Bugles in the Afternoon (1952)

Interesting facts

Bugles in the Afternoon is a 1952 American Western film produced by William Cagney, directed by Roy Rowland and starring Ray Milland, Helena Carter, Hugh Marlowe and Forrest Tucker. The story, based on a 1943 novel by Ernest Haycox, features the Battle of the Little Big Horn.

Production

The film is based on a novel by Ernest Haycox that was serialized in 1944 issues of The Saturday Evening Post.

In May 1944, William Cagney purchased the screen rights to the story, intending it as a vehicle for his brother James Cagney. In August 1944, Ring Lardner Jr. was assigned to write the script.

The film was intended to follow James Cagney's Blood on the Sun (1945), but it was shelved when he instead elected to star in The Time of Your Life.

By March 1949, William Cagney signed a three-picture deal with Warner Bros. In September 1950, he announced that Harry Brown was writing the script. In February 1951, Warner Bros., which hoped that Errol Flynn would play the lead, announced that Brown and Geoffrey Home had written the script and that filming would begin in May. In April, Roy Rowland, who had signed a long-term deal with Cagney Productions, was slated to direct.

In April, Ray Milland was announced as the film's star, with Helena Carter, David Brian and Robert Preston also cast. However, Brian refused to appear in the film and was suspended. He was replaced by Hugh Marlowe, borrowed from Twentieth Century-Fox. Ward Bond, who had been cast as Sgt. Hines, withdrew to instead appear in The Quiet Man and was replaced by James Millican.

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