Peggy Lipton - Tumblr Posts
MOSBY'S MARAUDERS aka WILLIE AND THE YANK (Dir: Michael O'Herlihy, 1967).
Originally produced for US television, Mosby's Marauders in a fictional historical drama set during the American Civil War.
Young Confederate Willie Prentiss (Kurt Russell) is protected by Union Corporal Henry Jenkins (James MacArthur) after accidentally shooting his commanding officer Lieutenant Mosby (Jack Ging). They strike up an unlikely friendship despite fighting on opposing sides. Jenkins soon develops a romantic interest in Willie's cousin Oralee (Peggy Lipton), further complicating their already compromised friendship and arousing the suspicions of Jenkins superior Sgt Gregg (Nick Adams).
Mosby's Marauders was originally screened in three parts on Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color in January 1967, under its US title Willie and the Yank. Retitled, it was shown in UK cinemas on the second half of a double feature with Monkeys Go Home (Andrew V. McLagan, 1967).
Its appealing cast is headed by 15 year old Kurt Russell, previously seen in Disney's Follow Me, Boys! (Norman Tokar, 1966). Although Disney would later cast him exclusively in light comedy, he acquits himself well here in a dramatic performance. James MacArthur was a Disney regular from a decade earlier. His co-starring role as 'the Yank' was his first for the studio since Swiss Family Robinson (Ken Annakin, 1960). Always underrated as an actor, MacArthur would find greater fame a year later in the role of Danny in TVs Hawaii Five-O (1968-80).
Mosby's Marauders is an unusual Civil War picture, in that it is told from the perspective of the South. Yet this is no Confederate flag waver and is told in a fairly matter of fact manner, sympathetic with the plight of those fighting for both North and South.
Modern audiences, especially children, may be put off by the movie's subject matter and the fairly dry manner in which it is presented. Still, Mosby’s Marauders is a handsome outdoor adventure with none the budgetary restraints one might expect from a TV movie. Not for everyone, perhaps, but a quality product which is well worth a watch.
Visit my blog JINGLE BONES MOVIE TIME for a longer, more in-depth review of Mosby’s Marauders. Link below.
