MovieChat Forums > Dodge City (1939) Discussion > The Western With Almost Everything

The Western With Almost Everything


I just watched this for the first time and really enjoyed it. As I watched it I started thinking that it had almost every element that is typical of a Hollywood western. Then I watched the brief documentary about it and many of the talking heads were saying the same thing. Here's a list I made as I watched the film:

-There's a train
-a stagecoach (racing the train)
-a cattle drive (that is also a wagon train since there are settlers along)
-a stampede which kills someone
-a saloon brawl
-dancehall girls
-an evil gang of bad guys running the town
-a "new sheriff" in town
-a school marm (who falls for the new sheriff)
-two lynch mobs
-a crusading newspaperman
-a poker game
-a climatic shootout (on a burning train)
-herds of buffalo
-an appearance by actor Ward Bond (who was in many Westerns in the 40's and 50's)

About the only elements "Dodge City" is missing are:

-a fight with indians
-fights between ranchers and farmers

"Push the button, Max!"

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How about men leaping from train to horses and also horses to trains? The stunt work is great. When the bad guys all leap from the train onto horses at the end I found myself almost rooting for them to get away because it was such a great feat.

The earlier stunt work where Errol Flynn has to stop a runaway team of horses is also beautiful. That stunt man was amazing. It was all so real.

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Who played the school marm?

"It ain't dying I'm talking about, it's LIVING!"
Captain Augustus McCrae

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[deleted]

flutterby6:

If you check out what I regard as Flynn's best oater San Antonio (1945) (see my review), it could even cure your unAmerican aversion to westerns. It is a good one for people who think they don't like westerns and charming to diehard fans of the genre as well. Alexis Smith liked Flynn, too!

He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good... St. Matthew 5:45

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[deleted]

No need to get so huffy. Didn't mean to offend you. My sincere apologies.

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He maketh His sun to rise on the evil and on the good... St. Matthew 5:45

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[deleted]