This one starts with a fairly serious if not standard premise; if the new railroad train can make it to the town of Tomahawk, Colorado by the prescribed time, they'll win a subsidy that gives the rail line an advantage over the local stagecoach outfit. Unfortunately, the film devolves into virtual farce by the last half hour, as a reluctant engineer (Walter Brennan) is faced with the necessity of taking his train apart! in order to make it to the finish line. Which wound up being even more ludicrous than the team of horses it took to pull the engine and three additional railroad cars over forty miles of wilderness devoid of train tracks. If any of this was even remotely believable it would have made for an interesting story, but as it is, the picture is best viewed strictly for light entertainment.
The surprising thing for me winds up being how this 1950 color picture previewed a couple of classic black and white TV Westerns down the road. In not too much of a stretch, Anne Baxter's character is turned into Annie Oakley for the 1954 series, the sharp shooting cowgirl who gained fame in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show of the late 1800's. And with Richard Sale writing and directing, there's no question that the Chief Yowlachie character was the basis for Yancy Derringer's sidekick and bodyguard Pahoo KaTeWah. The Chief used hand gestures to speak and portrayed the same stance and attitude as Pahoo, while using a tomahawk instead of a dagger. Need any more convincing? - his name was Pawnee, the same tribe that Pahoo came from.
This was my first look at Dan Dailey in any kind of role, and he coyly plays off of the female Kit Dodge (Baxter) in an amusing manner, particularly in that 'bussing' routine. Lending support to the unconvincing dynamics of the story was his unique ability to participate in a perfectly choreographed song and dance routine with Madame Adelaide's girls, complete with his own props! You know, one of the Madame's dancing girls looked just like a young Marilyn Monroe!
But geez, couldn't they get someone more authentic to play the role of Crooked Knife? So I check the credits, and that's none other than the original screen Tonto, Chief Thundercloud, not even attempting some phony Indian dialect. What a let down, and not even upset that the railroad hands wiped out half of his war party!
At least the story had a neat twist finale when the Mayor of Tomahawk expanded the city limits to allow the train to achieve it's goal and 'win' against all the obstacles thrown it's way. But good grief, what was that farewell between Kit Dodge and Johnny Behind the Deuces all about when her five 'kids' joined to wave goodbye. Somewhere along the way Grandpa Dodge's birds and bees talk wound up being a mere afterthought.
The surprising thing for me winds up being how this 1950 color picture previewed a couple of classic black and white TV Westerns down the road. In not too much of a stretch, Anne Baxter's character is turned into Annie Oakley for the 1954 series, the sharp shooting cowgirl who gained fame in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show of the late 1800's. And with Richard Sale writing and directing, there's no question that the Chief Yowlachie character was the basis for Yancy Derringer's sidekick and bodyguard Pahoo KaTeWah. The Chief used hand gestures to speak and portrayed the same stance and attitude as Pahoo, while using a tomahawk instead of a dagger. Need any more convincing? - his name was Pawnee, the same tribe that Pahoo came from.
This was my first look at Dan Dailey in any kind of role, and he coyly plays off of the female Kit Dodge (Baxter) in an amusing manner, particularly in that 'bussing' routine. Lending support to the unconvincing dynamics of the story was his unique ability to participate in a perfectly choreographed song and dance routine with Madame Adelaide's girls, complete with his own props! You know, one of the Madame's dancing girls looked just like a young Marilyn Monroe!
But geez, couldn't they get someone more authentic to play the role of Crooked Knife? So I check the credits, and that's none other than the original screen Tonto, Chief Thundercloud, not even attempting some phony Indian dialect. What a let down, and not even upset that the railroad hands wiped out half of his war party!
At least the story had a neat twist finale when the Mayor of Tomahawk expanded the city limits to allow the train to achieve it's goal and 'win' against all the obstacles thrown it's way. But good grief, what was that farewell between Kit Dodge and Johnny Behind the Deuces all about when her five 'kids' joined to wave goodbye. Somewhere along the way Grandpa Dodge's birds and bees talk wound up being a mere afterthought.