Distinctly Montana Magazine

84 D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A M A G A Z I N E • S P R I N G 2 0 2 4 ern gateways to Glacier National Park, for location shooting. Alas, the weather interfered, as the weather in Montana will do. Heavy fog, blizzard conditions, and a massive windstorm that trashed the farmhouse set resulted in delays. Some location shooting was picked up later at Mt. Hood in Oregon, though Mother Nature wasn't cooperative there either. Eventually, stu- dio set work was necessary, complete with fake snow. In total, the production, which was originally scheduled for twenty eight days, took fifty four. Even with the offscreen turmoil factored in, the location footage of Glacier's dramatic peaks still adds a palpable sense of frigid space and peril, particularly in the film's opening sequences. It is worth noting that the enemy Chinese soldiers (seen for- ever in long shot) were all played by local members of the Black- foot nation. A more questionable casting choice was Bartlett's decision to cast his Argentine wife Ana Maria Lynch (credited as Ana St Clair) as a Korean civilian holed up in the farmhouse. The role is quite small, essentially there to help foster Towler's integrity when he defends her against assault by the platoon's racist Southerner (Paul Richards, who hailed from Los Angeles), but it still emerges as a dated marker, made more ironic than it otherwise might be by the film's well-intentioned integrationist messaging. Indeed, it is possible to see All the Young Men as a sample of the twilight of Old Hollywood alongside the dawn of the New, in the person of its two leads. Alan Ladd, a major star of the 40s and 50s, would be dead four years after the film's release; his longtime battle with alcoholism had taken a visible toll by the time of his appearance in the film. The weathered quality his character pos- sesses was as much a reflection of reality as it was a performance. The movie may be a standard offering in many ways, but thanks to it we have a snapshot of the beginning of a new era for Holly- wood and a new era for America. A snapshot made all the more impressive thanks to Glacier National Park. THANKS TO THE MOVIE, WE HAVE A SNAPSHOT OF THE BEGINNING OF A NEW ERA FOR HOLLYWOOD AND A NEW ERA FOR AMERICA. A SNAPSHOT MADE ALL THE MORE IMPRESSIVE THANKS TO GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. WA L L O F B U G S • C RY S TA L S S A P P H I R E J E W E L RY • M O N TA N A F O S S I L S G O L D PA N S • E C L E C T I C G I F T S 25 North Willson, Downtown Bozeman (406) 586-3451 • EarthsTreasuresMT.com ONE OF A KIND IS WHAT WE DO BEST Celebrating 35 Years Since 1989 F O S S I L & M I N E R A L M U S E U M G A L L E R Y COLUMBIA PICTURES (2)

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