Art & Entertaiment
After many miles, Wagon Master arrives on DVD
by DAVID HOFSTEDE
Most of the classic Hollywood westerns have been available on DVD for years, but there are still a few titles missing that are essential to make any collection complete. One of them, John Ford's Wagon Master (1950), was recently released from Warner Home Video.
The story, written by Ford's son Patrick and Frank S. Nugent - and based on a story by John Ford himself - follows a Mormon wagon train led by Elder Wiggs (Ward Bond) bound for Utah. Along the way the travelers are joined by two horse traders, played by Ben Johnson and Harry Carey Jr., and menaced by a family of outlaws on the run. With John Wayne absent from his customary place as head of the director's famed "stock company," Wagon Master promoted the group's supporting actors into lead roles, and they carry the film splendidly. The movie also features Joanne Dru, a musical score performed by the Sons of the Pioneers, and the extraordinary Utah scenery that adorns many of Ford's classic westerns.
In a 1966 interview with Peter Bogdanovich, Ford said that Wagon Master, "along with The Fugitive and The Sun Shines Bright ... came closest to being what I had wanted to achieve." The film's success inspired the long-running television series Wagon Train, also starring Ward Bond. The DVD includes a commentary by Peter Bogdanovich and star Harry Carey Jr.
Issue: December 2009
