MovieChat Forums > Vera Cruz (1954) Discussion > Question on Lancaster's Men (SPOILER WAR...

Question on Lancaster's Men (SPOILER WARNING)

posted 17 years ago by wtl471629
7 replies | jump to latest

This is not including Lancaster or Cooper. I know there were several battles before the final one at Vera Cruz and several of the men lost their lives but when we get to the last battle six of them have survived. They are 1. Donnegan played by Ernest Borgnine who is killed during the battle when they fight the Marquis (Caesar Romeo) 2. Pittsburgh played by Charles Bronson who is killed at the gattling gun 3. Ballard who is played by Archie Savage who is killed by Lancaster as he is driving the wagon with the gold near the end. 4. Tex played by Jack Elam 5. Abilene (I think) played by James Seay who looked like a gambler 6. A Hispanic outlaw that didn't have any lines and was probably just there to have a menacing type look.

My question is what happened to the last three in the battle? I am talking about Tex, Abilene, and the Hispanic outlaw. Can we assume they were killed during the battle sometime. There was lots of shooting going on. Before Lancaster is warned that the Marquis is making a break Cooper calls on Ballad and Donnegan to help so maybe they were already killed off. These were outlaws and it doesn't make sense that they wouldn't want to be too far from the wagon at the end.

Any comments or thoughts? Maybe some of you have noticed things I didn't or have opinions on it.

[–] BoyScoutKevin 17 years ago

Well put, wtl471629. I've had much the same thought, but you expressed it far better than I ever could have. On one hand, you don't see the three of 'em killed, so they still may be alive. On the other hand, you don't see 'em at the end of the film, so they may be dead. I guess it is just one of those open ended questions, which have no answer.

To expand this question a little farther, if I may. Who's your favorite of Lancaster's men, and who's your least favorite? My favorite, for some reason, is Abilene played by James Seay. And this is not knock on the actor who plays him, buts my least favorite of Lancaster's men is Little Bit played by James McCallion.

[–] wtl471629 17 years ago

Thanks for your thoughts Kevin and good points. I kind of assume they were killed in battle.
I agree with you on the Little Bit choice but my favorite was Ballad. I felt sorry for him the way Lancaster murdered him at the end like that.

[–] oldblackandwhite 14 years ago

The one you called "the Hispanic Outlaw", whom I thought was meant to be an Indian (wore a feather in a tall black hat) and Tex were both killed in exchanges of fire which occured before the climactic battle. I didn't see what happedned to the Abilene character. Either his death scene was editted out, or we just missed it.

He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good... St. Matthew 5:45

[–] BaronVonSwollen 14 years ago

This isn't the only instance of a character vanishing mysteriously in a Bob Aldrich film. Clint Walker's character Posey, in Dirty Dozen, vanishes without visual or verbal explanation. The most plausible theory I've heard was that Walker's agent nixed an on-screen demise so as not to upset his fans.

It's only a movie...

[–] wtl471629 13 years ago

It is true that their deaths were edited out or I might have missed them but regardless I am sure they were killed off or they would have showed up for the gold with Ballad.

[–] wtl471629 12 years ago

SPOILER WARNING

This clip is from the final battle scene of the movie. I still can't see where the three were finished off but they most likely were killed off screen since they all took off to various ways to help in the battle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VugsjsBvzEI

[–] wtl471629 11 years ago

I finally got to watch it again and at the start of the last battle Ballard was with the other three on top of a roof covering the men. Only Ballard is seen shortly afterward it can bee assumed the others were killed off even though not shown. Another mystery solved by IMDB fans. :)