Bend of the River (1952)

Director:

Anthony Mann

Writers:

Borden Chase (screenplay)
William Gulick (novel)

Release Date:

13 February 1952 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

The greatness...the glory...the fury...of the Northwest Frontier!

Plot:

Two men with questionable pasts, Glyn McLyntock and his friend Cole, lead a wagon-train load of homesteaders from Missouri to the Oregon territory...

Plot Keywords:

Settlers | Wagon Train | Farm | Loading Dock | Steam Boat

US TV Schedule:

Sat. Jan. 2

10:00 AM

AMC

Cast

James Stewart	...	Glyn McLyntock
Arthur Kennedy	...	Emerson Cole
Rock Hudson	...	Trey Wilson
Jay C. Flippen	...	Jeremy Baile
Julie Adams	...	Laura Baile (as Julia Adams)
Lori Nelson	...	Marjie Baile
Chubby Johnson	...	Cap'n Mello
Stepin Fetchit	...	Adam (as Stepin' Fetchit)
Harry Morgan	...	Shorty (as Henry Morgan)
Howard Petrie	...	Tom Hendricks
Frances Bavier	...	Mrs. Prentiss
Jack Lambert	...	Red
Royal Dano	...	Long Tom
Frank Chase	...	Wasco
Cliff Lyons	...	Willie

Also Known As:

Bend of the Snake (USA) (working title)
Where the River Bends (UK)

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

UK:PG | West Germany:0 (nf) | Australia:PG | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #15601)

Filming Locations:

Mount Hood, Oregon, USA

Company:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Trivia:

Though the film received generally poor reviews, it is noteworthy as marking a turning point in James Stewart's career as he began to play much more violent, cynical and ruthless characters.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: At the base of Mt Hood, the settlers are attacked by a band of Indians that the trail guide declares are Shoshone. Although there were Shoshone (Paiute) tribes in southeast Oregon, Mt Hood is in north central Oregon along the Washington border - too far to the northwest to have been on any Shoshone ground.

Quotes:

Jeremy Baile: I don't like that man Cole.
Glyn McLyntock: Why not?
Jeremy Baile: I heard Grundy say he was a raider on the Missouri border.
Glyn McLyntock: Well, lots of people used to raid along the border.
Jeremy Baile: That kind can't change. When an apple's rotten, there's nothing you can do except throw it away or it will spoil the whole barrel.
Glyn McLyntock: Well, there's a difference between men and apples.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Sometimes a Great Notion (1970)

Another good Stewart western

The Stewart-Mann series of '50s western are the best. DVD review.

James Stewart attempts to bring food supplies up river to a settlement but his helpers turn against him.

This movie is divided into two parts: the first being the introduction of the characters leading up to the river journey, the second is the usual vengeance theme as Stewart goes in pursuit of the men who have crossed him. Unlike the previous Winchester '73 BOTR is in glorious colour and features some awesome cinematography. The mountain and river looked spectacular. Hudson has a bigger role than in Winchester '73.

Bend Of The River is probably the weakest in the Stewart-Mann western series but is still a fine movie.