Wagon Train (1940)

7/10

Panamint10 November 2015

The scenery and the camera-work of the scenery in this film are spectacular. The lost art of outdoor western camera work is remarkably well featured in this b-western and is worth watching. "Majestic" is the only word that can describe some of the scenes.

Tim Holt is stalwart and believable as a wagon train leader, Martha O'Driscoll is incredibly pretty, young and fetching in the role of an eastern girl gone west. All of the cast does a fine job.

Wagons and a stagecoach are expertly handled (another lost art?) in the Utah country, not just on graded back lot roads.

Authentic-looking in many ways, fast paced, this film is a winner.

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7/10

In the West a murderer always shoots in self defence.

hitchcockthelegend22 July 2013

Wagon Train is directed by Edward Killy and written by Norton Grant and Bernard McConville. It stars Tim Holt, Ray Whitley, Emmett Lynn, Martha O'Driscoll, Malcolm 'Bud' McTaggart and Cliff Clark. Music is by Paul Sawtell and cinematography by Harry Wild.

"The middle of the last century witnessed small bands of courageous men leading their wagon trains across the wilderness, carrying provisions to the people of the frontier. They died of hunger, thirst, heat and cold. Desert wastes, prairie fires, the attacks of road agents and Indians took their toll. But the freighters still rolled on - - the wheels of their wagons carving from the Trans-Missouri Wilderness a greater and stronger nation."

Out of RKO, this black and white Oater is a breezy paean to the tough characters who led the wagon trains whilst battling the elements and outside human forces. Tim Holt stands straight backed and handsome as our hero leading from the front, whilst O'Driscoll shines pretty as a summers day. There is much joviality to be found in between the pacey action scenes, and there's even time for some songs and a nifty dance sequence that John Ford would have approved of for its portrait of community spirit. Filmed on location in Kanab, Utah, the picture is practically a complete outdoor production, and it's beautifully photographed by Harry Wild (Farewell My Lovely/Station West).

No surprises here but that's just fine, it's an hour of hooray and yeehaw entertainment with thrills, spills, laughs and the requisite heroes and villains. 7/10

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6/10

Skinflint merchant of the worst kind

bkoganbing25 September 2017

As RKO's B picture cowboy hero, Tim Holt was really coming into his own when he did Wagon Train. In fact the film has a nice A picture look to it.

Villain of this film is veteran western actor Cliff Clark who had Tim's father killed. Clark is a skinflint merchant of the worst kind. He has gunmen on his payroll to make sure he sells the only food supplies for miles around for the ranchers and farmers. When Tim's father protested Clark had him killed.

The father was a rival merchant and former partner. Now Tim is taking a wagon train through with intentions of starting his own business again. He has to deal with Clark's outlaws and hostile Indians.

Holt was always a no nonsense western hero and in the tradition of the time as established by Hopalong Cassidy and the Three Mesquiteers has two sidekicks, Emmett Lynn and Ray Whitley.

The post World War II Holt usually had no romances as his sidekick then was Chito Rafferty. Here Martha O'Driscoll is the leading lady and their scenes look real.

RKO spent a bundle for location shooting instead of stock footage and it showed. Wagon Train is a nicely packaged Tim Holt western.

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7/10

Especially good photography for routine Western

Spondonman18 August 2014

First of all there's a rolling Wild West context setting explanation before the picture begins and straight after that one character gives another a lengthy explanation of hero Tim Holt's past and character. After all that you don't need a crystal ball to see which way the picture will go and how it will climax and end, even down to some of the lesser details.

Baddies try to blacken Holt's good name and his food supply business, attempt to kill him and raid his wagon train to corner the market for themselves. It turns out Holt was after one of them anyway Apart from the clumsy opening reveal it's all routine, competently handled fodder – plus a few nice songs, nice scenery nicely photographed, nice action, but you could seldom fault Holt in any of these oaters. It's an serenely enjoyable hour – if you like b Western films with a bit of atmosphere; if you know you don't and decide to watch it anyway kiss the hour goodbye!

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7/10

Wagon train

coltras3518 April 2023

Pecos businessman Matt Gardner is buying up freighters, or wagon trains of food supplies, at cheap prices through intimidation, and charging high prices by deliberately causing phony food shortages at his trading posts. The only one refusing to sell his supplies is Zack Sibley, who is dead set on maintaining his freighter business as well as tracking down his father's murderer, his ex-business partner. Gardner plans on eliminating any competition Sibley presents by sending his thugs to kill him and raid his wagon train.

