowpoke and Dano as the crotchety stagecoach driver is great fun.

Coming as it did post far better movies that dealt with prejudice themes in the Indian Wars, it feels like a coat tail grabber, and a watered down offering at that. That it's still a worthy viewing experience comes down to the work of a committed set of lead actors. 6.5/10

After a deadly battle between Apache warriors and cavalry soldiers, the leader of the Indian tribe "Nanchez" (Rodolfo Acosta) is taken prisoner and escorted back to the fort pending his removal to a reservation. Also captured are a few braves along with several women and children. However, it's only after the soldiers have rounded all of them up that they discover that one of their prisoners is a white woman-and she has a young half-Apache boy with her. To that effect, it is later learned that her name is "Cora Sutliff" (Barbara Stanwyck) and after being captured by the Apaches several years earlier was forced to become the wife of Nanchez-and the small child named "Quito" (Terry Lawrence) is a result of this relationship. Complicating matters is the fact that was married prior to being abducted and not knowing what else to do the Army decides to send her and her son back to her husband "Fred Sutliff" (John Dehner) on the next stagecoach to Tuscon. And to make sure she gets there safely a soldier by the name of "Sergeant Clovis Hook" (Joel McCrea) is assigned as her escort. What they don't know is that Nanchez has escaped from custody and after reuniting with several warriors has followed in pursuit-and he has every intention of reclaiming his son in the process. Now rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was a fairly decent Western that focused heavily on the issue of racism which was rapidly becoming quite contentious during this particular time. Admittedly, there are some scenes involving Quito which were a bit too cutesy but other than that I enjoyed this film and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

One of Joel McCrea's better westerns is Trooper Hook the story of a man given a mission to deliver a recent captive of the Indians back to her family.

This is no ordinary captive. Barbara Stanwyck has been with the Apaches for several years and has been the squaw of Chief Rudolfo Acosta and has had a son by him. After an a raid on Acosta's village she's discovered by the cavalry and identified. She and her little boy are taken to the fort and McCrea is given the assignment of taking her back to husband John Dehner. But this is going to prove a difficult journey on many levels.

Had Trooper Hook been directed by someone like John Ford it would have gotten far more acclaim than it did. There are elements of Ford's Stagecoach, The Searchers and Two Rode Together in Trooper Hook. And Rudolfo Acosta as Chief Natchez seems to be continuing the part he played in Hondo.

One thing I've always liked about westerns they certainly give the more mature among us the chance to be heroes. And the movies never had a better straight arrow hero than Joel McCrea. It's mentioned he's a career soldier and 47 years old. He needs every bit of that experience for the job at hand.

Stanwyck has a tough road to hoe in this film. A lot of very self righteous people wonder why she just didn't kill herself rather than submit to Acosta. McCrea understands however, the scene where he tells her of his experience in Andersonville prison during the Civil War is the most effective in the film.

Lots of western regulars fill out the supporting roles. In addition to those mentioned look for Earl Holliman as the sympathetic young cowboy who hitches a ride on the stagecoach, Celia Lovsky and Susan Kohner as grandmother and granddaughter, Edward Andrews as a sniveling rat who will make your skin crawl, and Royal Dano as the stage driver.

Rape, Illegitimate birth, Miscegenation and kidnapping were usually not subjects for the Saturday afternoon kiddie crowd who saw westerns. But the Fifties was the decade of the adult western and Trooper Hook is a prime example. In fact on her Big Valley television series, Stanwyck had a similar story line with Michael Burns about a young boy who was born to a white woman captive and later returns to white society. Only the story was from the kid's point of view.

Trooper Hook is the sixth and last film Joel McCrea and Barbara Stanwyck made. It might very well be the best of them. Though director Charles Marquis Warren was obviously influenced by John Ford, I doubt very much if Ford himself could have done a better job. Trooper Hook is an undiscovered masterpiece in need of reevaluation.

Joel Mccrea at his best.I recorded this off the tmc channel recently on a dvr. The dvr went bad so I lost the show.I have tried to find this movie everywhere and it is not available. What a shame this treasure is lost to so many. The little boy Terry Lawrence was so very good. No one could have played that part better. Lynn Stalmaster in my opinion was the best at casting that ever was. You could depend on the actors doing a good job if he picked them for it. Everyone in this show is superb.A very realistic show without going into the sordid details of todays movies.I am an adult and I know what happened. Don't need to see it.I like good endings without the hero's getting killed. I watch movies to be entertained not depressed and this one fills the bill.

