Jon Hall had acted in a minor role in a Republic B western with John Wayne, but this was his first starring role in an A-budget Western following his debut in John Ford’s THE HURRICANE. He is good at handling stories set in the open, and he would make many more pictures in this genre during the years that followed. Even though he was not Small’s first choice, he does fit the part of KIT CARSON very well.
The first time we see our handsome scout, he’s out on the range with a friend (Ward Bond) and fighting against the Shoshones. The natives have guns, which catches them by surprise. After the brief skirmish finishes, they set out to a nearby fort where they encounter an army captain (Dana Andrews) and a wagon train person (Clayton Moore) heading to California.
The wagon folks are trailing behind the captain and his men. They know about Hall’s stories and intend to enlist him to guide them through the desert to the promised land.
This closely resembles the grave setup Paramount has with CALIFORNIA where Ray Milland supposedly is set up to be the leader of a group that would pioneer towards the coast. A key difference is the primary woman character (Lynn Bari) is not a saloon girl, but rather a landowner’s daughter from Monterey, which is on the coast of California. On her way to her father’s hacienda, her charm changes Hall’s mind to reluctantly accept the assignment that Moore offered him after he had previously said no to it.
While they travel across inhospitable lands, there’s much more conflict between Hall and Andrews about how they should manage the natives. The significant difference here is Andrews has government bureaucrats to answer to back east whereas Hall and Bond can do as they please after a little major contemplation. It’s Hall’s resolve that ensures the safety of travelers a mid a crisis.
The interplay of the three main leads does not require a great deal of screen life. The filmmakers concern themselves not with focus on the pillars of character development, but rather the climactic action scenes that happen to be the central focus of the film. As soon as the warrior dies via firing squad Andrews and his men briskly set off along yet another trail and are set upon by a fresh batch of hostile natives.
The Shoshone Warrior is relatively simple. He is captured and straightforwardly reveals that his guns were a gift from Mexican General Castro C. Henry Gordon. Castro employs the Indians for the express purpose of halting white settlers from California which he wishes to dominate. As the General states, I place them in reserve until I need them or decide when the white settlers would make an acceptable target. There is an exceptionally shocking death scene in which Andrews gives the order to his soldiers to murder the cold blood of the Shoshone warrior. Aside from the simple fact that he gets executed and is portrayed in a way to further the sympathies for Hall, his title character.
And, of course, Hall saves them with heroic intent, but only after Moore’s character has met his demise. Some of these outdoor battles are adroitly choreographed. You can just picture how much food must have been catered on this set for the lead actors and a plethora of extras to keep going.
Following the grand fighting scene located almost in the middle of the film, we jump forward to the wagon caravan coming into California. Shortly later, there is a celebratory gathering at Bari’s father’s house. However, Hall and Bond slip out because Hall is antsy, and doesn’t antsy to settle. First, he heads up north to see some traps, but then he encounters a general (Lew Merrill) who is ready to sell Castro out. He people and then Men about some other slaughter that’s just about ready to take place.
The next large action set piece deals with California’s struggle for independence from Mexico and California’s self-declaration as an independent republic. In Bond’s last scene, he kills himself by detonating dynamite which he uses a couple of scenes before in an attempt to fend off the Mexicans. This act allows Andrews’ men and Hall to win the battle. The battle scenes are performed convincingly once again. The reason for my choosing this climax and not the other climaxes of the movie is that it is unusually shocking and as well as memorable as all films attempt to achieve.
Then, the survivors rejoice California’s liberation from Mexican opperssion. At this point, the audience is lead to believe that the happy ending is imminent, but there is still the unresolved aspect of the main triangle. Bari, does not love Andrews, who wishes to marry her and in turn, convinces Hall to try out pursuing his feelings for Bari.
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