Customer Reviews

When the Daltons Rode

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Nobody else but George Marshall with his characteristic knack for comedy could have helmed the 1940 western horse opera "When the Daltons Rode." This entertaining but uneven blend of humor and hell-raising in what constitutes a biography of the Dalton gang boasts top-flight stunt work but a lightweight approach to an inherently tragic sub-genre within westerns--the outlaw opus. When Universal Studios released this movie, the Hays Office dictated that criminals must not profit from their perfidy, and these felons had to be punished for their anti-social misdeeds. Marshall and scenarist Harold Shumate present the Daltons initially as victims of a crooked land grabbing scheme before they embark on a life of lawlessness made all the more ironic since Bob was a lawman. Indeed, by fade-out, the Daltons have traveled the entire trajectory from maligned innocents to hardened outlaws. Nevertheless, the filmmakers do everything in their power to make this outlaw opus palatable rather than oppressive. Unfortunately, neither director nor writer delves too deeply into the land grabber scheme and the revelation of the individual--the Judas if you will--behind their woes is dealt with in formulaic fashion. The Daltons never learn his identity, but Bob deals him a death blow. Long before "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" treated its infamous outlaw pair with levity, Marshall did so with the Daltons in this trim 81 minute release. For the record, Marshall had made more than his share of westerns during the silent film era, so he was no stranger to westerns. Furthermore, Marshall became the first major western director to ridicule the conventions of the western. "Destry Rides Again," which he made before "When the Daltons Rode" at Universal, stands western conventions on their heads. Sadly, "When the Daltons Rode" isn't as good as either "Destry Rides Again" or Marshall's next western "Texas." The other major weakness of "When the Daltons Rode" is casting leading man Randolph Scott as a tin-horn attorney who never palms a six-gun and spends too much time off screen while supporting players Broderick Crawford, Brian Donlevy, and Andy Devine get the lion's share of the action.

Marshall stages several great action scenes riddled with comedy. The Daltons make a daring, daylight escape from one town when Ozark hijacks a stagecoach and provides cover for their departure from a besieged dinner is funny. Stunt pioneer Yakima Canutt performs his landmark "Stagecoach" stunt. The next great action scene occurs on a train filled with lawmen. Our antagonists steal their horses and ride away. "When the Daltons Rode" has enough action and comedy to help compensate for its tragic ending. The last scene with Tod enduring another lecture from Edgar Buchanan's grizzled old blacksmith is a hoot.

There are no special features, but the print of this film is excellent.

Although this western is to be released in June, and I write a month or so in advance, its release is of such importance that note of it needs to be made prior to release date. When the Daltons Rode is a superior little western, and this release, by Universal, is very much welcomed. Although this movie has been available in several variable, generally poor video releases in the past, to finally have it on DVD, presumably well mastered by Universal engineers, will be a delight. Thanks Universal.

If one is expecting a historical piece on the Dalton gang, this is not it. Though based on a story written by Emmett Dalton, this western is pure B-Hollywood despite the presence of Randolph Scott, a cowbay star a notch above the B western heroes. This is a light western where one should just sit back and enjoy. Andy Devine and an uncreditted Edgar Buchanan are pure delight. Broderick Crawford's fast talking style is typical Highway Patrol of the 50's. This was released many years before All the King's Men and Crawford's star quality is already very evident. It took along time coming (for the re-issue in DVD)so savor this one to the fullest.

Occasionally, Hollywood will put someone in a picture and give them top billing even though their performance basically amounts to a cameo role.

Such is the case for the great Randolph Scott, who finds himself the titular star of When The Daltons Rode when he's not on the screen much at all. And for that, he should have felt fortunate, because this is not a good movie.

And it's not because it's grossly inaccurate, although that's true (the Dalton's have a saintly Irish mother. They basically got into a life of crime because they were forced into it, etc.) If someone wants accurate history, they should read and study it on their own, and not expect Hollywood to get it right because they usually don't get it right. But this film is just not entertaining. Brian Donlevy and crew just don't make the Daltons that interesting or appealing and Scott's performance as their lawyer doesn't justify his appearance in the film.