JOEL McCREA has orders to deliver Mrs. Sutliffe (BARBARA STANWYCK) and her Indian son to her husband after she's been rescued from an Indian tribe where she was forced to submit to becoming an Indian squaw. His mission has all the overtones of a John Ford western like "Stagecoach" which has McCrea transporting passengers via stagecoach to their destination.

Lacking strong direction, there's a B-film flavor to the film despite the presence of McCrea and Stanwyck in the leading roles. Both were past their prime and box-office value and they deserved a stronger vehicle than this to house their talents. EARL HOLLIMAN and SUSAN KOHNER have supporting roles as a young couple finding romance.

Tension mounts as the Apache chief makes plans for an Indian attack to get his wife back. Some plot complications mount too, but all of this is given standard treatment. Stanwyck becomes her usual feisty self when she's threatened with having her boy taken away by Nanchez and McCrea is the epitome of level-headed calm as an Army sergeant in charge of some dicey situations, including racial animosity toward the woman who had been a captive of the Indians.

John Ford dealt with some of the same ingredients in his famous film, THE SEARCHERS, and oh what a difference it made to have him behind the camera.

Summing up: Some unusual material, but ultimately it's just a standard western with uninspired direction by Charles Marquis Warren.

Quality entertainment here. Joel Mcrea, Barbara Stanwick and Earl Holliman pull it off along with some good supporting staff to bring us a movie with depth and feeling. The subject matter brings out any hidden prejudice and helps us to examine it in the light of reality. We go back in time when Indians were around and being rounded up and there are many tales to tell about that. This one involves a white woman taken captive and ending up having a son by an Indian chief. Not a very popular position back then and every generation since then has something to say about this subject. We see how we can choose between three choices while watching. Either we accept the situation, reject it or stand-up for it. The movie gives us those positions and more. It also ends on a positive note which back in the day was needful and helpful especially if the subject matter was controversial. Enjoy the horses, towns, dust, general store and stagecoach days as they came and went so quickly but affected many a life. Good movie to snack with a tasty drink too. I always enjoy Westerns that have a catchy tune either in the beginning or ending. This one has it in the middle of it not once but twice. The tune which was a story set to music makes sense. I couldn't help but think they should have done a sequel too. Mount up and lets ride.

This 50s western is way ahead of it's time. It deals with child custody and parental rights issues, as well as the racial implications created by the abduction of a white woman by Indians. Once again, director/writer Warren, (Little Big Horn(1951) presents a tidy package, well scripted, acted, with attention to detail. The cast is first-rate and Holliman does a good job in one of his early roles. Put it all together with a nifty title song by Tex Ritter, and what we have here is something FAR from forgettable.

This is a Western semi action semi drama about a woman who was kidnapped by a very hostile Indian chief. Barbara Stanwyck is reunited in this movie with Joel McCrea. They were two of the giants in the movie star business. In the classic UNION PACIFIC they played two characters who were larger than life, but credible in incredible circumstances. Here, it is the opposite. They play two lower than life characters who aren't credible. Barbara plays a woman whose self righteousness knows no bounds. On one hand, she is a married woman who was kidnapped and forced to have a son with a criminal. Upon her rescue, she insists on forcing the son upon her husband instead of letting the husband take care of the son. Naturally, this is going to cause some people to get killed, but she never feels a bit of remorse for that. Joel plays a cavalry NCO who escorts her back to her husband. For some reason, he played him totally "in control". Anyone who appears that much in control all the time is out of control. The writing is simply terrible. You can tell by the way that only the major characters are treated with any dignity. The more minor a character is, the more "cannon fodder" he is made to be in the writer's theme. And it really sticks out when the writer and director try to make it look more character oriented. Not to say it is terrible. There are good parts, but what truly ruins it is the self righteousness of the heroine, and the poor writing and predictable treatment of the minor characters.

