Synopsis

An ambitious, historic attempt to explore and document an untamed American frontier unfolds in this rousing adventure drama starting Fred MacMurray, Charlton Heston, Donna Reed and Barbara Hale. In 1803, Meriwether Lewis (MacMurray) and William Clark (Heston), with President Thomas Jefferson’s blessing, embarked on the government-sponsored Lewis & Clark Expedition – an attempt to discover a water route connecting St. Louis, Missouri, with the Pacific Ocean. Their trek takes them through the magnificent, danger-filled territory of the Pacific Northwest, with guidance from the Native American maiden Sacajawea (Reed). It’s an adventurous journey into country that, at the time, had yet to be seen by anyone except native tribes. With panoramic vistas around every bend and treacherous conditions awaiting at every turn, this account of Lewis & Clark’s thrilling quest, directed by Rudolph Mate (D.O.A., When Worlds Collide), mixes rugged action and tender romance with spectacular scenery.