When Does the Film "Valley of the Sun" (1942) Take Place?
"Valley of the Sun" is a historical fiction film written by Horace McCoy [adapting "Valley of the Sun" (1940?) by Clarence Budington Kelland] that released February 6th, 1942. So when is "Valley of the Sun" set?
It takes place in the year:
We know this because early on at the end of a court martial Jonathan "Yakisikama" Ware is ..."hereby sentences him to 5 years imprisonment in the United States military prison at Fort Yuma, Territory Arizona." and the Arizona Territory was a governmental distinction that only existed from February 24th, 1863 AD and February 14th, 1912 AD in the real world. So it must be before February of 1912 AD.
It takes place in the year:
1873 AD or 1874 AD
We know this because early on at the end of a court martial Jonathan "Yakisikama" Ware is ..."hereby sentences him to 5 years imprisonment in the United States military prison at Fort Yuma, Territory Arizona." and the Arizona Territory was a governmental distinction that only existed from February 24th, 1863 AD and February 14th, 1912 AD in the real world. So it must be before February of 1912 AD.
More specifically, the real-world Apache Chief Cochise appears and he died on June 8th, 1874 AD. So it must be during or before June of 1874 AD.
Specifically, multiple characters wield a Colt Single Action Army, a firearm first manufactured in October of 1873 AD. So it's got to be during or after October of 1873 AD.
[HOWEVER, very early on there is a time and place setting title card superimposed over the footage that reads "TUCSON CAPITAL OF THE TERRITORY OF ARIZONA 1868". That obviously puts the story in 1868 AD.]
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