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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
MOLLIE MONAHAN, November 18, 2001
This review is from: Union Pacific [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Cecil B. DeMille's contribution for that sterling movie year of 1939 was, of all things, a Western; but it's a brawling, two-fisted, action-packed Western. It is the story of the Union Pacific Railway, which was destined to link two oceans and open up the West. It's like a rough-and-tumble heavyweight slugfest-exciting, thrilling, gory and cumbersome. Stanwyck is excellent as the Irish Molly Monahan and as Jeff, Joel McCrea is first-rate - as Dick Allen, Robert Preston is terrific. DeMille's first choice for Molly was Jean Arthur; when she was unavailable, her turned his favourite, Barbara Stanwyck - they had worked together many times on the LUX RADIO THEATRE. The exterior shots were filmed in Iron Springs, Utah and Canoga Park, California (to double for Promontory Point). Interestingly enough, the golden spike used in the movie was the actual one used at Promontory Point. DeMille had it exhumed from the vault of Wells Fargo in San Francisco! Joel McCrea commented that Stanwyck was "Absolutely fearless and has more guts than most men". Also: "I have never worked with an actress who was more cooperative, less temperamental and a better workman, to use my term of highest compliment, than Barbara Stanwyck". - Cecil B. DeMille.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Better Than Average De Mille Film, November 16, 2001
This review is from: Union Pacific [VHS] (VHS Tape)
If it's directed by Cecil B. de Mille, you know there's going to be plenty of spectacle, and this film is no exception. Joel McCrea stars as a man hired by the Union Pacific railroad to be a troubleshooter as the build the railroad across the country. Not everyone wants to see it built, so sabotage causes lots of delays. Things get even more complicated for McCrea because his old pal Robert Preston is partnered with Brian Donlevy, one of the men trying to delay the construction. To add to it, Preston and McCrea are both in love with the same woman, an Irish lass named Molly played by Barbara Stanwyck. Train wrecks, Indian attacks, brawls, and other De Mille touches enliven the story. The actors aren't given much to work with, as in most De Mille spectacles, but they do well enough, although Stanwyck's accent is a little hard to swallow. Akim Tamiroff and Lynne Overman, as men hired to protect McCrea, add a lot of humour to the film with their knowing performances. The story moves along at a good pace, and although I like to make fun of Cecil B. De Mille movies, I must admit that I enjoyed this one more than some of the others I have seen. I like the time period and the trains, and in De Mille's hands, it's certainly not boring.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The race to Promitory Point... Molly and the Union Pacific!, July 26, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: Union Pacific [VHS] (VHS Tape)
This film epitomizes the building of America, by heros and heroines. If you love steam engines, train wrecks, romance, dirty politics, and Indian fights, go for this classic. A complicated love triangle interweaves with the race to Ogden, Utah by the first intercontinental railroads. Barbara Stanwyck plays Molly, a "take-charge" Irish woman of highest integrity, forced to balance her romantic life with her dedication to the Union Pacific railroad. Implausable, but fun, including some good comedic bits. It's a "John Wayne" type of story, only without Mr. Wayne.
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