Westward the Women (1951)

A trail guide escorts a group of women from Chicago to California to marry men that have recently began settling there.

Director:

William A. Wellman

Writers:

Charles Schnee (screenplay), Frank Capra (story)

Stars:

Robert Taylor, Denise Darcel, Hope Emerson

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Robert Taylor	...	Buck Wyatt
Denise Darcel	...	Fifi Danon
Hope Emerson	...	Patience Hawley
John McIntire	...	Roy E. Whitman
Julie Bishop	...	Laurie Smith
Lenore Lonergan	...	Maggie O'Malley
Henry Nakamura	...	Ito
Marilyn Erskine	...	Jean Johnson
Beverly Dennis	...	Rose Meyers
Renata Vanni	...	Mrs. Moroni

Storyline

In a time when "The West" pretty much ends in Texas and only California is slowly being populated by the white men, there's a severe lack of women among the workers on Roy Whitman's farm in the California Valley. So he goes back east to Chicago to recruit 150 women willing to become wives for his employees. From the candidates he selects 138 who seem able to survive a months long journey across "The Great American Desert" and the Rocky Mountains.

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Plot Keywords:

settlement of the west | wild west | 1850s | native american attack | three word title | 

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Taglines:

The BIG M-G-M Spectacle!

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Genres:

Drama | Western

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Japanese Italian

Release Date:

31 December 1951 (USA)

Also Known As:

Pioneer Women

Filming Locations:

Death Valley, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,203,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$2,640,000, 31 December 1951

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,996,000, 31 December 1951

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of three known MGM films (along with The Next Voice You Hear... (1950) and Ben-Hur (1959)) where the company's symbol, Leo the Lion, did not roar in the opening credits. (2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) uses the illustrated lion from MGM's record label, not a real lion, and so doesn't count.)

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Goofs

All the rifles used in the film are single shot, M1867 Remington Rolling Blocks. As the model number suggests, they hadn't been invented until 16 years AFTER the year (1851) the film portrays. All Pistols used are the Colt SAA 1873 (Single Action Army) in various barrel lengths (4.5" - 6.5"). The only pistols available at that time were single shot percussion (cap & ball) and Colt percussion revolvers such as the Colt 1851 Navy.

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Quotes

Patience Hawley: [to the awaiting bridegrooms] You can look us over, but don't think you're going to do the choosing! All the way from Independence, I've been staring at two things: one was this picture and the other was the rump of a mule... and don't ask me which was prettier!

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Crazy Credits

The MGM lion, instead of roaring, is frozen in place.

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Alternate Versions

Avalable in a colorized version on home video from Turner/MGM Home Video. Like many colorized versions of films, it was not authorized nor approved by anyone who worked on the film.

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Connections

Referenced in Challenge the Wilderness (1951)

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Soundtracks

To The West! To The West!
By Henry Russell

User Reviews

remarkable for its time

This film has a lot of aspects that are quite refreshing and remarkable considering when it was made. The main supporting role is a Japanese cowboy! His character is not a typical stereotype either. Though he is comic relief, he is also given a role as a wise friend to Taylor's character. The unglamourous but brave and capable women in this film are also a nice surprise. They shoot, ride, lift and pull and do all the jobs usually done by men on this trip without complaint. One of the most touching scenes is right after an Indian raid as the women call out the names of the dead and the camera pans down to their lifeless bodies. It's a simple and unsentimental memorial to the sacrifices made.