Dakota (1945)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Joseph Kane

Writers:

Howard Estabrook (adaptation)
Carl Foreman (story)
(more)

Release Date:

25 December 1945 (USA)

Genre:

Romance | Western

Tagline:

MIGHTY ADVENTURE...ROMANCE...EXCITEMENT...of America's Last Frontier (original poster)

Plot:

In 1871, professional gambler John Devlin elopes with Sandra "Sandy" Poli, daughter of Marko Poli, an immigrant who has risen to railroad tycoon...

Plot Keywords:

Railroad | Wheat | Farmer | Boat | River

Cast

John Wayne	...	John Devlin
Vera Ralston	...	Sandy Poli (Devlin) (as Vera Hruba Ralston)
Walter Brennan	...	Capt. Bounce of the Riverbird
Ward Bond	...	Jim Bender
Mike Mazurki	...	Bigtree Collins
Ona Munson	...	Jersey Thomas
Olive Blakeney	...	Mrs. Stowe
Hugo Haas	...	Marko Poli
Nick Stewart	...	Nicodemus (Capt. Bounce's Bosun) (as Nicodemus Stewart)
Paul Fix	...	Carp
Grant Withers	...	Slagin
Robert Livingston	...	Lieutenant
Olin Howland	...	Devlin's driver (as Olin Howlin)
Pierre Watkin	...	Wexton Geary (Marko Poli's representative)
Robert Barrat	...	Anson Stowe (as Robert H. Barrat)
Jonathan Hale	...	Col. Wordin
Robert Blake	...	Little boy (as Bobby Blake)
Paul Hurst	...	Capt. Spotts
Eddy Waller	...	Stagecoach driver
Sarah Padden	...	Mrs. Plummer
Jack La Rue	...	Suede
George Cleveland	...	Mr. Plummer
Selmer Jackson	...	Dr. Judson
Claire Du Brey	...	Wahtonka
Roy Barcroft	...	Poli's driver
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Melva Anstead	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Eugene Borden	...	Italian (uncredited)
Bob Burns	...	Farmer (uncredited)
Paul E. Burns	...	Farmer at meeting (uncredited)
Lucille Byron	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Martha Carroll	...	Entertainer (uncredited)
Noble 'Kid' Chissel	...	Henchman (uncredited)
Dorothy Christy	...	Nora (the cook) (uncredited)
Peter Cusanelli	...	Italian (uncredited)
Kenne Duncan	...	Henchman (uncredited)
Geraldine Farnum	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Cay Forrester	...	Entertainer (uncredited)
Frances Gladwin	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Fred Graham	...	Bouncer (uncredited)
Lorna Gray	...	Entertainer (uncredited)
William Haade	...	Roughneck in saloon (uncredited)
Harriette Haddon	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Rosemonde James	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Russ Kaplan	...	Bouncer (uncredited)
Marian Kerrigan	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Rex Lease	...	Railroad conductor (uncredited)
Tom London	...	Old-timer (uncredited)
Cliff Lyons	...	Bouncer (uncredited)
LeRoy Mason	...	Gambler (uncredited)
Art Miles	...	Ciano (uncredited)
Al Murphy	...	Trainman (uncredited)
Jack O'Shea	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Beverly Reedy	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Jack Roper	...	Bouncer (uncredited)
Hector Sarno	...	Italian farmer (uncredited)
Betty Shaw	...	Entertainer (uncredited)
Tom Smith	...	Gambler (uncredited)
Dorothy Stevens	...	Dancer (uncredited)
Houseley Stevenson	...	Railroad clerk (uncredited)
Linda Stirling	...	Entertainer (uncredited)
Larry Thompson	...	Poli's footman (uncredited)
Victor Varconi	...	Frenchman (uncredited)
Michael Visaroff	...	Russian (uncredited)
Virginia Wave	...	Entertainer (uncredited)
Dick Wessel	...	Roughneck in saloon (uncredited)

Directed by
Joseph Kane

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Howard Estabrook		adaptation
Carl Foreman		story
Lawrence Hazard		screenplay

Produced by
Joseph Kane	....	associate producer

Cinematography by
Jack A. Marta		(as Jack Marta)

Film Editing by
Fred Allen

Art Direction by
Gano Chittenden
Russell Kimball

Set Decoration by
John McCarthy Jr.
James Redd

Costume Design by
Adele Palmer

Makeup Department
Peggy Gray	....	hair stylist
Bob Mark	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Yakima Canutt	....	second unit director
Allen K. Wood	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
Fred Stahl	....	sound

Special Effects by
Howard Lydecker	....	special effects
Theodore Lydecker	....	special effects

Stunts
Yakima Canutt	....	stunt double (uncredited)
Bobbie Dorree	....	stunt double (uncredited)
Fred Graham	....	stunt double (uncredited)
Cliff Lyons	....	stunt double (uncredited)

Music Department
Walter Scharf	....	musical director
R. Dale Butts	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Joseph Dubin	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Mort Glickman	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)

Other crew
Larry Ceballos	....	choreographer
Sid Davis	....	stand-in: John Wayne (uncredited)
Andrew V. McLaglen	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Republic Pictures (I)

Distributors

• Republic Pictures (I) (1945) (USA) (theatrical)
• British Lion Film Corporation (1945) (UK) (theatrical)
• Republic Pictures (I) (1950) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Republic Pictures Home Video (2000) (USA) (video)
• Artisan Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Gloria (1950) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• M.P.E.A. (1949) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Comet Video (????) (USA) (DVD)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2007) (Germany) (DVD)

Runtime:

82 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Iceland:12 | West Germany:12 (nf) | Germany:12 (DVD rating) | Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (PCA #11126)

Filming Locations:

CBS Studio Center - 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Republic Pictures (I)

Goofs:

Continuity: When Devlin is tossed out of Poli's house, he tumbles down the steps with his head toward the right of the porch. But on the cut to the close-up, he completes the fall with his head toward the left, a complete mismatch from the previous shot.

Quotes:

Sandy Poli: That's papa! He's shooting at us!
John Devlin: All I want to know is: do you take after your papa or mama?
Sandy Poli: Papa always wants to shoot things out. He has no more sense than you have. I do hope he doesn't kill us. He'd never get over it.
John Devlin: Well, I'd feel kind of regretful about it myself.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 100 Years of John Wayne (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Coax Me

It is Vera Hruba Ralston that commands.

Vera Ralston was an actress that was cast into films because she was married to the big boss of Republic. In Dakota she comes out surprisingly well as Sandy Poli a determined woman, daughter of a millionaire who marries John Wayne. He wants to go to California, but she chooses Dakota and from then on she is the one who makes the most important decisions for the couple. It is not usual to see John Wayne in this situation but it makes the film more interesting. There are two familiar actors also, Walter Brennan and Ward Bond. It is remarkable that with a low budget they made quite a convincing scenery of what Fargo,Dakota must have looked like. The movie is quite entertaining except for the fact also mentioned in one of the comments, that they make too much use of scenes taking place at night. No need for that, it only makes it harder to understand what is going on.