Western Union (1941)

When Edward Creighton leads the construction of the Western Union to unite East with West, he hires a Western reformed outlaw and a tenderfoot Eastern surveyor.

Director:

Fritz Lang

Writers:

Zane Grey (novel), Robert Carson (screenplay),

Stars:

Robert Young, Randolph Scott, Dean Jagger

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert Young	...	Richard Blake
Randolph Scott	...	Vance Shaw
Dean Jagger	...	Edward Creighton
Virginia Gilmore	...	Sue Creighton
John Carradine	...	Doc Murdoch
Slim Summerville	...	Herman, called 'Cookie'
Chill Wills	...	Homer Kettle
Barton MacLane	...	Jack Slade
Russell Hicks	...	Provisional Governor, Territory of Nebraska
Victor Kilian	...	Charlie
Minor Watson	...	Pat Grogan
George Chandler	...	Herb
Chief John Big Tree	...	Chief Spotted Horse (as Chief Big Tree)
Chief Thundercloud	...	Indian Leader
Dick Rich	...	Porky

Storyline

Vance Shaw gives up outlawing and goes to work for the telegraph company; his brother Jack Slade leads outlaws trying to prevent the company connecting the line between Omaha and Salt Lake City. Lots of Indian fighting and gunplay.

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Plot Keywords:

western union | outlaw | telegraph | surveyor | tenderfoot | 

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Genres:

History | Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Sioux

Release Date:

21 February 1941 (USA)

Also Known As:

Conquistadores

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Studio publicity noted that Fox contract star Henry Fonda had served as technical adviser on the film, due to his experience as a young man working as a lineman. Fonda's "technical advisory" capacity was most certainly a publicity fiction, and in any event Fonda was not credited on the film itself.

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Goofs

When Creighton leaves on the stage after his accident, his left ankle is bandaged and he is favoring his left foot. When we later see him walk with a cane, he is favoring his right foot.

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Quotes

[last lines]
[listening to the clack of the telegraph]
Richard Blake: Makes a nice sound, doesn't it, coming across a continent.
Edward Creighton: It's music.
Sue Creighton: I wish Shaw could hear it.
Edward Creighton: It's a long way from Salt Lake City to Boot Hill in Elkville, but I think he can hear it.

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Connections

Edited into Buffalo Bill (1944)

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Soundtracks

"The Little Brown Jug"
(1869)
Written by Joseph Winner
Played in a saloon

User Reviews

At the very top of my favorite westerns.

I first saw this film in the theater way back in the 40s when I was a kid and always remembered the ending. There is nothing like the first impression but some movies are always a treat each time they are viewed. Something just resonates with them. This is one of those films and I agree with another reviewer who said Fritz Lang should have directed more westerns. To add to it I have always liked Randolph Scott and Robert Young. In fact, Robert Young stars in what I consider my favorite movie if I have to name just one, not an easy thing to do. That film is Northwest Passage. It led me to the superb historical novels of Kenneth Roberts. Western Union likewise led me to reading Zane Grey's novel which, in this case turned out to be one of those rare cases where I like the movie better than the novel. Not that Grey's novel is a bad one; I just like the movie story better. The movie in no way resembles the novel. It is a completely different tale, one of the biggest departures from a book I have seen.

I can't add much to the other reviews except to say I agree with many of them. I, too, wish it would be released on DVD. "Whatever happened to Randolph Scott happened to the best of me."