In Old California (1942)

Boston pharmacist Tom Craig comes to Sacramento, where he runs afoul of local political boss Britt Dawson, who exacts protection payment from the citizenry. Dawson frames Craig with ... See full summary »

Director:

William C. McGann

Writers:

Gertrude Purcell (screenplay), Frances Hyland (screenplay),

Stars:

John Wayne, Binnie Barnes, Albert Dekker

Cast

Complete credited cast:
John Wayne	...	Tom Craig
Binnie Barnes	...	Lacey Miller
Albert Dekker	...	Britt Dawson
Helen Parrish	...	Ellen Sanford
Patsy Kelly	...	Helga
Edgar Kennedy	...	Kegs McKeever
Dick Purcell	...	Joe Dawson
Harry Shannon	...	Mr. Carlin
Charles Halton	...	Mr. Hayes
Emmett Lynn	...	Whitey
Robert McKenzie	...	Mr. Bates (as Bob McKenzie)
Milton Kibbee	...	Ezra Tompkins (as Milt Kibbee)
Paul Sutton	...	Chick - Dawson's henchman
Anne O'Neal	...	Mrs. Tompkins

Storyline

Boston pharmacist Tom Craig comes to Sacramento, where he runs afoul of local political boss Britt Dawson, who exacts protection payment from the citizenry. Dawson frames Craig with poisoned medicine, but Craig redeems himself during a Gold Rush epidemic.

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Plot Keywords:

pharmacist | gold | comic relief | cowboy hat | tough guy | 

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 May 1942 (USA)

Also Known As:

Gold Runs the River

Filming Locations:

Kernville, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Republic Pictures (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

John Wayne plays a druggist. In real life, his father was a licensed pharmacist.

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Connections

Referenced in Hollywood Hist-o-Rama: John Wayne (1961)

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Soundtracks

"There's Gold in the Hills"
Music by David Buttolph
Lyrics by Sol Meyer

User Reviews

The Duke's A Druggist Dude

In Old California finds John Wayne in the highly unusual casting of an eastern dude from Boston going west to California to seek fame and fortune as California becomes American territory due to the Mexican cession. He might be an easterner, but you wouldn't expect John Wayne to be any kind of cream puff.

He'd better not be because he's starting to interest Binnie Barnes who is the gal pal of Albert Dekker, the local boss of Sacramento and the surrounding area. Wayne likes Barnes, but he's got his heart set on Helen Parrish who the daughter of a local Spanish don.

You wouldn't expect pharmacy to be such a rough business, but it sure turns out that way In Old California. Out of jealousy, Dekker conceives a plot to rid himself of his rival. Ultimately however it's Dekker who gets caught in the web of his on intrigue.

Edgar Kennedy and Patsy Kelly make their one and only appearances in a John Wayne film and they make a real nice pair for the comic relief in the film. Also look for a good performance by Dick Purcell as Dekker's far slimier and deadlier brother.

The California Gold Rush saves the Duke from one of Dekker's nefarious schemes. The Gold Rush also brings in the typhoid epidemic where Wayne's pharmaceutical knowledge and supplies are needed to fight the disease. The epidemic also brings on a blazing gun battle as well as the Duke leads a wagon train through to the gold camps.

Binnie Barnes has a nice role herself as a wise cracking saloon girl with the proverbial golden heart.

Their are plot elements here of other John Wayne films like The Spoilers and Reap the Wild Wind. In this one it's John Wayne who has the role Ray Milland had against him in Reap the Wild Wind.

In Old California is one of Herbert J. Yates's better films featuring his meal ticket. Between loaning him out to the bigger studios and centering Republic's big budget features around the Duke, Yates and Wayne did a masterful job in making him a movie legend.