Hawkeye and the Last of the Mohicans - Volume 8 (DVD)

Based on the writings of James Fenimore Cooper, this exciting frontier adventure series vividly captured the daring exploits of Hawkeye, "first of the long rifles," and his faithful blood brother Chingachgook, last of the Mohicans. Set in New York's Hudson Valley of the 1750s, the series was filmed almost entirely in Canada from 1957 to 1958 utilizing authentic outdoor settings and carefully observed period detail. Athletic and handsome John Hart, famous for playing the title role in Jack Armstrong, The All-American Boy (1947) and numerous action-adventure movies, is a natural as Nat 'Hawkeye' Cutler. Lon Chaney, Jr. plays the Chingachgook role with relish, years after he had gained fame for his starring role in Of Mice and Men (1939) and the classic Universal movie The Wolf Man (1941).

THE COWARD: A young man is labeled a coward after he abandons his father during an Indian attack.

THE SOLDIER: Angry Indians are being armed with stolen rifles by a treasonous soldier.

THE PRINTER: A newspaper publisher is framed for murder.

WINTER PASSAGE: Hawkeye and Chingachgook help frontier wives join their husbands at Christmastime.

• television