WAGON MASTER (1950)
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
WAGON MASTER is a solid Western adventure. However, I can see no reason why this was one of Ford’s three favorite films of his own work, along with THE FUGITIVE and THE SUN SHINES BRIGHT.
Perhaps he was fond of it because of the comic spirit but that is the picture’s biggest problem. Ford’s attempt at humor is more often clumsy than successful, not just here but throughout his career. With THE QUIET MAN as the exception to the rule, I can’t think of a single Ford film where his taste in humor consistently hits. So all of the goofiness of WAGON MASTER fell flat for me. I did not find it funny or charming.
The movie gets better when the bad guys are on screen, led by Charles Kemper, and featuring James Arness (pre-stardom). They bring a gravity to the wagon train journey that is much needed. The sequences focused on the villains, particularly the one where lawmen show up on their trail and the fast shoot-out at the end, are the movie’s best. Otherwise, I don’t see the greatness here that Ford felt, especially compared to a long list of masterpieces he made throughout his career. It also pails in comparison to another wagon train epic, WESTWARD THE WOMEN.
Then again, I wasn’t having the best of nights when I watched this so it might be one to revisit in the coming years.
Watched on Tubi.
These reviews were also posted on my letterboxd account and will eventually be published on my Travis Mills filmmaker Facebook page