Joel McCrea and Barbara Stanwyck made several films together, this was the last. And if we look good is a high level of western. The direction of Charles Marquis Warren is safe, in fact he was a great professional, with also numerous successful tours. And the film has a photograph very well made, high profile.The story is written by Jack Schaefer wrote the same as Shane and made possible the great work of George Stevens (1953). Mc Crea had ups and downs in his performances, but remembering Union Pacific also with Barbara we saw an actor of the first magnitude. And as a surprise, a good surprise, Earl Holliman has an outstanding record, perhaps the best of his career. Recalls the role of the great John Wayne in Stagecoach, a pure cowboy and without prejudice. One might compare the role of McCrea with Wayne, but I think the Holliman is closer to him. Anyway, it's a nice and sincere western. And farewell to us all the incredible double McCrea and Stanwyck, wonderful.

This is a true good western, made by THE specialist Charles Marquis Warren, one of the best masters in this category, but unfortunately underrated. This movie starring Joel McCrea and Barbara Stanwyck could not be bad anyway. The topic is predictable but unusual and interesting to watch. Joel MccRea has here a role which seemed to have been made for him. Barbara Stanwyck is also wonderful, as usual. Rodolfo Acosta is terrific here as Natchez, one of his best characters but amybe not the most know, like the film. It is well written, edited, providing exciting action sequences. Don't miss the opportunity to catch it if you can.

Army troop captures a renegade Apache leader and his followers which includes a white woman captive who is the mother of the leader's half breed son. The woman chooses to keep her son and take him with her. The sergeant is put in charge of returning the woman with her child to the woman's husband. The white soldiers, their wives and many of the other people they encounter are negative towards the woman, what she endured and her wanting to keep her son. The boy's father escapes and attempts to recover his son and return him to the Apache tribe knowing the boy will not be accepted in the white world. Almost identical story line to a later film, The Stalking Moon, starring Gregory Peck. Shot in black and white, this is definitely a B western with a low grade TV movie feel and some poor moving effects. Not a great western or one of Stanwyck's or McRae's better efforts.

The complex chemistry between McCrea and Stanwick is wonderful. This is one of McCrea's finest performances. The supporting actors were well cast, colorful, and interesting.The writing is thoughtful and intelligent. The cinematography is excellent. It is a great film, well worth a second or third viewing.

Trooper Hook(played by Joel McCrea)is a hard, but good-natured army officer, fighting against the Indians. When taking captive a notorious Apache leader, he finds out the Indian's wife is a white woman(Barbara Stanwyck), with an Indian child. Hook has to bring the woman(and the child) back to her real husband. Of course, there are some complications.(nothing you couldn't have guessed however)And that's about all the story there is...

The only good thing about this western is the acting. Stanwyck and McCrea do a good job. The film itself never becomes irritating, but that's about the best you can say about it. There's hardly a decent story, the songs are pretty lousy and sometimes you can notice that it wasn't exactly the wild wild west they were filming in. Notice that at a certain moment the coach in which our main characters are traveling comes to a stop. When you see a close-up of Stanwyck however, the vehicle seems to be moving. It's just one of the examples of bad filming in this movie... 4/10

In the fond hope that my question couldn't spoil the story, only make it more intriguing. Several years ago I screened "Trooper Hook". Enjoyed watching old friend, Edward Andrews (Alive and kicking, no thanks to me), but a nagging question about the film remains: What happened to the $15,000 left by "the cowardly hostage" when the protagonists were "rescued" ? I didn't see even an Indian grab for it. My knowledge of Eddie Andrews stemmed from meeting and entertaining him and his lady, as well as Cloris Leachman, Patricia and Philip Barry and others after a Summer Stock stint in Fairport, NY circa 194? I had invited them all back to my house for a lovely ham casserole. However the glass dish slipped off the rolling cart and smashed into a million pieces/shards ! The first taste of what I managed to sweep up and thought safe to ingest, had tiny bits therein. Dinner was called to a spitting halt. Aside from a few Twilight Zone episodes, I don't think I ever saw him again. A great comical bad guy and a fine friend. He never would have abandoned what today would be half a million dollars !

Watching, "Captain Hook" reminded me why I miss the old westerns. Worth your time. Joel McCrea and the sassy Barbara Stanwyck make a great team.