Virginia City (1940)

Union officer Kerry Bradford escapes from Confederate Prison and is set to Virginia City in Nevada. Once there he finds that the former commander of his prison Vance Irby is planning to send $5 million in gold to save the Confederacy.

Director:

Michael Curtiz

Writer:

Robert Buckner (original screen play)

Stars:

Errol Flynn, Miriam Hopkins, Randolph Scott

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Errol Flynn	...	Kerry Bradford
Miriam Hopkins	...	Julia Hayne
Randolph Scott	...	Vance Irby
Humphrey Bogart	...	John Murrell
Frank McHugh	...	Mr. Upjohn
Alan Hale	...	Olaf 'Moosehead' Swenson
Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams	...	'Marblehead'
John Litel	...	U.S. Marshal
Douglass Dumbrille	...	Maj. Drewery (as Douglas Dumbrille)
Moroni Olsen	...	Cameron
Russell Hicks	...	Armistead
Dickie Jones	...	Cobby
Frank Wilcox	...	Union Soldier
Russell Simpson	...	Gaylord
Victor Kilian	...	Abraham Lincoln

Storyline

During the American Civil War, Captain Kerry Bradford escapes from a notorious confederate prison. He and two of his men are sent to Virginia City where Confederate sympathizers are prepared to donate $5 million dollars to the cause of Southern independence. The war is going badly for the Confederacy and money may tip the war in their favor. On the stagecoach to Virginia City, Bradford meets and falls in love with Julia Hayne not realizing that she is one of the conspirators. When he gets to Virginia City, he also runs into Confederate Captain Vance Irby who has been sent to collect and safely deliver the gold. Irby manages to get out of the city but the Union cavalry is in hot pursue. When Bradfoed catches up with them, he not only has to fight Irby but also John Murrell, a bandit who has his own plans for the gold. He also

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Plot Keywords:

american civil war | arizona | arizona territory | confederate states of america | u.s. mail stagecoach | 

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Taglines:

Go West!...to Virginia City...for excitement, for adventure, for primitive romance!!!

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Genres:

Action | Drama | History | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

Passed

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 March 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

Goldschmuggel nach Virginia

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Black and White (Sepiatone)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

First film written by Howard Koch, although he didn't get screen credit.

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Goofs

During John Murrell's escape from the runaway stagecoach, he shoots it out with Bradford and Swenson. All three men are firing Colt revolvers that won't become available until the 1870s.

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Quotes

'Marblehead': Doggone scissor-bills, here they come again. Thicker than hair on a dog's back.

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Connections

Referenced in Blaze of Glory: Mel Brooks' Wild, Wild West (2014)

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Soundtracks

We Will Hang Jeff Davis to a Sour Apple Tree
(uncredited)
(Sung to the tune of "Battle Hymn of the Republic")
Sung by Union troops and northern sympathizers in Virginia City

User Reviews

Another good one

While not up to Errol Flynn's other great western, "Dodge City," this movie is another in the long list of first-rate films that Flynn and director Michael Curtiz made together. The film has two main drawbacks: the severe miscasting of Humphrey Bogart as a Mexican bandit named Morrell (?!) and Miriam Hopkins as the Flynn/Scott love interest. Maybe she was being punished by Jack Warner for some transgression, or maybe she wanted to try to try something different, but Hopkins just isn't up to it. She plays her part of a saloon girl/spy like a grand dame, when the part calls for the sexy, comedic touch of an Ann Sheridan. Bogart's miscasting should be self-evident (you keep expecting to hear him turn to his gang of bandidos and say, "Alright, you mugs . . ."), and Randolph Scott is somewhat stiff (but still a better choice than Ronald Reagan, who was reportedly offered the part first). Other than that, though, the film has the usual Warner Bros. panache. The action scenes are first-rate, the cast--consisting of what came to be known as The Warner Bros. Stock Company--is top-notch, and the film has a zest and elan that characterizes the films that Flynn and Curtiz made together. A slam-bang western, and highly recommended.