Fighting Caravans (1931)

A young frontier scout helps guide a freight wagon train across the country, fighting off Indians and evil traders, while his two crusty companions try and save him from falling in love.

Directors:

Otto Brower, David Burton

Writers:

Zane Grey (novel), Edward E. Paramore Jr. (screenplay)

Stars:

Gary Cooper, Lili Damita, Ernest Torrence

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gary Cooper	...	Clint Belmet
Lili Damita	...	Felice (as Lily Damita)
Ernest Torrence	...	Bill Jackson
Tully Marshall	...	Jim Bridger
Fred Kohler	...	Lee Murdock
Eugene Pallette	...	Seth
Roy Stewart	...	Couch
May Boley	...	Jane
Eve Southern	...	Faith
Frank Campeau	...	Jeff Moffitt
Charles Winninger	...	Marshall
Frank Hagney	...	Renegade

Storyline

A young frontier scout helps guide a freight wagon train across the country, fighting off Indians and evil traders, while his two crusty companions try and save him from falling in love.

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Plot Keywords:

covered wagon | scout | frontier | freight | wagon train | 

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Taglines:

SMASHING OUTDOOR ROMANCE ( original poster)

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Genres:

Romance | Western

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Certificate:

Passed

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is one of 20 Zane Grey stories, filmed by Paramount in the 1930s, which it sold to Favorite Films for re-release, circa 1950-52. The failure of Paramount, the original copyright holder, to renew the film's copyright resulted in it falling into public domain, meaning that virtually anyone could duplicate and sell a VHS/DVD copy of the film. Therefore, many of the versions of this film available on the market are either severely (and usually badly) edited and/or of extremely poor quality, having been duped from second- or third-generation (or more) copies of the film.

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Quotes

Bill Jackson: He ain't been himself for the last three days. I've been watching him pretty close. Yesterday, he only had eleven drinks.
Jim Bridger: And he's been a-working too. Doing things he don't have to do.
Bill Jackson: She's got him all right.
Jim Bridger: Let's get drunk!

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Crazy Credits

Opening card: "In the days of the Civil War, the hard-won frontier country west of the Mississippi needed supplies. There were no railroads. Shipping had been tied up by the war. The burden of Transportation was taken up by trains of freight wagons - - Fighting Caravans banded together for the dangerous trip to California."

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Connections

Remade as Wagon Wheels (1934)

User Reviews

Very entertaining Western!

Good performances all around. A simple story told well. And a captivating female lead.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 February 1931 (USA)

Also Known As:

Blazing Arrows

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min 81 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.20 : 1