Canyon Passage
Directed by Jacques Tourneur
Written by Ernest Pascal from the novel by Ernest Haycox
1946/USA
Universal Pictures
First viewing/Netflix video
Logan Stuart: A man can choose his own gods, Cornelius. What are your gods?
I was expecting a bit more from this Jacques Tourneur-helmed Western. It’s perfectly serviceable, though.
Logan Stuart (Dana Andrews) is a business man in frontier Oregon. His loyalty to friend George Camrose (Brian Donlevy) seemingly knows no bounds. It extends even to covering the compulsive gambler’s debts for him. It is obvious that Camrose’s girlfriend Lucy (Susan Hayward) is actually carrying a torch for Logan. Logan, however, opts to propose to another, more conventional, farm girl.
The story is composed of elements that did not exactly hang together well for me. Along with the love triangle, we get an epic brawl with bad guy Honey Bragg (Ward Bond), an Indian attack, and a lynch mob organized by townsman Johnny Steele (Lloyd Bridges) against George Camrose. With Hoagy Carmichael providing homespun wisdom and a song or two.
I don’t have much to say about this movie. It was nothing remarkable but Western lovers could certainly do much worse.
Hoagy Carmichael and Jack Brooks were nominated for Best Music, Original Song for “Ole Buttermilk Sky”.
Clip – Final scene with “Ole Buttermilk Sky”
