Wagon Master (1950)

Two young drifters guide a Mormon wagon train to the San Juan Valley and encounter cutthroats, Indians, geography, and moral challenges on the journey.

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Frank S. Nugent, Patrick Ford,

Stars:

Ben Johnson, Joanne Dru, Harry Carey Jr.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ben Johnson	...	Travis Blue
Joanne Dru	...	Denver
Harry Carey Jr.	...	Sandy
Ward Bond	...	Elder Wiggs
Charles Kemper	...	Uncle Shiloh Clegg
Alan Mowbray	...	Dr. A. Locksley Hall
Jane Darwell	...	Sister Ledyard
Ruth Clifford	...	Fleuretty Phyffe
Russell Simpson	...	Adam Perkins
Kathleen O'Malley	...	Prudence Perkins
James Arness	...	Floyd Clegg
Francis Ford	...	Mr. Peachtree
Fred Libby	...	Reese Clegg
Jim Thorpe	...	Navajo Indian
Mickey Simpson	...	Jesse Clegg

Storyline

As Mormon settlers head to the promised land at the San Juan river in Utah, they hire horse traders Travis Blue and Sandy as wagon masters. They have to forge a trail across unknown territory and face many hardships along the way. They quickly come across some stranded travelers, a medicine show run by Dr. A. Locksley Hall which includes the attractive Denver. Along the way however, they are also joined by Shiloh Clegg and his murderous clan of robbers and thieves. An encounter with the Navajo leads to an invitation to their camp but after one of the Clegg boys gets a whipping for attacking one of the Navajo women, Uncle Shiloh plans his revenge. It's left to Sandy and Travis to protect the travelers and get them to their destination.

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Plot Keywords:

mormon | utah | wagon train | horse trader | guide | 

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Taglines:

John Ford's lusty successor to "Fort Apache" and "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon"

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Navajo Spanish

Release Date:

19 April 1950 (USA)

Also Known As:

Caravana de valientes

Filming Locations:

Colorado River, Moab, Utah, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Argosy Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Elder Wiggs breaks up the fight between Sandy and Jackson, a dog joins in and tears one of the legs of his pants. This was not in the script. It just happened on the set, and John Ford had liked it so much he kept it in the film.

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Goofs

In the beginning of the film, when Travis on the horse talks to the marshal, he folds his right leg leaning it on the saddle horn. In the next shot he is with his right leg hanging unfolded.

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Quotes

Sandy: By Golly, I bet it's going to be hotter then...
Jackson: [Angrily] Mind your language!
Sandy: I wasn't cussin'!
Jackson: You were going to say Hell!
Sandy: I was going to say Hades, but Hell ain't cussin', it's geography... It's the name of a place, like you might say Abilene or Salt Lake City.
Jackson: [Taking offense] Don't you be going making any remarks about Salt Lake City!
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Mighty Joe Young (1998)

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Soundtracks

"SONG OF THE WAGON MASTER"
Words and Music by Stan Jones
Recorded by Sons of the Pioneers (as The Sons of the Pioneers)
Sung in part by Ben Johnson and Harry Carey Jr. (uncredited)
Also sung by the Sons of the Pioneers (uncredited)

User Reviews

The covered wagons, their people and their music

It takes a while to get adjusted to the sound of Sons of The Pioneers , but then you thoroughly enjoy it. If the soundtrack would be played by an orchestra like Max Steiner or Dmitri Tiomkin it would lose its folkloric character. The music conducts the film, everything seems to follow its rhythm. The whole cast is excellent. Ben Johnson and Harry Carey Jr. are the young men guiding the caravan. Ward Bond is the Mormon leader and Joanne Dru is a flirting actress. Ford was able to make of what would be an ordinary western, something totally different and original showing us the music, the dances, and most of all, the people.