Steamboats in the Movies Universal Studio's Riverboat Enterprise, Page 2 We all refer to the Universal Studios prop steamboat as the ENTERPRISE, since it was most remembered for its role by that name in the RIVERBOAT television series (1959-1961). Universal built the replica boat for the MISSISSIPPI GAMBLER (1953) staring Tyrone Power. It sat on a lake on the back lots of Universal Studios. Ultimately the ENTERPRISE was consumed by fire on the Universal lot. Here's a partial list of shows featuring this replica boat: MISSISSIPPI GAMBLER 1953 Universal, 1953 THE FAR COUNTRY - Universal, 1954 THE GAMBLER FROM NATCHEZ - 20th Century Fox, 1954 MAN OF A 1,000 FACES - Universal, 1957 RIDE A CROOKED TRAIL - Universal, 1958) RIVERBOAT - Revue Productions television series that was broadcast on NBC, 1959-1961 FOUR FOR TEXAS - Warner Bros., 1963 THIS PAGE shows the Enterprise in FOUR FOR TEXAS and other movies. To see the ENTERPRISE in MISSISSIPPI GAMBLER and the TV series RIVERBOAT, go to page 1 - click here. Universal Studios Prop Boat in Four for Texas In 1963 Warner Bros. rented the boat and filmed portions of FOUR FOR TEXAS on Universal's back lot "lake." There was a sequence where they transformed the boat from a neglected sternwheeler to this spic and span casino boat LA MAISON ROUGE, supposedly in Galveston, Texas. The two big stars of the movie were Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin. Here are two starboard views. The painting above was made to cross dissolve to the live action footage below. If you look closely the only human figure from the live action which is included in the painting is the deck hand at work on the sign board on the side of the pilot house. Whoever the artist was had to be an accomplished illustrator since the painting has that distinctive illustration style to it. Would be interesting to know if Universal preserved the art work or if it ended up in private hands. As part of the storyline of FOUR FOR TEXAS the ENTERPRISE was transformed from the drab SULTANA to the elegant LA MAISON ROUGE. Nothing like paint, gingerbread and brass belts around the smokestacks to give a boat some pizzazz. - Dave The art department did a nice job freshening up the full sized prop from a neglected packet to the casino boat "La Maison Rouge," which in the screenplay is located in Galveston Bay off the Gulf of Mexico in Texas. Seen above, the prop boat's pilot house "dolled up" in day and night shots in FOUR FOR TEXAS. Other Appearances of the Universal Studios Prop Boat After its debut in THE GAMBLER, Universal's prop steamboat got pressed into service in the 1954 James Stewart Western directed by Anthony Mann entitled THE FAR COUNTRY that begins in Seattle in 1896 and ventures up to Alaska with a boat load of cattle during the Klondike gold rush. The top two frames were "matte shots" in which much of the upper portion of the scene was a painted in post-production, enhancing the steamboat and adding mountains in the distance Some footage taken of the HENDERSON on the Columbia River for the 1952 James Stewart Western BEND OF THE RIVER, also directed by Anthony Mann served to give the illusion that the "CHINOOK" (as the boat is called in THE FAR COUNTRY) is paddling from Seattle to Alaska. Frames from BEND OF THE RIVER can be found among our earlier postings of movie stills. Universal's prop boat in THE GAMBLER FROM NATCHEZ—20th Century Fox, 1954. The screenplay was inspired by the classic revenge story "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexandre Dumas, introduced as a serial in France in 1844 - 45. Appropriately this saga of a gambler from Natchez saga also takes place in the 1840's. Returning to New Orleans, following four years of army service in Texas in the 1840s, Captain Vance Colby finds his father, a professional gambler, has been killed. The police tell him his father was killed while caught cheating in a card game by Andre Rivage, an arrogant young dilettante. Vance protests that his father was an honest gambler and never used marked cards, but the police inspector tells him there were witnesses. Aided by a riverboat owner, Captain Barbee, and his daughter, Melanie, Vance sets out to clear his father's name and avenge his death. I have not yet seen the movie which is available on DVD from "Loving the Classics." Will be interesting to see if stock footage of a real steamboat or if a scale model was used to show the boat paddling away on the Mississippi. lovingtheclassics.com GAMBLER FROM NATCHEZ (1954)- a new 8 x 10 still that just arrived from the Netherlands "LILY SCARLET" in Duel on the Mississippi 1955 Universal prop Riverboat (a.k.a. ENTERPRISE) without any smokestacks in an "exploitation" flick directed by William Castle (best known for many low budget shockers like The House on Haunted Hill, 13 Ghosts and The Tingler). Released by Columbia Pictures in '55 This time Universal's riverboat bears the same name as the movie's leading lady "Lily Scarlet" (Patricia Medina). Available on DVD from Amazon.com. DUEL ON THE MISSISSIPPI Director: William Castle Release date January 1st, 1955 1 hr. 12 min. moviefone.com Capsule Report: An aristocrat (Lex Barker) has a