To sum everything up, this film is not an example of a classic Hollywood Western.

Kay Francis does an excellent role in the only western I have seen her in. Good plot. Length of movie is just right.

I was happy withn the fast service and the condition of the dvd. I am looking forward to doing business with you again.

This 1940 black and white effort is I suppose solidly in the "b" western category, though Scott had proven his star value in the previous year's JESSE JAMES and would go on to make perhaps his best film of the decade just after this one, Fritz Lang's Western Union [VHS]. In addition to Scott it's got Brian Donlevy, an Oscar nominee the previous year for BEAU GESTE, and Broderick Crawford who had also appeared in that film and would go on to win a statue a few years later. The cast on the whole is fine, Donlevy especially, the stuntwork in particular is terrific, and there are some fairly exciting action sequences, but it doesn't all add up to much and I think in this case it's those behind the camera who are probably most at fault. Director George Marshall was one of the most prolific in Hollywood, but he seems to be a workmanlike guy who did the job without putting too much personality into things; here the combination of humor and a pretty serious subject might have made for something a lot more interesting with director and screenplay (by Harold Shumate, based on a book cowritten by the one surviving real-life Dalton brother Emmett) that were more sensitive and subtle.

The film describes the turning to crime of the Dalton brothers in 1890 Kansas, and the struggles that their lawyer friend Tod Jackson (Scott) has in first trying to help them keep their land, and then trying to keep them from getting hunted down and shot or hanged. It starts out with Jackson riding into town to say hello to his old childhood friends the Dalton brothers. He's on his way to a bigger town but decides to stay to help out his pals and others in forming a grange to have legal standing against land grabbers - and to romance Julie (Kay Francis) who is affianced to Bob Dalton (Crawford) but quickly takes a shine to Jackson. I think the early parts blending humor, romance and community in a style reminiscent of Ford are probably the best, but the film turns formulaic and obvious when the Daltons accidentally kill a man and quickly descend into outlawdom.

From there on it's bank robberies, stagecoach chases and railroad holdups as the boys struggle to keep ahead of the law and at the same time to get their property back from the dishonest speculator whose identity is all too obvious when revealed. Meanwhile Scott and Francis are pretty much relegated to the sidelines, their future way out of the mess as obvious as the brothers' tragic end is inevitable. There was some potential to really get into the whole "why good men go bad" theme, but it's never really exploited at all and the brothers are unrecognizably brutal and vicious at the end without it ever seeming realistic that they could sink so low, so quickly.

As I said above, the stuntwork - in particular an impressive stagecoach sequence where one of the brothers slides under the coach to the back and climbs up it (nope, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK wasn't the first to do this) and the gunfights are well done, and in common with most lower-budget westerns of the day it's over quickly enough that one doesn't get too bored. But this is really only for serious aficionados of the star or genre, and needless to say it's accuracy is highly doubtful in almost every area. There's a cute, nearly identical pair of sequences involving the taciturn Scott trying to get quick answers out of the loquacious Edgar Buchanan which works well; some of the interior humor involving Andy Devine as Dalton confederate Ozark is a little much, though.

No extras to speak of on this acceptable Universal DVD. I'm enough of a Scott fan that this was worth a look for me, though I doubt I'll return to it often.

Wonder just how much "Poetic license" they took with this film. Gives a black eye to the law at the time (that isn't to difficult to believe). Worth watching.