Visually, this is quite impressive, the harsh, unforgiving land seems to envelope around the wagon train, lending some grit - there's an effective scene of a Comanche arrow hitting the wood and the scene quickly fades away. Next minute we see Holt riding into the burnt stage station.

A fairly entertaining RKO western that has the appeal of Tim Holt's youthful charm and his chemistry with Martha O Driscoll. There's some gorgeous location photography (It was filmed in Kanab, Utah and in Wildwood Regional Park in Thousand Oaks, California) and some good characterisation.

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4/10

Keeping the wagons rolling

Prismark108 June 2014

This is an unpretentious B western with a good interplay of comedic side stories and songs but a very simple and contrived storyline.

Pecos businessman Matt Gardner is buying up wagon trains of food supplies, at cheap prices through intimidation then charging higher prices by causing phony food shortages at his trading posts. The only man refusing to sell his supplies is Zack Sibley (Tim Holt.) Gardner plans on eliminating Sibley by sending his thugs to kill him.

There is plenty of exposition as soon as the film starts as two minor characters recount the story of Zack who has been looking for the man who killed his father when he was a child as he leads wagon trains out West. It just so happens that Matt Gardner was the culprit.

Ironically Gardner is later shot from a distance by his own son Coe when he intended to kill Zack and mistook his own father for Zack.

There is nice interplay between Whopper (Emmett Lynn) who plays the teller of tall tales and his flame (Ellen Lowe) who gives out the vibes of Olive Oyl. Holt is a suitably able hero with the white hat who falls for Coe's sweetheart, Helen Lee.

A nice short feature with a few good set pieces but nothing more.

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6/10

B Movie Western that Rehearses Some Significant Historical Themes

l_rawjalaurence14 June 2014

Other reviewers have rehearsed the plot of Edward Killy's RKO B-Movie from 1940, so there is no need to tread over familiar ground. What is perhaps more intriguing is the way the film rehearses several themes characteristic of the western, which might tell us something about the way America viewed itself at that time. The film is awash with movement: the wagon train traveling across the plains, accompanied by riders; the perpetual threat of the bad guys wanting to stop the train; coupled with the subplot about a community's livelihood being threatened should vital food supplies not arrive. This draws attention to the idea of the pioneer spirit; the fact that, as a young country, the United States is perpetually looking to expand itself; it is never satisfied with staying n one place. WAGON TRAIN also embodies racial attitudes characteristic of that time: all the characters are Euros, save for one Mexican (Julian Rivero) who assumes a peripheral role as he is s seen entering the general store trying to buy some beans for his family. He cannot afford the exorbitant price; and hence throws them back in the seller's face. Native Americans are represented as savage; they destroy one settlement; and it is only because of our hero Zack Sibley's (Tim Holt's) cleverness that they allow him and his followers to pass through their territory unscathed. By contrast the 'good' white Euros are represented as strong yet fair, believing in the importance of group identity as a means to survive in an inhospitable landscape. The film packs a lot into its sixty-minute running time; comedy, adventure, even two songs (with music by Paul Sawtell). Not particularly memorable, perhaps, but an interesting historical document.

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4/10

Decent but unremarkable.

planktonrules24 June 2013

Warning: Spoilers

Tim Holt stars in this RKO western. Holt was an unusual cowboy star from his era because he was kind of small, didn't sing and just didn't look the part of a tough cowboy. Now this does not mean that he wasn't good in these roles—it's just that he bore no resemblance to John Wayne, Roy Rogers or the other leading cowboys of the day.

The beginning of "Wagon Train" starts very poorly—with one of the worst clichés in films. Instead of letting the viewer realistically learn Holt's back story, it begins with two guys talking—and one of them tells about Holt and the entire set up for the plot!! No one in real life talks this way and it was very sloppily written. According to this exposition, when Holt's character was a child, his father was knifed to death and to this day, the son has sworn revenge if he ever can discover who the killer is. Then, throughout the rest of the film, a villain plots against the wagon train and wouldn't you know it---it turns out HE is the murderer that knifed the old man! It's a shame, as without the silly exposition and the obviousness of the villain, it was a pretty good B-movie—much more realistically acted than a typical western B. But, I just cannot cut the film much slack when it comes to bad writing.

