MovieChat Forums > Backlash (1956) Discussion > The time and place

The time and place

posted 6 years ago by MAGolding (1240)
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The protagonists travel from the lonely site of the Gila Valley Massacre to the nearby town of Silver City (possibly Silver City, New mexico Coordinates: 32°46′41″N 108°16′27″W) to Tucson, Arizona (Coordinates: 32°13′18″N 110°55′35″W) which should be no more than 20 or 30 miles from Gila Valley to Sierra Blanca in West Texas (Coordinates: 31°10′55″N 105°20′27″W).

That is a journey of several hundred miles. It is 404 miles via I-10 east from Tucson to Sierra Blanca. You will note that the distance between Silver City, if the real one in New Mexico, and Tucson, Arizona, is a lot farther than a stage could travel in a day - 202 miles via I-10.

Sergeant George Lake was a veteran of the Civil War, and Barton MacLane (b. 1902) turned 54 in 1956, so Backlash should happen in or before 1901.

Jim Slater was a Rebel in the Civil War of 1861-65, and portrayed by Richard Widmark (b. 1914) who turned 42 1956, in the year that Backlash was released. Thus Backlash should probably happen in or before 1889.

Major Carson was probably a former Rebel major in the Civil War. Since Roy Roberts turned 50 in 1956, and Rebel majors were usually at least 30 years old, Backlash should happen in or before 1885.

Karyl Orton was married before the Civil War ended in 1865. Her husband did not return to her after the war, and was one of the men killed in the Gila Valley Massacre. Since Donna Reed turned 35 in 1956, and a bride would usually be at least 15, Backlash should happen in or before 1885.

Colonel Welnick probably had a high rank during the Civil War. Since he was portrayed by John Maxwell (b. 1918) who turned 38 in 1956, he was a very young colonel if he was the same age as his actor. The sooner Backlash happens after the Civil War the more plausible that would be. General Ranald S. Mackenzie, born in 1840, was probably the youngest Colonel in the US army and turned 38 in 1878, so Backlash should happen in or before 1879.

So the Civil War ended in 1865, the Gila Valley Massacre happened in 1865 or later, and Backlash happened an unknown period of time after the Gila Valley Massacre, in or before 1885, and maybe in or before 1879.

Sergeant Lake expected that hundreds of hostile Apache warriors could be at the trading post the next morning. Most of the Apache groups in Arizona were hostile all during the 1860s. In 1871-72 peace envoys Vincent Colyer and General Howard made peace treaties and all the Apaches except for the Tontos made peace - the Tontos were defeated by General Crook in 1872-73.

Thousands of Apaches remained at peace ever since. From 1873 to 1876 there were several outbreaks of hostile Apaches, so at any one time the total number of hostile Apache Warriors might have been somewhere between 0 and 200. So Backlash should be before 1886, and probably before 1873 - if it happened in the real west instead of the reel west.

Sierra Blanca is a small town without a railroad. But Sierra Blanca was founded in 1881 when two railroads met there, and so never existed without a railroad. So Backlash could never happen in the real west instead of the reel west.

Sierra Blanca could be near the location of the fictional ranch Spanish Bit in Duel in the Sun (1946). https://moviechat.org/tt0038499/Duel-in-the-Sun/5a11d43839d0810012ca0f0e/What-is-The-Fictional-Date-of-Duel-in-the-Sun

[–] MAGolding (1240) 6 years ago

I think that I saw a sign saying "Fort Lowell" outside Colonel Welnick's headquarters At Tucson. And there was a Fort Lowell on the outskirts of Tucson.

Some users here complained about Karyl Orton changing clothes and stagecoaches.

I believe that she gets on a Wells Fargo and Company stage in Silver City, possibly the real Silver City, New Mexico, to ride to Tuscon, Arizona, possibly a journey of 200 miles and enough days for her to change clothes. Arriving at Tucson, Arizona she learns that Sergeant Lake is in command of a detail at Benton's Trading post, so she takes an Arizona and New Mexico Stage Lines stagecoach that will stop at Benton's Trading Post.

Major Carson says that Jim Bonniwell arrived near Sierra Blanca with $ 60,000.00 (apparently from the gold strike) soon after the surrender, which seems to be the Rebel surrender at the end of the Civil War. Jim Bonniwell was played by John McIntire (b. 1907) who turned 51 in 1956. Assuming that Bonniwell would have been at least twenty when he came to Sierra Blanca, Backlash would have been in or before 1896. If Jim was old enough to fight in the Civil War his father was probably at least 40 in 1865, thus making Backlash happen in or before 1876.

Jim Slater's father wrote a letter to his wife at Nacogdoches, Texas, asking her about his son Jim which he hadn't seen since Jim was a little boy, and stating that he and his five partners had made a gold strike at Gila Valley. So the letter was presumably written and sent after the six made the gold strike at Gila Valley and before the massacre. Mrs. Slater may have been dead before the letter reached Nacogdoches, Texas, since the envelope is marked "deceased" and forwarded to Jim Slater at Fort Worth, Texas. If Jim Slater went looking for the man who let the Apaches kill his father within a few months or years after receiving the letter, Backlash could happen in the period of 1865 to 1870 or so.

[–] MAGolding (1240) 6 years ago

So to summarize the chronological indications, most of which are based assuming character's were about the ages of their actors:

Sgt. Lake indicates the date is in or before 1901.

Jim Bonniwell's age may indicate the date is in or before 1896.

Jim Slater indicates the date is in or before 1889.

The potential large number of hostile Apaches indicates the date would be in or before 1886 in real life.

Major Carson indicates the date is in or before 1885.

Karyl Orton indicates the date is in or before 1885.

The existence of Sierra Blanca indicates the date would be in or after 1881 if in real life.

Colonel Welnick indicates the date is in or before 1879.

Jim Slater's age indicates his father's age which indicates the date is in or before 1876.

The potential large number of hostile Apaches indicates the date would be in or before 1873 in real life.

The indicated date of the gold strike in Gila Valley and the implied dating of the letter from Jim's father indicate the date is in the period of about 1865 to 1870.