Brilliant and touching

Absolutely Fantastic

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Frequently used story gets a good presentation here in "West of the Divide," and the excellent cast helps ensure high quality.Young John Wayne and grizzled George Hayes start with what I learned in college theater-history classes was called a "feather-duster" scene, where characters -- such as a maid, with a feather-duster -- tell the background of the story, today called "the back story." It's kinda corny, but isn't too damaging.Probably even in 1934 what was about to happen was predictable, but, before that predictable ending, enough happens in between it should hold the viewer's interest. It held mine.When the hero meets the leading lady, there is no poor-writing instant romance. In fact, there is no real contact. It's an unusual boy-meets-girl.That girl is Virginia Faire Brown, who is shown with 74 credits, although she never rose to be a major player and certainly not a star. But she is very attractive, even elegant, with an unusual dark-haired beauty.Her character's father is played by the veteran Lafe McKee. The sheriff is by that veteran, and very talented actor, who didn't, alas, often enough get to show just how good an actor he was, Earl Dwire.Chief bad guy is played by "Loyd Whitlock," who is usually known as Lloyd Whitlock, a very busy man with more than 200 credits!OK, good story, great cast ably performing, lots of riding scenes, and a no-music-track realism that should keep you pinned to your seat. And if you want to see it, there's a good print at YouTube.

. . . is borne out once again in WEST OF THE DIVIDE. What DOES this title mean? On most any map, West is to the Left--that is, it's on the Sinister Side. Clearly, it's Wayne's "Ted" character who's standing WEST OF THE DIVIDE here, in full alignment with the Forces of Evil (namely, his father's murderer, Squire Gentry). Wayne easily slips into the role of "Gat Ganns," a notorious assassin-for-hire, facing the Hangman's Noose. Though Wayne's Real Life defection to the Dark Side was still a decade away, his penchant for Jekyll and Hyde movie roles during the 1930s is as much an indicator of future behavior as Middle Schooler Omar cheering for the hijackers on 9-11. Preachers discourage us from Playing with Hellfire, as Wayne does in WEST OF THE DIVIDE and most of his other early flicks. When Damien fatally runs down his Mommy with his tricycle in the original OMEN, it's hard not to think of the baby-faced Wayne in a picture such as DIVIDE, cutting his teeth for the deviltry to come in THE ALAMO, RIO BRAVO, and CHISUM. (Perhaps the inevitable "666" birthmark is the reason Wayne never appears shaven-headed in a movie.)

It appears a little more thought than usual went into this Lone Star Western, as the story line is fairly consistent and director Robert North Bradbury throws in a few elements I haven't seen yet after watching almost all of them. Wayne's character is Ted Hayden, who takes on the guise of wanted murderer Gat Ganns when it might help him get the goods on bad guy Gentry (Lloyd Whitlock). George Hayes, not yet known as Gabby, teams up with Wayne to outwit the baddies and save the day for the Winters (Lafe McKee and Virginia Faire Brown).It struck me that Wayne's appearance in the film bears some resemblance to another cowboy star, Hopalong Cassidy. His character wears all black, including the tall cowboy hat, and he rides a white horse in the story. Of course, Hoppy teamed with Gabby to round out that connection as well.The story itself is fairly formulaic, bad guy Gentry wants the Winters ranch and they aren't selling. Stealing their money and their cattle, and getting rid of Mr. Winters all sounds pretty familiar, with Gentry hiring the phony Ganns to help pull it off. Then he plans to eliminate Ganns as well, by killing him and claiming the reward money. Needless to say, the good guys figure it all out, and the payoff is a beaut. As Gentry staggers out of a cabin following a fight with Hayden, his own men gun him down by mistake - OOPS! Yakima Canutt performs some of the daring stunts he's known for, one involves bringing two buckboard horses to a halt after they've broken away from their rig, with Yak riding the hitch like a pair of water skis. There's a wilder one though, when as Hayden, he dives off his horse and through the window of a cabin in pursuit of Gentry. It's one of the better stunts you'll see Yak perform in this or any movie.Typically, John Wayne gets the girl at the end of the picture, but it's not surprising. Earlier in the story, his character Hayden remarks to Gentry - "...I'll stay at the Winters place tonight, I got a few things I want to pick up". The difference this time out though, the film doesn't end in a clinch between the new couple. Instead, they chase down young Jim Hayden after he embarrasses big brother and Fay into a match up.For trivia fans, you might want to keep that 'Wanted' poster for Gat Ganns in mind if you look up some more of Wayne's Lone Star films. It appears again tacked to a cabin wall in a scene from "The Trail Beyond". Even in the Thirties they found ways to economize.

I bought this film because a book I read stated that it was the firstfilm that was important in the development of the "Gabby" (George)Hayes character who was so enjoyable in the Hopalong Cassidy &Roy Rogers (& others) films of the 1930s & 1940s. Hayes hereplays a character named "Dusty." He has a scruffy, grizzled look,but doesn't yet have the beard that came later. Hayes has thesame voice & intonation as he used later, but engages in none ofthe comedic antics that where such a big part of his "Gabby"character. Is it a coincidence that John Wayne rides a white horse,wears a big 10 gallon black hat & black shirt, & has the samesidekick as Hopalong Cassidy did, all two years before Hoppy gotstarted in the movies? The Hopalong Cassidy movie characterseems to bear more resemblance to John Wayne in this moviethan he does to the Hoppy character as portrayed in the ClarenceMulford books! Blooper: John Wayne's kid brother calls him "Dad"in one scene! This is an enjoyable film, especially if you like GabbyHayes. What ruined it for me was a new soundtrack (basically,swirling organ music) that was unnecessary & detracted from themovie. I have the SONY release, copyrighted 1985 by Fox/Lorber,so beware of that version if you like your old movies to beunadulterated, as I do.