Universal Pictures presents "WHEN THE DALTONS RODE" (1940) (81 mins/B&W) (Dolby digitally remastered) --- Starring Randolph Scott, Kay Francis, Brian Donlevy, George Bancroft & Broderick Crawford --- Directed by George Marshall and released in February 1, 1941, our story line and film, Young lawyer Tod Jackson arrives in pioneer Kansas to visit his prosperous rancher friends the Daltons, just as the latter are in danger of losing their land to a crooked development company. When Tod tries to help them, a faked murder charge turns the Daltons into outlaws. Tod is now torn between staying loyal to his friends and upholding the law. Falling in love with Bob Dalton's former fiancée Julie, also complicates his predicament --- A rattling good story with a non-stop marathon of action in the final quarter --- The real star is Broderick Crawford who despite his New York Bronx accent, really shines here as the lead Dalton, even scene-stealing away from Brian Donlevy who takes a back seat. This film is Crawford's show, no question about it --- Enjoy the expert pacing emphasis and the humor - the lynch mob bursting into the jail to find the whole gang waiting for them, guns drawn, is classic --- take note the film also has one of the best filmings of the Yak Canutt routine of falling under a runaway coach of horses --- A class act, if you want 40s action that moves along pretty nicely, then you can't go wrong here.

Under George Marshall (Director), Stuart Anthony (Screenwriter), Lester Cole (Screenwriter), Emmet Dalton (Book Author), Jack Jungmeyer (Book Author), Harold Shumate (Screenwriter), Hal Mohr (Cinematographer), Edward A. Curtiss (Editor), Jack Otterson (Art Director), Vera West (Costume Designer) - - - - the cast includes Randolph Scott (Tom Jackson), Kay Francis (Julie King), Brian Donlevy (Grat Dalton), George Bancroft (Caleb Winters), Broderick Crawford (Bob Dalton), Stuart Erwin (Ben Dalton), Andy Devine (Ozark), Frank Albertson (Emmett Dalton), Mary Gordon (Ma Dalton), Harvey Stephens (Rigby), Edgar Dearing (Sheriff), Quen Ramsey (Wilson), Dorothy Granger (Nancy), Fay McKenzie (Hannah), Walter Soderling (Judge Swain), Mary Ainslee (Minnie), Erville Alderson (District Attorney Wade), Sally Payne (Annabella), June Wilkins (Suzy), Bob Reeves (Henchman), Russell Powell (Engineer), Pat West (Pete, the Restaurant Owner), George Guhl (Deputy in Baggage Car), John Beck (Native), Harry Cording (Sam Fleeson), Kernan Cripps (Freight Agent), Robert Dudley (Juror Pete Norris), Jack Clifford (Deputy), Edgar Buchanan (Man at Livery Stable), James C. Morton (Juror Ed Pickett), Bob McKenzie (Photographer), Dorothy Moore (Girl), Tom London (Lyncher), Lafe [Lafayette] McKee (Doctor), Walter Long (Deputies on Train) - - - - Randy Scott had a quiet gentleman nature about him which is not seen in the films of today ... Randy took his job and his responsibility to his audience very seriously --- would not settle for anything less than his best ... same was true in his personal life.

SPECIAL FEATURES BIOS:
1. Randolph Scott (aka: George Randolph Scott)
Date of birth: 23 January 1898 - Orange County, Virginia
Date of death: 2 March 1987 - Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California

