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A Disappointing Continuation

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Copyright 6 September 1940 by Edward Small Productions, Inc. Released through United Artists. Presented by Edward Small. New York release at Loew's State: 14 November 1940. U.S. release: 30 August 1940. Australian release: 29 May 1941. Sydney release at the Plaza: 23 May 1941. U.S. length: 11 reels. 8,676 feet. 96 minutes. Australian length: 8,714 feet. 97 minutes.SYNOPSIS: Christopher "Kit" Carson (1809-1868) leads a wagon train through hostile Indian territory, encountering all the usual obstacles along the way.COMMENT: I don't know where Fenin and Everson get the idea that the Indians are sympathetically treated in this film. Certainly it's shown they are put up to their attacks by the Mexicans, but otherwise there's not a single hint that Indians are anything but savages.However, Fenin and Everson are right about the terrific Indian-attack action sequence in the middle of the film and the obvious running-out-of-money in the final reel where the action is truncated just as it begins to get under way. Fortunately, there's a nice bit of action at the beginning of the film and 2nd unit director Arthur Rosson has contrived some striking compositions of the wagon train moving slowly across the floor of Monument Valley.When it comes to the efforts of the main unit, the film is much less interesting. The soundtrack is over-cluttered with banal dialogue and director Seitz indulges the actors from static camera positions while they ham away mightily. This fault is aggravated not only by the extremely mundane and clichéd nature of all the talk, but by the uninteresting players who are doing all the gum-washing. Hall just rattles off his lines like a mechanical automaton, Miss Bari is likewise a talking doll, and the third member of the triangle, Dana Andrews is as customarily stiff as a post (even though this was but his third outing before the cameras). Bond, Huber and Hatton overact in their usual ripe fashion, while other character actors like Stanley Andrews and particularly Edwin Maxwell (who is seen merely in the background though he is portraying the famous Sutter of Sutter's Gold) have little to do. Charley (sic) Stevens gives his usual account of a villainous renegade and C. Henry Gordon soldiers away enthusiastically - but to little account as his lines have no point and are just so much padding.In many ways, Kit Carson is a typical Edward Small production which promises more than it delivers. The producer has an obvious liking for the period historical epic filmed on a somewhat constrained budget. This one could easily be re-edited down to a reasonably lively 60 minutes. But at its present length, with the narrative sagging so badly in the last half-hour - such a let-down after the splendid, vigorously-staged action in the middle of the film - it offers in sum little more than passable entertainment. 2nd unit direction and photography are impressive, but other credits (including Edward Ward's music score derived from Stephen Foster's "I Dream of Jeannie" et al) are no more than routinely competent.

Well they just don't make them like this anymore. I for one would enjoy new releases of this calibre of the western genre. The original western cowboy and the officer and a gentleman vying for the heart of the classy lady who is travelling across the prairies heading for California to re-unite with her wealthy cattle rancher father. The only problem is there are hundreds of Indians behind the tall hills who do not want the Americans settling on the land that they already are sharing with the Mexicans who also have aspirations of taking the beautiful state of California land as their own.The rugged frontiersman is a real life cowboy named Kit Carson (played by Jon Hall) who has teamed up with two of his best friends and loyal followers whose names appropriately are Ape (Ward Bond), and Lopez (Harold Huber). These three amigos agree to be the lead scouts for the wagon train that the unmarried damsel named Dolores Murphy (Lynn Bari) has secured their services for a wheel barrel full of cash. The wagon train also has a flank of American soldiers at their side led by Captain John C. Fremont (Dana Andrews).What is different about this western/romance is that the two alpha males who are vying for Ms. Murphy's affections act more like the courteous animated chipmunks Chip and Dale then two adversaries. Both are true gentlemen and only want Ms. Murphy to be happy with her choice for her future husband.This film is filled with action, light humor, cowboys and Indians, chivalry, romance and a pretty darn good ending for a black and white film released 78 years ago. I liked it a lot and I give it a sound 7 out of 10 rating.

Something tells me that there are a lot of facts missing from this story of Kit Carson, the Indian Scout who helped the army protect a wagon train across the wild west. With the tribe in cahoots with the Mexican government to prevent the wagon train to make it through (lead by evil Mexican general C. Henry Gordon), my eyebrows raised when the Indian leaders revealed that Kit was guilty of various crimes against native Americans, yet the film makes him out to be a hero. Of course, there is the obligatory romantic between Kit (Jon Hall), the beautiful Lynn Bari and Army officer Dana Andrews which dominates most of the movie when there aren't battle scenes with the Indians. In spite of the motivation of the Native Americans to attack the wagon trains, they are presented rather one dimensionally, manipulated by the stereotypical Mexicans who are mearly using them for their own agenda against the whites (to keep control of California), which made me ask, what made the settlers think they had the right to take over it anyway?In spite of those misgivings concerning this film, I still found it entertaining, and extremely well photographed with a depth of perception of the outdoor scenes usually flat in dimension in most westerns. I must add that I saw a computer colorized version of this film which was actually fine for the outdoor settings but not for the facial features of the actors who look like they are suffering from jaundice.

Rousing, action packed tale of the taking of California from the Mexican Government. While historically inaccurate, the cast and direction move things along in a pleasant manner, with lotsa Indians and gunfire. It's a good thing that Andrews wears a moustache since he and Hall are almost twins.