Wagon Master (1950)

Director:

John Ford

Writers:

Patrick Ford (written by)
Frank S. Nugent (written by)

Release Date:

19 April 1950 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Plot:

A group of Mormons hoping to found a new colony in the trackless San Juan River country hire horse traders Travis and Sandy as wagonmaster and guide...

Plot Keywords:

Thief | Promised Land | Navajo | Posse | Whipping

Cast

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 Ledeyard
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
Mickey Simpson	...	Jesse Clegg

Also Known As:

Wagonmaster (USA) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Navajo

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

West Germany:16 (f) | Finland:K-16 (1951) | Iceland:12 | UK:U (original rating) | UK:PG | Finland:K-12 (1964) | USA:Approved (PCA #14314) | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Colorado River, Moab, Utah, USA

Company:

Argosy Pictures

Trivia:

Ben Johnson did all his own stunts.

Goofs:

Continuity: Prudence arrives after Wiggs and Adam, and stands behind them, in front of Sandy on the fence. Between shots she appears near Sandy, with her back to him.

Quotes:

[repeated line]
Travis Blue, Elder Wiggs: Wagons West!

Movie Connections:

References She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)

Soundtrack:

WAGONS WEST

two cowboys help a wagon train to roll West

Other reviewers have described Wagonmaster splendidly.But I would like to look at it's main lead, Ben Johnson.

I was 10 when Wagonmaster came out, and by then Johnson had become a hero to us boys in St.Ives,Cornwall.Johnson had worked his way up to the Travis Blue role the hard way; from being a rodeo man to John Waynes sidekick.We were fascinated by his horsemanship in his early roles, and were completely sold by his neat act of jumping off a horse whilst it was still moving.Very soon, every lad at school was Ben Johnson, as we charged around on pretend horses. His appeal was in his drawl, the measured, laconic delivery he had. His approach was the easy, deliberate action of a cowboy who was completely honest, trustworthy and dependable. In Wagonmaster he got his break, and with Harry Carey Jnr., formed a memorable parnership. Careys' exuberance somehow balances Johnsons nonchalant style, and they epitomize the young West, it'sdangers, hopes and sorrows.You just know, that as long as they are around, everything is gonna be OK.

For me Ben Johnson is as much a part of the screen West as any of the Western stars, like John Wayne and Gary Cooper. There was no one quite like him, and his roles, small or big, linger in the mind.

The elegiac Wagonmaster is his legacy to Western genre