The Burning Hills

The Burning Hills
Original film poster
Directed by	Stuart Heisler
Written by	Louis L'Amour (novel) Irving Wallace
Produced by	Samuel Bischoff
Starring	Tab Hunter Natalie Wood Skip Homeier Eduard Franz Claude Akins Earl Holliman
Cinematography	Ted D. McCord
Music by	David Buttolph
Distributed by	Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date	23 August 1956
Running time	94 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$1.5 million (US)

The Burning Hills is a 1956 Warner Bros. CinemaScope Western based on a 1956 novel by Louis L'Amour. The film features young stars popular with the teenagers of the time such as Tab Hunter and Natalie Wood and has a strong emphasis on the importance of tracking.

Plot

When Trace Jordan's brother is murdered and several of their horses stolen, Trace sees by the tracks that three men are involved. One man was wearing Mexican spurs, one walked with a limp, and one smokes cheroots. Upon arriving in the town of Esperanza, Trace sees a destroyed sheriff's office and discovers the only law in Esperanza is Joe Sutton. He also discovers that the stolen horses have been rebranded with the Sutton brand, and their riders who match the description of their tracks work for Sutton. Trace enters Joe Sutton's (Ray Teal) ranch and wounds him in a shooting.

The enraged Sutton sends his son Jack (Skip Homeier), his foreman Ben (Claude Akins) and ten ranch hands to track down Trace before he goes to an Army fort to bring law to Esperanza. Wounded in his escape, Trace is helped by courageous half Mexican woman Maria Colton (Natalie Wood). Unable to locate the hidden Trace, Joe Sutton enlists a half Indian tracker Jacob Lantz (Eduard Franz).

Quotes

"Tracking is the art of being able to see something that's out of place" - Lantz

External links

• The Burning Hills at IMDb