machete duel with the leader (Warren Stevens) of a Creole girl's (Patricia Medina) bayou gang in 1820s Louisiana. letterboxd.com Publicist's tag line"THE ROARING STORY OF THE NOTORIOUS LILI SCARLET—GAMBLING QUEEN OF THE MISSISSIPPI!" A little longer synopsis: In bustling era of 19th-century Louisiana, sugar is as valuable as gold, and pirates like Lily Scarlet (Patricia Medina) will do anything to get it. After robbing Jules Tulane's (John Dehner) estate of his crop, Scarlet takes over Tulane's land debt and forces him to pay or go to prison. In exchange for postponing his debt, Scarlet allows Tulane's son, André (Lex Barker), to work as her servant. When André and Scarlet fall in love, it leads to jealous rage from Scarlet's former paramour, expert swordsman Hugo (Warren Stevens) - and when Hugo looks to raid the Tulane estate again, it is up to André and Scarlet to take him down and save the estate. Appearing in MAN OF A THOUSAND FACES, 1957. The attached frame is from the Comedy/Western RIDE A CROOKED TRAIL (1958), starring War Hero turned Actor Audie Murphy. Murphy's co-star Walter Matthau as "Judge Kyle" lived aboard the little shantyboat on the far left. A recent photo of Universal's riverboat. Photo of a scale model of the ENTERPRISE "Riverboat" - most likely in a pond in the middle of a walkway at Universal Studio. The name "MATTERHORN" was superimposed in the lower left corner outside of the oval vignette so this photo probably came from a theme-park web site or blog (the name "Matterhorn" derived from the attraction at DISNEYLAND which is about 1 10th the size of the actual mountain on the border of Switzerland and Italy). The model was probably functional and used to film scenes of the ENTERPRISE for the RIVERBOAT series in a miniature "riverscape" with a scaled down "wooded shoreline" and water that was activated to simulate a current. The model could have run on a track or may have been radio controlled. The photograph of the model was most likely taken when it was on display outdoors in a pond in the middle of a walkway somewhere on Universal's property. Riverboat 1959 ANNE BAXTER as Ellie Jenkins: "A Race to Cincinnati" TV GUIDE ad: RIVERBOAT "A Race to Cincinnati" Season 1 Episode 4 Sunday Night October 4th, 1959 6 - 7 p.m. NBC TV Guest star Anne Baxter as Ellie Jenkins Universal's "ENTERPRISE" RIVERBOAT in "THE RAWHIDE YEARS" 1955 4 FRAME CAPTURES FROM UNIVERSAL'S "ENTERPRISE" RIVERBOAT AS SHE WAS PRESSED INTO SERVICE AGAIN AS BOTH THE "MONTANA QUEEN" AND THE NORTHERN BELLE IN DAY AND NIGHT SCENES FROM THIS 1955 TONY CURTIS WESTERN WHICH CAN BE SEEN IN ITS ENTIRETY ON YOUTUBE: Youtube The Rawhide Years (1955) Tony Curtis Western Movie Published on Jul 17, 2015 The Rawhide Years (1955). Western Movie. Directed by Rudolph Maté. With Tony Curtis, Colleen Miller, Arthur Kennedy, William Demarest. THE GAMBLER . . . THE GUNSLINGER . . . THE RIVER LADY KNOWN AS 'ZOE' . . . They Risked Their Luck On A Turn Of A Card . . . Their Lives On The Draw Of A Gun! Ben Matthews gives up the flashy life of a riverboat gambler, hoping to settle down in Galena with his girlfriend, luscious entertainer Zoe. But Galena's leading citizen is murdered on the boat; Ben, on arrival, finds a lynch mob after his neck, and flees. Three years of wandering later, Zoe's letters stop coming and Ben returns to find her and attempt the hopeless task of clearing himself. Square poster for RIVER LADY 1948 Colorful poster for the 1948 Universal movie RIVER LADY ljones66.wordpress.com Synopsis excerpted from a review by L Jones 66 word press: Set in the upper Mississippi River Valley during the decade after the Civil War, "RIVER LADY" is an adaptation of Frank Waters and Houston Branch's 1942 novel. It told the story of a conflict between the citizens of a Minnesota mill town, the loggers who worked downstream and the lumber mill owners. The representative of a local lumber syndicate named Bauvais wants to purchase a struggling lumber mill from its owner, H.L. Morrison. But the latter refuses to sell. However, the owner of a gambling riverboat owner named Sequin manages to purchase the mill in order to provide a reputable job for her boyfriend, Dan Corrigan, a lumberjack whom she loves. However, Sequin has a rival in Morrison's only daughter, Stephanie. When the latter learns about Dan and Sequin's engagement, she exposes Sequin's purchase of the Morrison mill. Dan becomes enraged when he realizes that his fiancé has manipulated his life and in a drunken fit, rejects the riverboat owner and marries Stephanie. Business sparks eventually ignite between a vengeful Dan and an angry Sequin, who has aligned herself with the mercenary Bauvais. · Yvonne De Carlo as Sequin · Dan Duryea as Beauvais · Rod Cameron as Dan Corrigan · Helena Carter as Stephanie Morrison · Lloyd Gough as Mike Riley · Florence Bates as Ma Dunnegan · John McIntire as H.L. Morrison · Jack Lambert as Swede · Esther Somers as Mrs. Morrison · Anita Turner as Esther · Edmund Cobb as Rider · Dewey Robinson as Bouncer · Eddy Waller as Hewitt · Milton Kibbee as Limpy · Billy Wayne as Dealer All captions provided by Dave Thomson, Steamboats.com primary contributor and historian.