Some suggest that this film was meant to be a poor man's "Gone With the Wind". A similar charge has often been leveled at the later film "Band of Angels", starring Clark Gable and Yvonne De Carlo There's probably some truth to this charge, but any film that deals with a subject somewhat resembling GWTW is going to be negatively compared to it. Remember, these 2 films are only half or less as long as GWTW. Why not just accept them on their own merits. They are all distinctive enough in their details to stand on their own.There were, of course, Southern Unionists before and during the Civil War. Sometimes they were concentrated in particular regions. An obvious example is the northwestern part of Virginia, which seceded to become West Virginia. One Unionist was Newton Knight, who lived in Jones County, MS. He enlisted in the Confederate army, but eventually deserted, claiming to be a Unionist forced to fight for the Confederacy. He was the leader of a group of mostly deserters, mostly from Jones county and surrounding counties, who acted as guerillas against government troops and officials. For a time, he was jailed as a deserter, and his homestead burned, as an example. At one point, Knight and his supporters hid in a swamp, which government troops had great difficulty penetrating. This is the historical background from which this story is derived.The Dabneys are the ruling extended family in the Levington Valley of MS. The patriarchal grandfather, Sam Dabney((Russell Simpson), is infirm on the eve of secession of MS from the Union, and dies after an emotional outburst against secession and its probable traumatic effect on his empire. His son and heir apparent: Hoab Dabney(Ward Bond), also is vehemently opposed to secession and against the war for similar reasons, and talks of seceding from the state if it secedes from the Union. Hoab's daughter, Morna(Susan Hayward), is engaged to a cavalry officer(Whitfield Connor, as Clay) in the US army, who will join the Confederate army, against the wishes of the Dabneys. However, Morna severely hurts her back from a horse fall, and the doctor claims she will never walk again(There is conflicting evidence whether one or both legs are affected). Clay pretends that his love for her has not now diminished, but he soon begins dating her sister Aven(Julie London), and soon they are married. Meanwhile, journalist Keith Alexander(Van Helfin) has professed his love for Morna whatever her physical condition in the future may be. Morna's attendants keep massaging her legs and encouraging her to try to walk. One day, Keith's talk makes her angry, and she stands. With more exercises, she eventually is able to walk, albeit with a limp.Meanwhile, Clay's troops have blockaded the southern pass out of the valley, so that the residents can't get supplies from the gulf port. Hoab and Keith have organized the valley residents into a fighting force against Clays troops. But Clay's artillery, especially, and setting of fires destroy the Dabney's mansion and other buildings. Hoab's and Keith's men retreat into a swamp, which Clay's troops are able to penetrate, and a battle ensues. I leave the climax and conclusion for you to see. Available at You Tube in Technicolor. The most interesting relationship is that between Morna and Clay. The combination of her incapacitating injury and Clay's joining of the Confederate Army wrecked their romantic involvement. When it was discovered that Clay's army was about to attack the valley from the north, whereas Keith and his men had gone south for supplies, she rode to Clay's camp with the idea of convincing him that she still loved him more than Keith. She seduced him, with the intent of delaying the assault on the valley until Keith's men could return. But Clay saw through her plan and used the time to alter his attack plan and move his cannons forward, in position to bombard the Dabney Mansion.

1948's "Tap Roots" has been described as a poor man's "Gone with the Wind," and that pretty much sums up the simplistic plot, with Van Heflin and Susan Hayward supplying the love interest. As Hoab Dabney, patriarch of the Lebanon Valley in Mississippi, Ward Bond enjoys one of his most prominent movie roles, ably assisted by the scene stealing Boris Karloff, surprisingly cast as Choctaw Indian medicine man Tishomingo, equally adept at healing as he is wielding a mean whip. The slave-owning Dabneys decide to stay neutral as the Civil War gets underway, rousing the townsmen to defy the Confederates, regardless of the consequences (Jonathan Hale has one scene as General Joseph Johnston). By this time, Karloff made infrequent returns to the studio that made him a star (ending with 1953's "Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"), and his casting was most definitely inspired by his recent portrayal of Guyasuta, Chief of the Senecas, in Cecil B. De Mille's "Unconquered" (1946). The darkly-complected actor had played a multitude of Native Americans, mostly villainous, during the silent era, but had only these two roles since the advent of talkies (his only sound Western was 1930's "The Utah Kid").

Yeah,it bears more than a distant resemblance to "Gone with the wind" .And short weight at that,cause its running time does not exceed 110 min.Even the characters recall the classic: there's the black slave ,a poor man's Scarlett,her old man ,her suitor (Van Heflin ,sort of Rhett Butler) .Melanie is represented by a sister played by Julie London whose part is so underwritten she has almost nothing to do (unless a brief romance with Clay counts).I do like Susan Heyward and Van Heflin but directing is listless in the first part.The second part is much better and includes really worthwhile scenes: the battle in the swamp ,the old Hoab (Ward gave the best performance IMHO)shouting "this is my land" ,then aimlessly wandering among the fighters and finally cursing his unfortunate daughter.The ending looks like (one more time) the ending of the first part of GWTW when Scarlett finds her father senile from shock and a devastated property!So roll up your sleeves,the tap roots are still here.The last scene between Clay and Morna is also a good moment ,although their characters lack substance .And however ,the very subject of the movie was particularly interesting:people who want to stay neuter ,to live their life in peace (one must note ,however,that they did not disapprove of slavery).Like this?try these......Band of angels ,Raoul Walsh The Raintree County,Edward Dmytryk Friendly persuasion,William Wyler

I was able to tape this film years ago. It is not often seen on TV and a true classic film. Tap Roots takes place at the outbreak of the Civil War, Lebanon Valley tries to secede from the state of Mississippi and remain neutral. Hating slavery, its leader, Hoab Dabney(Ward Bond), and a faithful Indian friend of the family, Tishomingo(Boris Karloff), promise to protect the valley against the Confederate army. There is a great cast of actors namely: Susan Hayward, Van Heflin and Julie London(former wife of Jack Webb, Dragnet T.V) Tap Roots is rather long and drawn out. However, the plot has romance, excellent photography of the Civil War costumes, sex situations and the action is of great value. Karloff is excellent as an Indian guide of the family and his make-up makes him look just like a Native American. I noticed the Smoky Mountains located in North Carolina and Tennessee where this Mississippi story was filmed which is magnificent to view.