Main Cast: Robert Taylor, Denise Darcel, Hope Emerson, John McIntire, Julie Bishop, Henry Nakamura
Release Year: 1951
Country: US
Run Time: 118 minutes
MPAA Rating: NR
Plot
Though Frank Capra wrote the original story treatment for MGM's Westward the Women, he was too busy to direct the film, and handed the reigns instead to his former Liberty Films partner William A. Wellman. This stark, no-nonsense outdoor drama stars Robert Taylor as a trail guide named Buck, who in 1851 is hired by California settler Roy Whitman (John McIntyre) to head a wagon train full of mail-order brides from Chicago to the West Coast. Though Buck spares the brides nothing in describing the hardships they're about to face, most of the ladies agree to undertake the journey. Starting out with 104 women, Buck leads the expedition through some of the most treacherous territory in the West. Several of the women die en route, killed off by the elements, Indian attacks, and sundry unexpected mishaps. Most of the male travellers likewise fall victim to disaster, save for Buck and his courageous Japanese cook Ito (Henry Nakamura). Even when the wagon train reaches its destination, the story is far, far from over. Though second-billed Denise Darcel is the most prominent of the women, the large cast generally works as an ensemble, with everyone pitching together for the common good, just as their real-life counterparts had done back in the 1850s. Throughout, the film abruptly (and effectively) switches moods, veering precipitously from raucous comedy to profound tragedy (some of the deaths occur so suddenly that they can still elicit gasps from the audience). An expertly assembled and reasonably realistic saga, Westward the Women is one story that needs to be told in black-and-white; the currently available colorized version should be avoided like the plague. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
An extremely unusual Western, especially given the time in which it was made, Westward the Women has a great deal going for it. Chief among its virtues is its story and the treatment of the female characters therein. The trek of mail order brides across an incredibly dangerous West is full of suspense, intrigue, humor, adventure and tragedy. And director William Wellman and screenwriter Charles Schnee do not pamper the women involved; they are unglamorized, called upon to get as dirty and tough as any men would do in a Western. They also are as prone to death and injury as any man would be in a similar film. This fascinatingly egalitarian treatment reveals the strength that actual pioneer women had to possess and pays fine tribute to them and their spirit. Wellman also utilizes his location shooting to very good effect, making the landscape a part of the story rather than just decoration. As the male leader of the troupe, Robert Taylor gives one of his finest performances, relishing the range that the role provides. He's supported by excellent work from a strong Hope Emerson, a sympathetic Renata Vanni, a spirited Lenore Lonergan and an amiable Henry Nakamura. Taylor's love interest, Denise Darcel, is only adequate, which does damage the film somewhat, especially in the second half; when Darcel and Taylor's relationship moves forward, the film is much less interesting. Still, Westward overcomes this flaw, offering the viewer several powerful scenes -- the attack, the birth, the climactic "prettification" -- that stick with the viewer and linger long after the movie is over. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
In 1851, Roy Whitman (John McIntire) decides to bring marriageable women west to his lonely men, hoping they will put down roots and settle in his California valley. Roy hires a skeptical trail boss, Buck Wyatt (Robert Taylor), to lead the wagon train.
In Chicago, Roy recruits 138 "good women". After telling them about his valley, he encourages them to pick their prospective mates from pictures he has tacked to a board. Two saloon girls, Fifi Danon (Denise Darcel) and Laurie Smith (Julie Bishop), hastily change their flashy clothes when others like them are rejected. Roy is not fooled by the disguise, but convinced of their sincere wish to reform, he adds them to the group.
During the journey, Buck shoots one of his men as punishment for raping Laurie. As a result, all but two of the trail hands desert the wagons in the middle of the night, taking eight of the women with them. This leaves only Ito (Henry Nakamura), the Japanese cook, and Jim Stacey (an uncredited Chubby Johnson), who has fallen in love with an already-pregnant Rose Meyers (Beverly Dennis). Buck, feeling he cannot continue without enough experienced hands, decides the group must turn back.
The women refuse to accept his decision. Roy believes that the women can learn to do "a man's job", so Buck starts training them. However, the only child in the group is accidentally shot by his own mother during shooting practice. Buck is forced to knock out the distraught woman, (Renata Vanni) when she refuses to leave her son's grave in the desert.
The women perform heroically, persevering through many hardships, including a stampede. An Indian attack kills Roy, Jim, and some of the women. Laurie drowns when a rainstorm overturns her wagon, trapping her inside. However, Fifi's bravery and determination begin to thaw out Buck's disapproval of women in general and of her in particular.
When the survivors finally reach their destination, the women balk at entering town where their prospective grooms are waiting - until Buck can bring them decent clothing and "pretty things" so that they can look presentable. The men of the valley gather together curtains, tablecloths, Indian blankets, any material they can find, for the women to make into new clothes.
The ladies then ride triumphantly into town and pair up with the men whose photographs they carried across country. The happy couples get in line before the preacher. Ito coaxes Fifi into convincing Buck to join the line to get married.
