The Legend of Alfred Packer

Infobox Film
name = The Legend of Alfred Packer


image_size =
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director = Jim Roberson
producer = Mark J. Webb
writer = Burton Raffel
Chuck Meyers
narrator =
starring = Patrick Dray
Ronald Haines
Jim Dratfield
Bob Damon
Dave Ellingson
Ron Holiday
Lawrence Bleir
Cynthia Nessin
music = Jaime Mendoza-Nava
cinematography = James Warren
editing = Shirak Khojayan
distributor = American National Enterprises
released = 1980
runtime = 93
country = USA
language = English
budget =
gross =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website =
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0251182

"The Legend of Alfred Packer" is a 1980 film by Jim Roberson from a script by acclaimed poet/translator Burton Raffel, a biopic of Alfred G. Packer starring Patrick Dray in the title role. The film features a score by Bolivian-Argentinian composer Jaime Mendoza-Nava, though the main theme is a not-quite copy of Mason Williams's "Classical Gas".

The film has several anomalies. Its opening scene features an unnamed appearance by gunman W.W. "Plughat" Anderson (William Broder) making his attempt on Polly Pry's life. It also does not make clear Pry's association with the Packer story, though she serves as a narrator at the beginning, and, in voiceover, at the end, suggesting that the film was cut. Finally, although no one, not even Packer, denied that Packer shot Shannon Wilson Bell, the film depicts Bell accidentally falling on a knife, as if to exonerate Packer of any potential wrongdoing.

Unlike, "Cannibal! The Musical", the film depicts many members of Packer's initial party, before the group dwindled to those that Packer ate. These include brothers Isaac "Ike" and Tom Walker, Charlie and Art Smith, and Mike Burke. O.D. Loutsenhizer is included, but Jean "Frenchy" Cabazon is omitted.

The "Alferd" spelling and pronunciation of his first name is not used in the film.

The film was released on VHS by Monterey Home Video.

Plot Summary

McMurphy (Bleir) comes to Denver, Colorado to see Polly Pry (Nessin) about the Packer case. As Pry leaves for her scheduled meeting with McMurphy, she is stalked and shot at by a gunman (whose appearance is almost entirely camera-eye). The bullets hit her skirts and lessen the blows inflicted on her publishers behind her.

McMurphy and Pry meet in a tavern to discuss the Packer story over whiskey. She begins with the five prospectors who will become victims meeting up for the first time at a boardinghouse, where the landlady (Ruth Seder) tells them that Alfred Packer is the best guide in the area.

The men find Packer in a small prison, and pay his bail so that he can be their guide. They join together with the larger group, but are soon split up, and they get suckered into the hospitality of a trapper (Dick Morgan) and his sidekick, known as Weasel (George Farrar), who intend to rape George Noon (Dratfield).

Packer and the men escape, but get hopelessly lost in Ute territory. When Packer is scouting ahead, he returns to find that Shannon Wilson Bell (Haines), a Mormon missionary, has killed and begun to eat the other prospectors. Packer and Bell fight; Bell falls, landing on a knife, and is killed.

After several months, Packer comes out of the mountains into the nearest town and makes his report to General Adams (Don Donovan). Later, while at Dolan's Bar, his story having been investigated, he is captured and brought to trial. The remainder of the film depicts his trial. Judge Gerry (Sam Kirbens) reads his sentence as per the court records, though omitting the two consecutive repeats of "dead". As Packer walks through the courthouse door, a blue glow emanates from behind it, the image freezes, and, in voiceover and overlain title cards, Pry briefly summarizes what happened to Packer after the trial.