Veteran actor Dick Allen and gambler Sid Campeau plot to derail the construction of the Union Pacific Railroad at the behest of crooked banker Asa M. Barrows. He is a major investor in a competing railroad line who will profit from any delays. Meanwhile, Allen and his old friend railroad boss Jeff Butler compete for the attention of Mollie Monahan. She is a beautiful Irish postmistress and daughter of the railroad engineer. One of the last bills signed by President Lincoln authorizes pushing the Union Pacific Railroad across the wilderness to California. But, financial opportunist Asa Barrows hopes to profit from obstructing it. Chief troubleshooter Jeff Butler has his hands full fighting Sid and his partner Dick Allen. Dick is Jeff's war buddy and a rival suitor for engineer's daughter Molly Monahan. Who will survive the effort to push the railroad through at any cost? And which man will win Molly's heart??
Terrific western from Hollywood's greatest showman. Plot concerns the bitter competition to build America's first transcontinental railroad in the country's post-Civil War expansion. McCrea plays the chief of the Union Pacific line who has to deal with injuns, rival company Central Pacific's dirty tricks campaign (headed by gambler Donlevy) and the distracting attraction of hardy postmistress Stanwyck. DeMille accelerates the drama throughout the film so that the spectacular cavalry charge finale is hurtling forward at full steam. Most actresses would be swamped by the scale and machismo of the action but the formidable Stanwyck takes it all in her stride. She can handle all of these rough men without any problems. Oscar for Best Special Effects in 1940. 5 1/2* (I really liked this movie)
135 min, Western Directed and produced by Cecil B. Demille and written by Walter Deleon, C. Gardner Sullivan and Jesse Lasky Jr., with Barbara Stanwyck, Joel McCrea, Akim Tamiroff, Robert Preston, Lynne Overman, Brian Donlevy, Robert Barrat, Anthony Quinn, Stanley Ridges, Evelyn Keyes.
Note: Imdb 7.1* out of 10* with 2709 reviews, www.dvdtalk.com, movie excellent, video very good, sound very good, no supplements, Rotten Tomatoes 65% audience scores with 250+ ratings, Amazon 4 1/2* with 248 reviews, Letterboxd 3.3* out of 5*.
Special Note: The company rented many local pinto horses for the filming of the Indian attack on the train. During shooting, local cowboys had to be hired to round up the horses because they would scatter and sometimes stampede because of the noise and confusion of these scenes!! All the shooting, yelling and yards of unfamiliar cloth on the horses. Also kettles and other implements were tied to their manes and tails. This made them extremely nervous and uncomfortable. It didn't require much to make them bolt. The gold spike used at the ceremony to mark the end of construction was the same spike actually used in the May 10, 1869 event. It was on loan from Stanford University. In order to operate the number of trains required by the production, Paramount was required to get a regulation railroad operating license from the Interstate Commerce Commission.
Mistakes: According to Lucius Beebe’s book "Union Pacific" the gold spike was not "driven" in. A spike made from gold would be much too soft to drive into a railroad tie. The spike was "driven" into a hole drilled in a specially prepared tie. This was done both in reality and for the movie. Following the ceremony, the spike was pulled out (by hand), a new tie was put down and an iron spike was driven in. According to a news item in "The Hollywood Reporter", Cecil B. DeMille directed much of the film from a stretcher? It was said that he had surgery months earlier? But, studio records indicate DeMille collapsed from the strain of directing three units simultaneously and used a stretcher for about two weeks!!
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