Bend of the River (1952)

Bend of the River
Directed by Anthony Mann
Written by Borden Chase from a novel by William Gulik
1952/USA
Universal International Pictures
Repeat viewing/Netflix rental

[box] Shorty: The law won’t let you get away with this.

Glyn McLyntock: What law?[/box]

Bend of the River is an OK Anthony Mann Western with James Stewart in bad ass mode.

Glyn McLyntock (Stewart) is riding shotgun for a wagon train which is taking settlers West to farmland in Oregon. When the train reaches Portland, he arranges and pays for food and supplies to be delivered to the farmers before winter sets in.  On a scouting foray, he happens upon a group of angry ranchers who are attempting to hang a man.  Glyn halts proceedings at gunpoint.  The man, Emerson Cole (Arthur Kennedy), recognizes Glyn as a former fellow Missouri border raider, a notorious gang engaged in a kind of guerrilla action prior to the American Civil War. He joins the wagon train heading east after he gets a look at Laura (Julie Adams) the pretty daughter of the leader of the settlers Jeremy Bale (Jay C. Flippen)

Laura is wounded in an Indian attack and she and Cole remain behind in Portland.  The wagon train goes on and reaches a fertile valley among the mountains of Oregon.  Time passes and the supplies do not arrive.  Glyn and Jeremy ride into Portland.  There they find that a gold strike has increased the price of their supplies ten-fold. The supplier is now unwilling to let them go.  Emerson and Laura are in love and both work for a gambling joint frequented by city slicker Trey Wilson (Rock Hudson).  Glyn strong arms some men into loading up the waiting ferry  and makes off with the goods.  Cole, Laura and Trey join up with Glyn and Jeremy.

The rest of the film deals with the good guys’ continuous fight with the supplier and traitors in their own camp who attempt to steal the goods back and divert them to the gold camps for a profit. With Harry Morgan as one of the bad guys and, believe it or not, a surprise appearance by Stepin Fetchit.

This is a perfectly serviceable Western.  The best part for me was the scenery of the Cascade Mountains.  So many Westerns focus on the Southwest that it is nice to be reminded that the Northwest was being settled at the same time.  Jimmy Stewart and Arthur Kennedy make worthy adversaries.

I could not believe my eyes when I saw Stepin Fetchin shuffling along behind the ferry boat owner.  Some things take a long, long time to change.

Trailer