Westward the Women 1951

     Roy Whitman has a farm in a California Valley.  The West at this time ends in Texas and only California is slowly being populated by white men.  There is a severe lack of women to work on the farm.  Roy goes back east to Chicago to recruit 150 women willing to become wives for the men he employs.  He selects 138 women who seem like they would be able to endure the long journey across the desert and the Rocky Mountains.


     This is the first true women-orientated Western ever produced in Hollywood.  Robert Taylor is the tough, experienced trail guide with a condescending attitude toward the women.  He famously disliked working with women in real life??  He also acted this way in the film Yellow Sky 1948.  Some scenery is very beautiful and other areas have rough weather, barren territory and Indian raids.  The women were told that one-third would not complete the trip but they would die along the way??  The women are really working as hard as they can and most are not used to the environment and the labor required.  Some have the advantage of strength, smarts in this type of country and they also know how to shoot!!  The best actor is a little dog on the journey!!  4* (I really liked this movie)

118 min, Drama directed by William A. Wellman and written by Charles Schnee and Frank Capra with Robert Taylor, Denise Darcel, Hope Emerson, John McIntire, Julie Bishop, Lenore Lonergan, Henry Nakamura, Marilyn Erskine, Beverly Denis, Renata Vanni.

Note:  Imdb 7.6 out of 10 with 2,600 views, Rotten Tomatoes 84% audience with 455 ratings, Amazon 4. out of 5* with 465 ratings, Letterboxd 3.7* out of 5*, radiotimes.com 2* to of 5*.

Special Note:  Filmed in Kanab, Surprise Valley and Paria Utah; Tuscon, Arizona; Mohave Desert, Los Angeles, Death Valley, California.  Frank Capra planned to direct this film himself and cast Gary Cooper in the lead.  Later the story was sold to his neighbor Director William A. Wellman.  This film has the Leo the Lion roar in the introduction.  There are three known films (Westward, The Next Voice You Hear 1950 and Ben-Hur 1959) without the Leo the Lion roar in the opening credits.  A Space Odyssey 1968 used the illustrated lion from MGM’s record label, he was not a real lion and he doesn't’ count)  A promotional short for this movie, Challenge the Wilderness 1951 was produced by MGM.  This is the first film for Pat Conway.