Western Union

"Western Union" is something of a forgotten classic western! Perhaps the reason for this lies in the fact of its unavailability on DVD in the United States. However, all is not lost as it has now appeared on Region 2 in England. This - being a blessing in some ways - is not only incongruous but totally ironic when one considers that a movie depicting the founding and establishment of such a uniquely American organization as The Western Union Telegraph Company is without a Region 1 release. It beggars belief! It simply doesn't make sense!

Produced by Fox in 1941 "Western Union" was directed by Fritz Lang. This was only the second occasion the great German director undertook to direct a western! He had done an excellent job the year before with Fox's "The Return Of Frank James" and would have only one more western outing in 1952 with the splendid "Rancho Notorious". Lang was no Ford or Hawks but with "Western Union" he turned in a fine solid western that holds up very well. Beautifully photographed in early three strip Technicolor by Edward Cronjager it boasted a good cast headed by Robert Young, Randolph Scott and Dean Jagger. The female lead is taken by Virginia Gilmore who really has little to do in the picture. An actress who never made anything of her career. Her presence here is merely cosmetic.

It is curious that Robert Young has top billing over Scott! It is clearly Scott's picture from the very beginning when we first see him in the film's terrific opening scene being chased by a posse across the plains. Young doesn't have much to do throughout the movie and seems out of place in a western. He just looks plain silly going up against Barton McLane in a gunfight! An actor who never really distinguished himself - except perhaps with "Crossfire" (1947)- Young appeared in a string of forgettable romantic comedies in the forties and fifties culminating with his greatest success when for seven years he was TV's "Marcus Welby MD" in the seventies. He died in 1998 at the age of 91.

"Western Union" recounts the connection by telegraph wire of Omaha and Salt Lake City. Scott plays a reformed outlaw hired by Western Union boss Dean Jagger to protect the line from marauding Sioux and to also take on McLane and his gang who are trying to destroy the line for their own devious ends. Robert Young is the young engineer from back east who joins the company and vies with Scott for the affections of Miss Gilmore. Some comic relief is provided by - and irritatingly so some would say - by Slim Summerville and John Carradine turns up in a meager role as the company doctor.

Altogether though a spanking good western, albeit on Region 2, but in sparkling good quality that fans will be delighted with. My only crib is that there are no extras, not even a trailer and that terrible cover with those dull graphics. UGH!

Footnote: Interestingly the associate producer on "Western Union" was Harry Joe Brown who later with Randolph Scott would create a partnership that would produce some of Scott's finest westerns in the fifties.

Hard to believe this was directed by Fritz Lang since he mostly directed crime dramas and mysteries. This movie has a cast that includes Robert Young, Randolph Scott, Dean Jagger and John Carradine. Scott plays an outlaw who tries to go straight and leave his old gang and winds up saving Jagger's life. Jagger works for Western Union, a telegraph company that plans to have telegraphs out west. Jagger hires a lot of men to make sure it is done because they have to worry about Indian attacks and bandits. Scott is in charge of the men and Young is a telegraph expert who can't shoot a gun but can ride. Scott meets up with his old gang who want to stop them but Scott can't tell anyone. It's a pretty good western and Lang should of directed some more westerns.

While escaping from a heist of a bank, the outlaw Vance Shaw (Randolph Scott) helps Edward Creighton (Dean Jagger), the chief-engineer of the Western Union that is surveying the Wild West and had had an accident with a horse. In 1861, Vance regenerates and is hired to work for the Western Union with the team that is installing the poles and cable from Omaha to Salt Lake City. Vance and the engineer from Harvard Richard Blake (Robert Young) flirt with the gorgeous Edward's sister Sue Creighton (Virginia Gilmore) and she chooses Vance. However, his past haunts him when the outlaw Jack Slade (Barton MacLane) steals the Western Union cattle disguised of Indians.

"Western Union" is a good but predictable western directed by Fritz Lang. The story shows the difficulties of the brave and idealistic men responsible for installing the telegraph through the West, facing thieves and Indians. The entertaining story has action, drama, romance and funny situations, but with the exception of the identity of Jack Slade, there is no surprise in the story. Randolph Scott gives another magnificent performance with a great cast. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Os Conquistadores" ("The Conquerors")

This movie is so cute! Marketed as a western that chronicles the advent of the Western Union telegraph office and telephone lines, it doesn't exactly scream cute, but it is. Randolph Scott provides enough eye candy to turn any movie cute, but it's not just he who turns the film into an educational western into a feisty, flirty comedy-it's Robert Young, too.

