American Empire (1942)

Director:

William C. McGann

Writers:

J. Robert Bren (story) and
Gladys Atwater (story) ...

Release Date:

11 December 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

The spectacular romance of America's Greatest Adventure

Plot:

Two men join forces to build a cattle empire, and battle rustlers, bad weather and each other. |

Plot Keywords:

Empire | American Southwest | Cattle Ranch | Texas | 1880s

Cast

Richard Dix	...	Dan Taylor
Leo Carrillo	...	Dominique Beauchard
Preston Foster	...	Paxton Bryce
Frances Gifford	...	Abigail 'Abby' Taylor, Dan's Sister
Robert Barrat	...	Crowder, Small Rancher (as Robert H. Barrat)
Jack La Rue	...	Pierre, Beauchard Henchman
Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams	...	Sailaway (as Guinn Williams)
Cliff Edwards	...	Runty
Merrill Rodin	...	Paxton Bryce Jr. (as Merrill Guy Rodin)
Chris-Pin Martin	...	Augustin, Beauchard Henchman (as Chris Pin Martin)
Richard Webb	...	Crane (small rancher)
William Farnum	...	Louisiana Judge
Etta McDaniel	...	Willa May, Bryce's Maid
Hal Taliaferro	...	Malone

Also Known As:

My Son Alone (UK)

Runtime:

82 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Wide Range System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #8113) | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Kernville, California, USA

Company:

Harry Sherman Productions

Trivia:

Originally made by Paramount but sold to United Artists for release.

Quotes:

Dan Taylor: The war's over Pax. We can't start another one, just because you're restless.

Soundtrack:

Little Pal

Empire On the Sabine

I'm sure that the folks on the Texas/Louisiana border must have had a a good laugh or two when Paramount's B picture unit inflicted this one on the war time public. Very simply the area along the Sabine River where the film opens is cotton country just like the rest of the Deep South or at least the Deep South was post Civl War. No big cattle empires there, they're much farther west in Texas, farther than Richard Dix and Preston Foster could ride to set up their empire.

The film begins with the two of them partners in a riverboat and when Leo Carrillo tries a theft of their services by not paying them for hauling his cattle, they keep the cattle. And that's the beginning of the big Ponderosa like ranch they start.

Along the way Foster marries Dix's sister played by Frances Gifford and feuds with his much smaller neighbors. They also have some further run ins with Leo Carrillo.

Anyway, us easterners who like westerns usually don't bother with geographical trifles and it's still a good western from the production mill of Harry Sherman who produced all those Hopalong Cassidy westerns for Paramount. The climax is a blazing, and I mean that literally, gun battle that should have maybe been used on an A production.

But I wouldn't have any but western fans look at it.