Kit Carson (1940)

Trapper Kit Carson and his band of men join John C. Fremont on his way to California. Enroute they are subjected to Indian attacks that are propagated by the Mexican Government, that does ... See full summary »

Director:

George B. Seitz

Writers:

George Bruce (original screenplay), Evelyn Wells (based on a story by)

Stars:

Jon Hall, Lynn Bari, Dana Andrews

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jon Hall	...	Kit Carson
Lynn Bari	...	Dolores Murphy
Dana Andrews	...	Captain John C. Fremont
Harold Huber	...	Lopez
Ward Bond	...	Ape
Renie Riano	...	Miss Pilchard
Clayton Moore	...	Paul Terry
Rowena Cook	...	Alice Terry
Raymond Hatton	...	Jim Bridger
Harry Strang	...	Sergeant Clanahan
C. Henry Gordon	...	General Castro
Lew Merrill	...	General Vallejo
Stanley Andrews	...	Larkin
Edwin Maxwell	...	John Sutter
George Lynn	...	James King (as Peter Lynn)

Storyline

Trapper Kit Carson and his band of men join John C. Fremont on his way to California. Enroute they are subjected to Indian attacks that are propagated by the Mexican Government, that does not want the contingency to reach California. Once in California, Fremont and Carson initiate a campaign to free the state from Mexican control.

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Plot Keywords:

trapper | mexican | kit carson | oregon trail | indian attack | 

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Taglines:

A MIGHTY SAGA OF PIONEER COURAGE...that gave the nation a new empire!

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Genres:

Biography | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

30 August 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

Im Tal des Schreckens

Filming Locations:

Cayente, Arizona, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Edward Small Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System: The Voice of America)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

In real life Kit Carson never learned to read or write and in two scenes, he's showed reading something.

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Quotes

Kit Carson: There's more in them graves than just people.

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Connections

Edited into Davy Crockett, Indian Scout (1950)

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Soundtracks

"Taps"
(1862) (uncredited)
Written by Daniel Butterfield
Played by and offscreen bugler at bedtime
Played also at a funeral

User Reviews

On the level of a B western

The western film Kit Carson, an independent release from United Artists in 1940 presents a rousing action filled portrayal of one of the greatest of American frontier characters. But the real Kit Carson was so much more interesting that it's almost a shame that this one is his screen epitaph.

Jon Hall plays Carson in proper frontier style with Mesquiteer like mountain men companions Ward Bond and Harold Huber. Dana Andrews is John C. Fremont noted explorer and surveyor of the west who eventually became the first Republican party presidential candidate. One thing I should dispel right away, they never quarreled over any woman, even one as beautiful as Lynn Bari. Fremont was already married to Jessie Benton, daughter of US Senator Thomas Hart Benton and Carson after living among the Indians and fathering two illegitimate children married the daughter of the governor of New Mexico when it was still in old Mexico. He even took instructions in the Roman Catholic faith to make such a marriage.

The action of about two years is compressed into approximately a few months with Fremont's expedition being the catspaw of the US government to check out California to see if it was ripe for the taking. Fremont never took a wagon train to California or anywhere else, especially since he was mapping and surveying the territory that Carson and other mountain knew about before. He had enough trouble getting him and his men over the Rockies and Sierras without women and kids along.

Both Hall and Andrews certainly do right by their characterizations of both men and I wish I could rate the film higher. Sad to say though its accuracy is so bad that it's almost on the level of a B western where they use some real life western figure and build a fictitious plot around them. Plenty of action though with Indian fights and then fights with the Mexican army in California. Kit Carson must have done well with the Saturday matinée crowd back in the day.