JLRVancouver A couple of horse traders end up shepherding a group of Mormon homesteaders (and an errant "hoochie coochie show") across the desert to the San Juan River in Utah but trouble starts when they are joined by a gang of murderous bank robbers on the run from a posse. Unusual for a John Ford western, there is no 'big name star' (like Wayne or Fonda); the cast is primarily made of Ford's regular stock company. Ben Johnson is excellent as the affable and easy-going Travis Blue, as is Harry Carey, Jr. as Blue's younger, more emotive, sidekick Sandy Owens, and Ward Bond has fun with his role as a blustering but (barely) reformed sinner who has found Mormonism. The 'bad guys' are also excellent, with Charles Kemper as menacingly avuncular Shiloh Clegg and a hulking James Arness, Fred Libby and Mickey Simpson as his murderous nephews Floyd, Reese and Jesse. The fifth member of the gang, Luke, is played by Hank Worden as frighteningly 'off-kilter' and almost childlike (Wordon played the memorable "Mose" in Ford's masterpiece, "The Searchers", 1956). The film moves at a leisurely pace with more focus on the characters than on action and avoids (or disrupts) many of the standard Western elements, especially the pre-eminence of 'the gun'. The emphasis on pacifism (the Mormons are unarmed and neither of the 'heroes' are notable gunman) is unusual for the genre. Even the encounter with plains Indians is peaceful (the Navajo's preference for Mormons over 'white-men' in general is priceless). As always, Ford's Monument Valley cinematography is outstanding, and combined with a good story, excellent acting (especially by Johnson), fine horse work, and memorable characters, makes this one of Ford's best Westerns.

wes-connors In the American West of the 1800s, horse-trader Ben Johnson (as Travis) and his young companion Harry Carey Jr. (as Sandy) are asked to do the Lord's work. Attracted by women, wages and adventure, they agree to lead boisterous Ward Bond (as Elder) and his community of Mormons to Utah. Along the way, Mr. Johnson is attracted to provocative Joanne Dru (as Denver) while Mr. Carey gets a hankerin' for proper Kathleen O'Malley (as Prudence). Before reaching their destination, the travelers are threatened by Outlaws and Indians...This should have been called "Wagon Train" rather than "Wagon Master" - but title legalities won in the long run as the popular television series received the appropriate title. Though not officially a spin-off, the "Wagon Train" TV show seems inspired by this western. On television, Mr. Bond took over Johnson's role as the "Wagon Master". What this film possesses, in abundance, is superb work by John Ford and company. The direction and soundtrack are especially strong. It's very posed, very staged - but in the manner of dreamy poetry.******** Wagon Master (4/19/50) John Ford ~ Ben Johnson, Harry Carey Jr., Ward Bond, Joanne Dru

disdressed12 although i liked this Western,i do have to say,it's not one of my favourite John Ford Westerns.for me,it just lacks a certain something that most of his other films(the ones i have seen anyway)possess)i'm nit sure what that something is.it's not something tangible.anyway,the gist of the story is about a Mormon wagon train which is being used by a band of outlaws as a hideout from a pursuing posse.Ford employs a lot of his regulars here.there are some interesting characters,some nice scenery,a bit of action,and excitement.it all adds up to a watchable experience.it's certainly not boring.just not quite up to the usual John Ford standard.for me,Wagon Master is a 7/10

MartinHafer This film is about two horse traders who agree to escort a small group of Mormons across the desert. Along the way, they encounter a murderous family of thugs who menace the peaceful folks and put their pilgrimage in jeopardy.WAGON MASTER is what I would term a "little" John Ford film, as it obviously did not have the budget or scope of some of his other Westerns. In particular, this film lacks the big-name stars like John Wayne but allows some of the usual supporting characters to take center stage. Long-time Ford stock character actors Ben Johnson, Harry Carey, Jr. and Ward Bond have been elevated to starring roles and perhaps the one who came of as "the" lead was probably Johnson--though the other two got nearly as much screen time and focus. This is not a bad thing, as the film worked just fine without the big star--and is well worth seeing.Now this isn't to say I loved the movie. It was very good but certainly not perfect. In particular, as far as the music goes, you'll probably either love it or hate it. I found the Sons of the Pioneers' music a bit schmaltzy at times. It did evoke a nice mood, but seemed to occasionally dominate the scenes. I think a little would have worked much better. Plus, with their incessant singing in the background, I kept expecting Roy Rogers to pop out at any moment. Another minor problem is that the plot was amazingly simple and the ending was pretty much a foregone conclusion.However, and I am glad to say there is a 'however', despite this being rather formulaic and sentimental, the film still worked well. This was primarily due to John Ford's nice, as usual, direction as well as Ben Johnson's exceptional performance. He was able to provide an excellent anchor for the film. Another plus for me is that I saw this in the same week as BRIGHAM YOUNG, another film about the Mormon migration. While BRIGHAM YOUNG was a bit silly and overly "saintly" in its portrayals, here the Mormons were less "perfect" and more like real people--with foibles and personalities. Oh, and speaking of BRIGHAM YOUNG, it seems as if Jane Darwell was the 'go to' girl for Mormon-themed films during this era, as she was a major supporting character in both films. Considering that she died in BRIGHAM YOUNG and it was set about 20 years before WAGON MASTER, this is some stunt!Also, if you'd like to catch a glimpse of the famous Jim Thorpe, he's in a tiny role where he plays the impassive Indian dancing next to Jane Darwell around the camp fire.