Special footnote, George Randolph Scott better known as Randolph Scott, was an American film actor whose career spanned the sound era from the late 1920s to the early 1960s ... his popularity grew in the 1940s and 1950s, appearing in such films as "Gung Ho"! (1943) and "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm" (1938); but he was especially famous for his numerous Westerns including "Virginia City" (1940) with Errol Flynn and Humphrey Bogart, "Western Union" (1941) with Robert Young and "Ride the High Country" (1962) with Joel McCrea (a coin was flipped to see whether Scott or McCrea would receive top billing, and Scott won despite having a slightly smaller role) ... his long fistfight with John Wayne in "The Spoilers" (1942) was frequently cited by critics and the press as the most thrilling ever filmed; they were fighting over Marlene Dietrich ... another smash hit film together that same year called "Pittsburgh" (1942) once again with Dietrich, Scott and Wayne --- Daniel Webster defines "Legend", as being a notable person, or the stories told about that person exploits --- well by the time Randolph Scott made his best films he had long established himself as a legend in the film industry --- they say practice makes perfect, if that is true by 1958 at 60 years of age he was the master with these oaters from the 50s ... "The Cariboo Trail" (1950), "The Nevadan" (1950), "Colt .45" (1950), "Santa Fe" (1951), "Sugarfoot" (1951), "Fort Worth" (1951), "Man in the Saddle" (1951), "Carson City" (1952), "The Man Behind the Gun" (1952), "Hangman's Knot" (1952), "Thunder over the Plains" (1953), "The Stranger Wore a Gun" (1953), "Ten Wanted Men" (1954), "Riding Shotgun" (1954), "The Bounty Hunter" (1954), "Rage at Dawn" (1955), "Tall Man Riding" (1955), "A Lawless Street" (1955), "Seven Men from Now" (1956), "Seventh Cavalry" (1956), "Decision at Sundown: (1957), "Shoot-Out at Medicine Bend" (1957), "The Tall T" (1957), "Buchanan Rides Alone" (1958), "Ride Lonesome" (1959), "Westbound" (1959), "Comanche Station" (1960) --- Scott's age seemed to matter little, they only came to see another Randolph Scott film and always got their money's worth --- Scott's films were good and getting better becoming classics --- so if you wonder "What Ever Happened To Randolph Scott", just rent or purchase one of his films and you'll see he's never left us.

2. Kay Francis
Date of Birth: 13 January 1899 - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Date of Death: 26 August 1968 - New York, New York

3. Brian Donlevy
Date of Birth: 9 February 1901 - Cleveland, Ohio
Date of Death: 5 April 1972 - Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California

4. George Bancroft
Date of Birth: 30 September 1882 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Date of Death: 2 October 1956 - Santa Monica, California

5. Broderick Crawford
Date of Birth: 9 December 1911 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Date of Death: 26 April 1986 - Rancho Mirage, California

6. Andy Devine
Date of Birth: 7 October 1905 - Flagstaff, Arizona
Date of Death: 18 February 1977 - Orange, California

7. Stuart Erwin
Date of Birth: 14 February 1903 - Squaw Valley, California
Date of Death: 21 December 1967 - Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California

8. George Marshall (Director)
Date of Birth: 29 December 1891 - Chicago, Illinois
Date of Death: 17 February 1975 - Los Angeles, California

Hats off and thanks to Les Adams (collector/guideslines for character identification), Chuck Anderson (Webmaster: The Old Corral/B-Westerns.Com), Boyd Magers (Western Clippings), Bobby J. Copeland (author of "Trail Talk"), Rhonda Lemons (Empire Publishing Inc), Bob Nareau (author of "The Real Bob Steele") and Trevor Scott (Down Under Com) as they have rekindled my interest once again for Film Noir, B-Westerns and Serials --- looking forward to more high quality releases from the vintage serial era of the '20s, '30s & '40s and B-Westerns ... order your copy now from Amazon where there are plenty of copies available on VHS, stay tuned once again for top notch action mixed with deadly adventure --- if you enjoyed this title, why not check out VCI Entertainment where they are experts in releasing B-Westerns and Serials --- all my heroes have been cowboys!

Total Time: 81 min on DVD ~ Universal Video ~ (6/01/04)

I am not going to be kind to this movie, mostly because the great Randolph Scott is utterly wasted as the lawyer family friend who steals Bob Dalton's girl. The first 20 minutes are slow enough to put you to sleep, but then the action kicks in. The action is ruined by too much comedy relief, in the character "Ozark," who renders what should be serious material into a one-man vaudeville act.


In it's defense, the movie does have some good action scenes, but overall they are depicted so unrealistically and campy that these small benefits are lost. It's a shame, because the movie had the potential to exploit the Dalton legend and deliver a noteworthy film. Instead, the end result is a wacky, schizophrenic yuk-fest complimented by some furious action sequences and forgettable dialogue.


For a better movie in the "Universal Western" series, try "No Name On The Bullett," "Whispering Smith," or any of the three recent Jimmy Stewart/Anthony Mann releases.