Directed by Edwin L. Marin
Starring Randolph Scott, David Brian, Phyllis Thaxter, Helena Carter, Dickie Jones, Ray Teal, Michael Tolan, Paul Picerni, Emerson Treacy, Bob Steele, Walter Sande, Chubby Johnson
Warner Archive has been righting a few wrongs lately, bringing some pictures back to DVD that’ve been missing for a while. One of the latest to be announced is Edwin Marin’s Fort Worth (1951). (Click the lobby card for the Warner Archive link.)
It’s a pretty good one, with a great cast and gorgeous Technicolor photography from Sid Hickox. It was the seventh Western Scott and Marin did together. It was also the last, with the director passing away a couple months before it opened. (Wish a Blu-Ray was also on the way.)
50 Westerns From The 50s. 
Loads of fun and Scott on horseback in the opening sequence looks the way everyone and anyone wished they did.
Toby, anytime is a good time for a Randolph Scott Western Movie. I remember first seeing FORT WORTH(1951) on THE CBS LATE MOVIE in 1974 and I liked it then and I still do. Yes Barry, Scott could set a horse rather well and his favorite movie horse was the beautiful blonde sorrel named Stardust. Notice how many times Scott would give Stardust a pat. The horse’s distinctive mane almost covered his neck and the golden tail almost touched the ground. He had a broad white face and four white stockings.
The last time Scott rode Stardust was in COMANCHE STATION(filmed 1959, released 1960). Stardust wasn’t in RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY(filmed in 1961, released 1962). Scott rode a dark Buckskin in his last Western.
That’s a beautiful video of Scott and Stardust, Walter. Thanks for sharing it. Graceful rider atop a stunningly beautiful horse.
Jerry, your welcome. In the 1940’s Scott rode a sorrel stallion with a blaze face and three white socks named Steel. The horse was owned by Ben Johnson’s father-in-law Clarence Y. “Fat” Jones, who ran one of the most successful horse renting stables in Hollywood. Steel was ridden by Ben Johnson in SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON(filmed in 1948, released 1949) and WAGON MASTER(filmed in 1949, released 1950). Steel had his own double and the horse that Ben Johnston rides in the galloping scenes was not Steel, but a great galloper named “Bingo.
I have this on a 4 pack .WB still have not released SUGARFOOT on DVD.
Graham, I’m not holding my breath, but maybe they will. A German company put out a DVD of SUGARFOOT(filmed in 1950, released 1951) in 2018. The reviewer over at DVD CLASSIK gave the movie a 1/10 rating, which was rather harsh, I think. I used to watch SUGARFOOT quite a lot during the 1960’s on WREC-TV Channel 3, Memphis, Tennessee. The EARLY MOVIE showed a lot of Randolph Scott Westerns I’m happy to say.
I think SUGARFOOT is a well told action packed Western set in Prescott, Arizona Territory just after the War of the Rebellion. It is worth watching.
Sugarfoot starts slow but gets pretty good after the first 15 minutes. Arthur Hunnicutt is very good in supporting character. This movie was well received by fans and obviously fueled the TV show. I would buy a good restored copy and start it at the 10-12 minute mark.
Tom, the film Suigarfoot gave nothing but it’s little to the television series, which was inspired by the film, Boy from Oklahoma.
…title, of course, not little….sorry about that.
Thankfully, since Will Hutchins is a complete dud in that.
Imprint BLU RAY are releasing MAJOR DUNDEE on 28th October 2020 on BLU RAY in a limited 2 disc hard box edition with unique art work on the first 1500 copies.It will include the theatrical and extended cuts and special features.I wish I had of known in advance as I already bought the German release .Check it out if you’re a fan of this movie .It looks good.
Graham, this is good news, but is this MAJOR DUNDEE(filmed in 1964, released 1965) region free or just region b? Also, is it the same version that TWILIGHT TIME released on Blu-ray in 2013?
Walter,not sure what region it is,even my WAR OF THE WORLDS BLU RAY from them doesn’t say.I think it would be region free or region 4.Check out the Twilight release on Amazon or the reviews on Google and then check out Imprint’s releases which will list the extras.At AU$69.95 it is a bit pricey.I watched my German copy last night,and it appears there is not much difference between the Twilight,Imprint or German release.
Graham, thanks, I’m always hopeful that some new feature would appear on a new version. There is probably writer/director Sam Peckinpah’s 152 minute unreleased cut somewhere out there. That is what he was supposed to have cut the movie down to, before he was barred from the Columbia Studios lot. There are still photographs from the cut scenes that exist.
Here is a good review essay by Glenn Erickson.
https://www.dvdtalk.com/dvdsavant/s4150dund.html
Walter,I think MAJOR DUNDEE is one of Glenn Erickson’s favourite films as he has been involved with commentary or reviewing on all the releases.When he reviewed the German release he emailed me a copy of the notes in English which were in German.You will notice when watching the film that Peckinpah has most of his “possee” in it. Warren Oates was good in this.
Graham, I remember the first time I watched MAJOR DUNDEE back in the early 1970’s. I read where it was going to be on the Saturday late movie on KARK-TV Channel 4, Little Rock, Arkansas. I had to turn the old antenna by hand toward Little Rock to get a picture on the TV. It was clear enough to see it, though we lived between two mountains.
I really enjoyed the movie. At that time I didn’t know anything about the cutting up of the movie by producer Jerry Bresler. While reading in TIME magazine movie critic Jay Cocks review of Peckinpah’s PAT GARRETT & BILLY THE KID(1973), which he really liked, I read a quote from Peckinpah comparing his experience with this movie to his experience on MAJOR DUNDEE. He said, “It was my worst experience since MAJOR DUNDEE.” This intrigued me and I have been interested in the backstory of MAJOR DUNDEE ever since then.
Yes, MAJOR DUNDEE had most of Peckinpah’s “posse” of actors in the movie. They were all good and perfectly cast. Ben Johnson was just off the filming of John Ford’s CHEYENNE AUTUMN(1964).
That was nice of Glenn Erickson to email you a copy of his notes from watching the German DVD release of MAJOR DUNDEE.
Walter,I believe Glenn offered to send the notes to anyone who bought the BLU RAY.Only trouble is I don’t have a printer to print them off.We used to live at the Glasshouse Mountains directly across from Mt Tibrogargan ,
John k,the release of THE PLAINSMAN sounds good.Hopefully,Kino might release it.There are a few goodies coming in October including the TV movie SOS TITANIC ,the extended version with David Janssen.
Universal Pictures Germany have a couple of October releases that might
interest some readers of this blog:
THE PLAINSMAN (1936) Making its Worldwide Blu Ray debut.
Also a 3 x Blu Ray set Comedy Western Collection
THE PALEFACE
TEXAS ACROSS THE RIVER
THE BALLAD OF JOSIE.
Both releases are offered at a very fair price.
John K, I take it that these Blu-ray’s will be region free. If so, I wish they would release some of those wonderful 1950’s Paramount Westerns that were made in VistaVison. LAST TRAIN FROM GUN HILL(1959), and RUN FOR COVER(1955), or some non Westerns like SHORT CUT TO HELL(1957), which is the only movie James Cagney ever directed.
I haven’t seen Fort Worth in awhile but my notes give it a 7/10, so I would love to have a remastered good quality version of it.