The Guns of Fort Petticoat (1957)

In 1864, in a Colorado fort, Lt. Frank Hewitt (Murphy) deserts after failing to talk his commanding officer, Col. Chivington (Ainslie Pryor) out of attacking an Indian village that has only women and children in it. The village is located on Sand Creek. Chivington and his company massacre the inhabitants, and their male survivors swear vengeance. The rest of the film is about Hewitt's race to inform the female settlers and children (the men are away fighting the Civil War) that they are in danger. To complicate matters, the settlers are Confederate, and Hewitt is on the Union side.

Murphy is earnest and sincere in his role, and it's a relief to see him lose his temper in a film for a change. Kathryn Grant made no impression whatsoever, aside from being pretty. As Hannah Lacey, Emerson was the best player in the film. Whether she was ready to kill Hewitt at first sight, or turning thirty some women into soldiers, she was a funny, welcome presence.