Frank Capra, from Frank Capra: Interviews:
“I always wanted to make a Western. I finally wrote a Western that I thought would make a hell of a story. It was called Westward The Women, about the women coming into the West and what their effect was. But I worked at a studio that didn’t have any horses. So I sold the story to William Wellman. He made it at MGM. It’s been a regret to me that I’ve never been able to make a Western. A man riding a horse across a prairie is poetry in motion.”
Capra’s original story was called “Pioneer Women.” Westward The Women (1951) is easily one of the better Westerns from MGM, a studio that didn’t have much of a grasp on the genre.
“But I worked at a studio that didn’t have any horses.”
I have to say that line made me smile.
Westward the Women is a top film.
Colin, your post on this one is really good. Here it is folks —
http://filmjournal.net/livius/2010/04/02/westward-the-women/
Your post and Laura’s enthusiasm for it are key reasons I’ve been researching it lately. Have to admit I’d forgotten how good it is.
You know, I’d watch John McIntire in just about anything, and he’s really good in this one.
Very kind of you Toby.
Yes, McIntire is one of those character actors that contributed so much to the genre.
I did not know that Capra wrote a western, but as a fan of his films I’ll have to see it.
Hopefully it will pop up on TCM someday.
It’s not currently scheduled on TCM, but they do run it periodically. It sure needs a DVD release.
Well, as luck would have it, it’s on TCM on the 17th at 6pm.
You must be living right!
It’s one of my favorites, hands down, and pretty radical. In fact I got into a conversation at a screening this morning about The Ox-Bow Incident, which I never really cared for. And I mentioned that among Wellman’s Westerns I ranked WTW as possibly my favorite. As is too commonly the case, it was unfamiliar to the people there because it never got the exposure it deserves. I have to say, I’m glad Wellman made it and not Capra or any number of other directors, including Hawks. It took someone who respected women enough to treat them as flesh and blood and not be afraid to put them in the grinder, which was all too rare. You come away from that picture thinking how lucky those men were who received their brides at the end, and how unlikely they were to ever fully appreciate them.
There’s a new movie, Meek’s Cutoff, based on a true story, that’s making the festival rounds. From what I’ve read, it may have some of the same qualities as WTW. It opens in June, I think.
Not to beat my own drum, but I have a fun Wellman anecdote in my interview with author Max Evans in a recent True West, which is online.
All you astute people being all over this wonderful film — which I’d pretty much forgotten about — makes me feel like a real sap.
You’re right, it needed Wellman. Capra may have had the idea, so thank God for him, but his sentimentality woulda sunk it.
I’ll help you beat your drum. Folks, his Evans piece is a hoot — and you can find it here:
http://www.truewestmagazine.com/stories/that_cockeyed_little_old_thing/1651/all/
The recently released Spanish DVD of this great film is
a good transfer and well worth tracking down.
Taylor was very underrated in Westerns;he sure did look
the part.I like the instant justice handed out to the
rapist in the film;he is not even given the chance to draw.
Its only a matter of time before the Warner Archive release
this classic.
Whether it’s Warner Archives or a “real” DVD release for this one, I sure hope they include “Challenge To The Wilderness,” a 10-minute short on all the arduous location work. I’m dying to see it.
Speaking of the Warner Archive (going off-subject as usual!) Ive e-mailed them about the possibility of doing
a “Desperados and Outlaw Legends” series; they really
seem to be into these “themed” releases.
Theres plenty in their vaults.
Suggested titles:
MONTANA BELLE
JACK SLADE
RETURN OF JACK SLADE
SON OF BELLE STARR
COLE YOUNGER GUNFIGHTER
all of the above from the RKO or Allied Artists archive.
While they are at it they could through in a few Warner
items like “The Younger Brothers” and “Badmen of Missouri”
Pretty cool suggestion or what?
I’d buy it.
I’m not familiar with this particular film, but I’d have liked to see what Capra would do with a Western. Interesting that he thought so highly of the genre.
I can’t really think of a director from that period more un-Western-y than Capra.
George Cukor?
Although he did eventually make a western – Heller in Pink Tights.
Speaking of un-Western-y directors how about
Hammer Films honcho Michael Carreras.
In 1962 he did a one-off Western for Capricorn Films
(their sole venture!) called “The Savage Guns”certainly
one of the first ever European Westerns.
Interestingly the film starred three American leads
(Richard Baseheart,Alex Nicol and Don Taylor) all veterans
of previous Hammer epics.
FYI, all, THE SAVAGE GUNS I believe was on TCM sometime ago, or Encore Westerns as I believe that is in my collection as a result. Also, the CHALLENGE TO THE WILDERNESS short subject about the location work on WESTWARD THE WOMEN was also on TCM at one time I know. However, the time I thinking about I believe it followed some other western on TCM, not WTW. Anway, I have found that TCM is a great one for perusing their little shorts they often show because there are some real treasures for the western fan. Not long ago there was a 20 minute short that turned out to me a an fictional western with Tom Tyler.
I meant to finish by saying ….turned out to BE a fictional western….