Wells Fargo (1937)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Frank Lloyd

Writers:

Stuart N. Lake (story) and
Gerald Geraghty (writer)

Release Date:

31 December 1937 (USA)

Genre:

History | Western

Tagline:

TOGETHER THEY BUILD A CONTINENT! He lives the magnificent adventure that saves a country and she shares the adventures of the man she loves!

Plot Keywords:

Historical Fiction | Stagecoach Robbery | Marital Reconciliation | Buffalo New York | Betrayal

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Joel McCrea	...	Ramsay MacKay
Bob Burns	...	Hank York (a wanderer)
Frances Dee	...	Justine Pryor MacKay
Lloyd Nolan	...	Dal Slade
Henry O'Neill	...	Henry Wells
Mary Nash	...	Mrs. Pryor
Ralph Morgan	...	Mr. Nicholas Pryor
Johnny Mack Brown	...	Talbot Carter
Porter Hall	...	James Oliver
Jack Clark	...	William Fargo
Clarence Kolb	...	John Butterfield
Robert Cummings	...	Dan Trimball (a prospector)
Granville Bates	...	Mr. Bradford (banker)
Harry Davenport	...	Mr. Ingalls (banker)
Frank Conroy	...	Mr. Ward (banker)

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16

Filming Locations:

Angel's Camp, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Assistant propman Jack Leys accidentally shot himself when he reached into the prop chest for a gun.

Soundtrack:

Where I Ain't Been Before

Earnest saga of famed courier service, opening the West.

This is one of those history lesson films that tell us an interesting story about the expansion of this country, the failure of the US Post Office to meet the demands for communication in the rapidly expanding country of the 1840s and of the rise of the famed courier service, sort of a modern UPS. Joel McCrea plays one of the early riders, who becomes a stalwart supporter and defender of the rapid expansion theories and in the course of his dedication and absence from home, loses his marriage, redeemed only in the last reel. It's a very interesting film, well done and well played. It received an Oscar nom for Sound, but did not deserve it - instead it did deserve a nod in the Art Direction category, but failed to get it. Most available prints are the 97 minute edited versions - original release was 20 minutes longer. Certainly a good solid film and worthy of a look.