MovieChat Forums > Bend of the River (1952) Discussion > ...anyone else notice?

...anyone else notice?

posted 16 years ago by trf100
6 replies | jump to latest

1. Does anyone else think it odd that the Portland saloon/hotel owner/manager (a man of some prominence in town) gets shot and killed in his own establishment and no Portland citizen or law enforcement official investigates or even questions the killer(s) and/or witnesses? Stewart, Hudson and Kennedy, who are all strangers in town; just ‘mozy on out into the street and walk over to the riverboat all casual like, no hurry…

2. What was Rock Hudson’s self-centered and mercenary professional gambler character’s motivation for gunning in with Stewart & Kennedy during the donnie brook at big boss’ Tom Hendricks’ place??? He had a good and easy job doing what he loved; gambling and being a ‘playa with the ladies. I remember thinking, “WTH is HE doing?!”

3. And, how did a dozen or so fully laden prairie-wagons and their four-horse teams and all the settler’s extra provisions AND that small herd ‘o cattle fit onto that fairly small-appearing riverboat? Come to think of it how could a Mississippi riverboat make it to an Oregon river? Think Chubby Johnson & Fetchit dragged it across the prairie and over the Rockies to Oregon? That’s some feat!!

Overall, I enjoy this movie very much. It’s just those few oddities that made me go, “Huh??” Am I the only one to notice these?

***Love seeing a young Colonel Potter (Harry Morgan) in action. I expect him to shout out, “RADAR!!” any minute. LOL

[–] oldmarine_usa 16 years ago

Obviously you’re not from around these parts pilgrim.

First off Portland didn’t have the Metro Police Dept like they do now, in fact it was a very and I mean very unruly town. It’s population boomed with the many Oregon gold discoveries of the time this movie was to have taken place in. Considering that Portland was the Hub of the Shang-hi cowboys for sailor activity. That shootings and killings were common place.

Secondly the Rock Hudson question well I think it is called SCRIPTING… He was a big name and up and coming at the time, to they had to work him in somehow.

Thirdly, the Columbia actually had DOZENS of river boats and they may look small and only look small, these things were HUGE and built on sight. Not all were made for transportation of soft footed city folk like these days. In fact a few still float the river to this day. But I am glad to hear that no one with education or know how ever cam across the trail and Oregon must have been built up by a bunch of witless idiots.

So I guess the point of all this is…. If you’re going to post questions about things you have no clue about, go to the library and read some books. You know them things with paper and words in them. And I will bet you a dollar to your dime you can’t pronounce the name of this state correctly either.

[–] acw3 16 years ago

well, it's only a movie..

these two films did confuse me, as they have several points in common:
jimmy stewart and his character's past haunting him;
jay c. flippen;
harry morgan;
steamboats;
cattle;
people relying on payload for food;
imminent freezing weather;
"wide-open" frontier towns;
local corruption--
is there more?

"Everyone has the right to be heard; noone has the right to be taken seriously."

[–] urish 13 years ago

When the Captain says "We should have never left the Mississippi" and when he talks or returning and steaming from Natchez to Mobile and on down to New Orleans, etc.---he doesn't say they did it or will do it in that exact boat.

[–] chipe 13 years ago

re: >>>>>>> 2. What was Rock Hudson’s self-centered and mercenary professional gambler character’s motivation for gunning in with Stewart & Kennedy during the donnie brook at big boss’ Tom Hendricks’ place??? <<<<<<<

Two possible motivations:
(1) He was romantically interested in Julie Adams' sister, Marjie Baile (played by Lori Nelson). So he'd be ripe for leaving and joining the girl in Oregon.
(2) He could have been sick and tired of the corruption, etc., of saloon life, and took it as an opportunity to move on.

[–] lotsofwordz 11 years ago

Did you actually watch the same film?
They did not 'mozy on out into the street and walk over to the riverboat all casual like'.

And check an atlas:
Mississippi -> Missouri -> Oregon doesn't involve dragging across any 'prairies.

[–] Wuchak (8833) 7 years ago

"And check an atlas:
Mississippi -> Missouri -> Oregon doesn't involve dragging across any 'prairies."

1. There IS a huge prairie between the Mississippi River -- which flows north to south -- and Oregon, not to mention the Rocky Mountains.
2. The Missouri-Mississippi River flows into the Gulf of Mexico whereas the Columbia River (in the film) flows into the Pacific, so a river boat in the Missouri River would HAVE to traverse land at some point to get into the Columbia River, which was a good thousand miles or so.