By December 1864 the Confederate Army was on it's last legs, literally and figuratively; "Virginia City" explores a final attempt to finance the Southern cause via a bold plan by the Confederacy to smuggle five million dollars in gold from Virginia City, Nevada back to Richmond, Virginia. Captain Vance Irby (Randolph Scott) volunteers for the assignment, and pits his military skill and acumen against a resourceful Union Captain, Kerry Bradford (Errol Flynn). The story opens with Irby foiling an escape attempt by Bradford and his men from Richmond's Libby Prison, alternatively known by it's guests as the Devil's Warehouse. Bradford lives for the day he can repay Irby for the indignity of foiling his plan, not to mention the months of tunneling in vain, as Irby was aware of the dig for just about as long.
Along the way, an uncharacteristically miscast Humphrey Bogart makes his appearance as a Mexican bandit, with the un-Mexican name of John Murrell. He looks as uncomfortable here as he did opposing Jimmy Cagney's character in "The Oklahoma Kid", Westerns were definitely not his forte. Though he did get a good line in on the stagecoach to Virginia City; with a derringer trained on Bradford he states "I do not particularly want to shoot you mister, but I do not mind." I tried to imagine him saying "We don't need no steenking badges".
Miriam Hopkins portrays Julia Hayne, the love interest for both lead antagonists, with Southern sympathies but an eye for a spy, that is, Captain Bradford. She spends a good deal of time agonizing over loyalties, while balancing her work life as a saloon singer in Virginia City. I must be pretty tone deaf, as I found her singing to be entertaining enough, unlike other posters for this film. On the other hand, it was supposed to be a cover, and a poll of drunken rowdy prospectors would score more for looks than voice anyway.
I got a kick out of the ongoing banter between Bradford's pair of buddies, Marblehead (Guinn "Big Boy" Williams) and Moose (Alan Hale). Their constant understated bickering lends just the right touch of comic relief to the film. There's a funny scene in the saloon as the boys begin drinking when they look to a picture of a semi clad woman above the bar; one exclaims "I wonder what she'd do if we had another drink".
I didn't realize it until the closing credits, but young Cobby Gill was portrayed by Dickie Jones, who grew up to be the Range Rider's sidekick in the early 1950's series of the same name. For my money, Jones was the best stunt rider of them all, some of his work in that series is incredible.
I was intrigued by some of the shooting styles offered in the film. In a couple of shootouts, Marblehead is shown "throwing" his gun in the direction of fire; I can't see how that would be effective for accuracy. It was also the way Wild Bill Elliott used his six guns, at least in his Red Ryder movies. During the attack by Murrell's gang on the gold train, Bradford impresses Irby with his "wing fan" shooting. It was during this scene that a highly unusual, if not unbelievable development took place. After taking a life threatening bullet, Irby turns over his command to Bradford! I'd like to see the rule book on that one.
For all his military discipline, Bradford ultimately weighs in with his own conscience. Deliberately destroying the gold wagon to prevent it's capture by Murrell, Bradford is arrested and found guilty of high treason, sentenced to death by hanging on April 9, 1865 - on the day General Lee is to surrender to Grant at Appomattox Court House. In a gallant and patriotic ending, excellent camera work captures President Lincoln's silhouette as he pardons Bradford, the anxious Miss Hayne having pleaded her case for the man she loves. It's as flag waving a moment as it gets, as Lincoln declares the South as not having lost, but having been found.
Along the way, an uncharacteristically miscast Humphrey Bogart makes his appearance as a Mexican bandit, with the un-Mexican name of John Murrell. He looks as uncomfortable here as he did opposing Jimmy Cagney's character in "The Oklahoma Kid", Westerns were definitely not his forte. Though he did get a good line in on the stagecoach to Virginia City; with a derringer trained on Bradford he states "I do not particularly want to shoot you mister, but I do not mind." I tried to imagine him saying "We don't need no steenking badges".
Miriam Hopkins portrays Julia Hayne, the love interest for both lead antagonists, with Southern sympathies but an eye for a spy, that is, Captain Bradford. She spends a good deal of time agonizing over loyalties, while balancing her work life as a saloon singer in Virginia City. I must be pretty tone deaf, as I found her singing to be entertaining enough, unlike other posters for this film. On the other hand, it was supposed to be a cover, and a poll of drunken rowdy prospectors would score more for looks than voice anyway.
I got a kick out of the ongoing banter between Bradford's pair of buddies, Marblehead (Guinn "Big Boy" Williams) and Moose (Alan Hale). Their constant understated bickering lends just the right touch of comic relief to the film. There's a funny scene in the saloon as the boys begin drinking when they look to a picture of a semi clad woman above the bar; one exclaims "I wonder what she'd do if we had another drink".
I didn't realize it until the closing credits, but young Cobby Gill was portrayed by Dickie Jones, who grew up to be the Range Rider's sidekick in the early 1950's series of the same name. For my money, Jones was the best stunt rider of them all, some of his work in that series is incredible.
I was intrigued by some of the shooting styles offered in the film. In a couple of shootouts, Marblehead is shown "throwing" his gun in the direction of fire; I can't see how that would be effective for accuracy. It was also the way Wild Bill Elliott used his six guns, at least in his Red Ryder movies. During the attack by Murrell's gang on the gold train, Bradford impresses Irby with his "wing fan" shooting. It was during this scene that a highly unusual, if not unbelievable development took place. After taking a life threatening bullet, Irby turns over his command to Bradford! I'd like to see the rule book on that one.
For all his military discipline, Bradford ultimately weighs in with his own conscience. Deliberately destroying the gold wagon to prevent it's capture by Murrell, Bradford is arrested and found guilty of high treason, sentenced to death by hanging on April 9, 1865 - on the day General Lee is to surrender to Grant at Appomattox Court House. In a gallant and patriotic ending, excellent camera work captures President Lincoln's silhouette as he pardons Bradford, the anxious Miss Hayne having pleaded her case for the man she loves. It's as flag waving a moment as it gets, as Lincoln declares the South as not having lost, but having been found.