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6/10

"Yeah, well dying's one thing, but being murdered is another."

classicsoncall10 May 2014

Warning: Spoilers

My first reaction here was where is Tim Holt's Mexican-Irish sidekick Chico Rafferty. Then when Tim's character was revealed as Zack Sibley, I took a closer look and realized Tim looked a lot younger than in his later pictures with Richard Martin. It also struck me as the story progressed that here was a B Western where the handful of songs were not handled by the star of the picture. So a couple of interesting points there.

Storywise, this one is pretty standard. While leading wagon trains out West, Zack is on a constant look out for the man who murdered his father. The twist to the story if there is one, occurs about mid way through when Matt Gardner (Cliff Clark) is shot by his own son Coe (Bud McTaggart) from a distance when the intended victim was Zack. Physically, Zack and Gardner didn't look much like each other, so go figure. The bad guys were in too much a rush to get rid of Holt's character, you would think they'd make sure they were killing the right guy.

Since every cowboy hero needs a sidekick and Chico wasn't around yet, Emmett Lynn filled in as Tim Holt's partner going by the name of Whopper. As a teller of tall tales, he didn't quite measure up to a Gabby Hayes or a Fuzzy St. John, but he fit the bill well enough for some comedic moments, especially when would-be sweetheart Amanthy (Ellen Lowe) was on the scene. I have to say, if Margaret Hamilton wasn't around as the wicked witch for "The Wizard of Oz", this actress would have been a suitable stand-in.

One last observation - I bought a pound of bacon a couple weeks ago on sale for $3.99, so when I heard Matt Gardner's general store was charging $4.00 a pound back in the 1880's, (along with a $35.00 sack of flour!), it didn't come as a surprise that his trading post went up in flames when the locals torched it. You can only take price gouging so far.

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8/10

Hard to believe this is a B western.

mjrobbins11111 January 2002

One of the best B westerns I've ever seen. Original and intelligent script, solid acting, great scenery and production values not normally found in this type of movie. Scene with wagons racing across the valley is spectacular and does not appear to be stock footage (though I could be wrong). Tim Holt westerns, particularly those from the early 40s, usually exceeded the normal standards for series westerns, but Wagon Train is in a class by itself. Truly a great movie of it's type.

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8/10

Kudos to the cast and production team for a stellar film made 78 years ago

Ed-Shullivan24 August 2018

I was amazed at the films excellent quality having been developed in 1940 when cinema production was in its early stages. Although only 59 minutes in length, Wagon Train utilizes every minute to wow its audience with action, adventure, comedy and romance. Tim Holt was just coming into his own as a bona fide film star of the time and he was competing for screen time with the likes of Roy Rogers and Gene Autry. I have always enjoyed the western genre and Tim Holt is a bona fide cowboy who shines bright on the big screen.

Wagon Train is a western that all can enjoy if you are a fan of the western genre. Decades later when color is added, and more sophisticated cameras and lenses, the westerns of the 1970s starring the likes of John Wayne, Clint Eastwood and Charles Bronson may have pushed films like this one, the 1940 Wagon Train to the back of the TV film shelves, but thank God for television stations such as TCM who will periodically honor the great western stars such as Tim Holt and allow us to watch such a film classic.

I give Wagon Train a solid 8 out of 10 rating. It may be a bit dusty, grainy and in black and white but for a near 80 year old film, it remains a classic in my books and is worth watching at least twice in one's lifetime.

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Average Kids Matinée 'B' Oater

GManfred16 September 2010

Nothing especially dramatic or compelling here. A formulaic and predictable western with a meandering script and a distinct lack of character development, this picture tells its story and is over in an hour. It is loaded with non-sequiturs and loose ends which leaves the viewer scratching his head.

Nevertheless, the leads are attractive. Tim Holt gives a stalwart performance and Martha O'Driscoll is very pretty but is not given much to do. This is the sort of movie I probably would have liked a long time ago when I was a kid and didn't ask many questions. The action scenes were good and the second unit stuff was even better.

This picture was on TCM the other morning. It was a time-killer but did not break any new ground as far as the western genre is concerned. The kids won't notice, though.

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