Prior to this movie, I'd been known to not particularly like Robert Young, but this was one of the first to make me really change my mind about him. He's so adorable in this movie! Virginia Gilmore is the love interest, and while a young Dean Jagger is crossed off the list due to his brotherly relationship, she has to choose between Scottie and Robert. When Scottie comes in the picture, he's impossible to resist. He's handsome, he knows how to ride a horse-thanks to his WWI service days-and he's got a shady past. In short, he's a cow-bad-boy with an authentic Southern accent.

Then, Robert shows up. He's a total dandy, but absolutely adorable. He's smart, charming, and puts the fun in sarcasm. In his first scene, he meets Virginia and she taps out a message in Morse code in the telegraph office to her coworkers making fun of the well-dressed gentleman. Robert merely smirks and, completely devoid of smugness, corrects her spelling. "I don't know what you're talking about," she sniffs indignantly. "Yeah, but I know what you're talking about," he smiles. He's irresistible, too!

In my favorite scene, Robert pays a call on Virginia late in the evening. Scott has beaten him to the office, so he's not allowed any romantic time with her. She ends up sending them both away, and laughing, they realize-alongside the audience-that they can't help but like each other even though they're rivals. It's really impossible to choose between them.

A spectacular and mighty adventure during the Civil War when America's destiny rode in the saddle bags of adventurers and hard-working laborers installing the poles and cable . The ¨Western Union¨ feats were similarly developed to ¨Pony Express¨ that was a mail service delivering messages , newspapers , mail , and small packages from St. Joseph , Missouri , across the Great Plains , over the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada to Sacramento , California , by horseback , and hardy riders , using a series of relay stations and it reduced the time for messages . It became from April 3 , 1860, to October 1861 , the West's most direct means of east–west communication before the telegraph was established and being vital for tying the new state of California with the rest of the United States . Later on , ¨Pony Express¨ was replaced by the telegraph , and ¨Western Union¨ quickly became romanticized and became part of the lore of the American West . ¨Pony Express¨ , stagecoach and freight company ¨Wells Fargo¨ provided secure US mail service until the construction of telegraph lines proceeded by ¨Western Union¨. It was seen as evidence of rugged American individualism of the Frontier times . This movie concerns Vance Shaw (Randolph Scott) gives up outlawing , he meets Edward Creighton (Dean Jagger) who leads the construction of the Western Union to unite East with West ; the latter hires Vance and a tenderfoot Eastern surveyor as well as engineer from Harvard , Richard Blake (Robert Young) . Both of whom become romantically involved with the Edward's sister (Viginia Gilmore) . Meanwhile , some outlaws (Barton MacLane) attempting to prevent the company connecting the line and robbing the Western Union cattle masked of Indians Ogalaya .

This traditional Western of the founding of telegraph routes westward contains thrills , rousing action , frontier adventure , shootouts , Indian attacks and exuberant outdoors . This vintage epic Western turns out to be a throughly entertaining picture that will appeal to Western fans . Big budget Western by Darryl F Zanuck's 20th Century Fox , and even studio publicity noted that Fox contract star Henry Fonda -though uncredited- had served as technical adviser on the film, due to his experience as a young man working as a lineman . Dealing with the political machinations and fights that accompanied the construction of the glamorous ¨Western Union¨ route from Omaha , Nebraska , to Salt Lake City , Utah , in which brave riders battling hostile Indians , cutthroats attempting on robbing , firing , astute bandits and many other things . Screenwriter Robert Carson utilized the title , but not the screenplay , of a Zane Grey novel . The main protagonists result to known players , such as Randolph Scott as a Western reformed outlaw , Robert Young as an obstinate surveyor and Dean Jagger as manager . Support cast is frankly magnificent , such as : John Carradine , Chill Wills , Barton MacLane , Slim Summerville , Charles Middleton and the ordinary Indians : Chief John Big Tree , Chief Thundercloud , Iron Eyes Cody , Jay Silverheels .

The film displays a brilliant cinematography by expert cameraman Edward Cronjager in rich Technicolor . In addition , thrilling and evocative musical score by David Buttolph . The motion picture produced by Harry Joe Brown and Darryl F Zanuck was compellingly directed by Fritz Lang and with great enthusiasm . This was Lang's second Western , following his favorite ¨The return of Frank James¨ . The German Fritz showed himself a master of the most American of genres , yet made only one more Western : ¨Rancho Notorious¨. As Lang directed masterfully all kind of genres as Noir cinema as ¨Big heat¨ , ¨Scarlet Street¨ and ¨Beyond a reasonable doubt¨ , Epic as ¨Nibelungs¨, suspense as ¨Secret beyond the door¨ , ¨Clash by night¨ and Lang's trilogy about Nazi time as ¨Cloak and dagger¨, ¨Man hunt¨ and ¨Hangmen also die¨, and of course , Sci-Fi with the classic ¨Metropolis¨. Rating Western Union : Better than average . Well worth watching .