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Summary

When Edward Creighton leads the construction of the Western Union to unite East with West, he hires a Western reformed outlaw and a tenderfoot Eastern surveyor. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation in 2000.

Cast

Robert Young

Richard Blake

Randolph Scott

Vance Shaw

Dean Jagger

Edward Creighton

Virginia Gilmore

Sue Creighton

John Carradine

Doc Murdoch

Chill Wills

Homer Kettle

Slim Summerville

Herman, called "Cookie"

Barton MacLane

Jack Slade

Russell Hicks

Provisional Governor

Victor Kilian

Charlie

Minor Watson

Pat Grogan

George Chandler

Herb

Chief John Big Tree

Chief Spotted Horse

Chief Thundercloud

Indian Leader

Dick Rich

Porky

Addison Richards

Captain Harlow

Irving Bacon

Barber

C.E. Anderson

Old Timer

Arthur Aylesworth

Woody

Bill Beauman

Minor Role

Hank Bell

Telegraph Worker

Esther Brodelet

Dancer

Paul E. Burns

Stagecoach Depot Master

Clarence Chorre

Indian

Sonny Chorre

Indian

Bob Clark

Telegraph Worker

Cliff Clark

Sheriff

Russ Clark

Businessman

Tommy Coats

Henchman

Iron Eyes Cody

Indian Who Drinks Chemical Solution

J.W. Cody

Indian

Bahe Denetdeel

Indian

Earl Dobbins

Telegraph Worker

Larry Dods

Posse Rider

Ralph Dunn

Work Seeker

Frank Ellis

Camp Defender

John Epper

Indian

James Flavin

Deputy Sheriff

Francis Ford

Eastbound Stagecoach Driver

Tom B. Forman

Posse Rider

Jack Henry Fritz

Minor Role

Boone Hazlett

Indian

Reed Howes

Slade Henchman #2

Sid Jordan

Posse Rider

Cecil Kellogg

Henchman

Tom London

Slade Henchman #3

Harold A. Malendez

Minor Role

Kermit Maynard

Posse Rider

Frank McGrath

Posse Rider

Charles Middleton

Stagecoach Rider

Lucille Miller

Dancer

Frank Mills

Work Seeker

Joe Molina

Indian

Merlyn Nelson

Posse Rider

Herman Nowlin

Posse Rider

Steve O'Brien

Office Boy

George Plues

Stagecoach Driver

Clint Sharp

Henchman

Jay Silverheels

Indian

Joe P. Smith

Indian

James P. Spencer

Indian

Harry Strang

Henchman

Tony Urchel

Indian

Eddy Waller

Stagecoach Driver #1

Ed Warren

Henchman

Blackie Whiteford

Posse Rider

Crew

Director

Fritz Lang

Dialogue

Jack Andrews

Dialogue

Horace McCoy

Novel

Zane Grey

Screenplay

Robert Carson

Writer

George Bruce

Reviews

Wuchak

November 22, 2020

_**Adventures while setting up the telegraph line on the Great Plains**_

As the Civil War breaks out in 1861, a former outlaw (Randolph Scott) joins the team wiring what is now Nebraska and Wyoming for telegraph service. Dean Jagger plays the executive of the project while Robert Young is on hand as a “tenderfoot” from back East. Meanwhile Virginia Gilmore plays the potential romantic interest of the good-badman (Scott) and the heroic newcomer (Young).

Directed by Fritz Lang and based on the Zane Grey book, "Western Union" (1941) was a pretty big Western in its day and effectively mixes intrigue, action, romance and comedy. While Barton MacLane’s villainy as Jack Slade is too silent movie-ish and the geography is disingenuous, this ranks with the better Western epics of its era. The color and cinematography are wonderful and the AmerIndians are depicted in a non-cheesy, authentic manner.

The film runs 1 hour, 35 minutes, and was shot in Utah (Zion National Park & Kanab), Arizona (House Rock Canyon, Arizona) and 20th Century Fox Studios, Century City, Los Angeles.

GRADE: B