The screenplay concerns a mormon pioneer wagon train to the san juan river in utah. Director john ford on location in monument valley while shooting the searchers. Wagon master by john ford ben johnson, harry carey jr. Elements of the alan ladd film branded and the john ford classic two rode together are woven into the plot of this episode. John ford owned eight acres in receda, which became a rehabiliation center for both veterans of fords movie and veterans of u. Robert horton, handsome wagon train star who wanted more. Its simple plot follows two young itinerant cowboys helping to lead a mormon wagon train to utah. The film is the outwardly simple tale of a mormon wagon train. It announces itself as a b movie in the first scene. The story goes that ford owed wagon train star ward bond a favor, and bond cashed it in, asking the famous director to helm the wagon train episode the colter craven story. The ford wagon train is a family oriented camping club available to ford employees, their families, and the general public. Wardell edwin bond april 9, 1903 november 5, 1960 was an american film character actor who appeared in more than 200 films and in the nbc television series wagon train from 1957 to 1960. Two young drifters guide a mormon wagon train to the san juan valley and encounter cutthroats, indians, geography, and moral challenges on the journey. This was reputably john ford s own favourite of all his films, probably because the finished film came closest to his original vision and he wasnt encumbered by having to pander to star actors.
Actor picture picture movie best wagons clint walker bionic woman the virginian john ford train pictures tv. The movie also inspired the successful television series wagon train, which aired from 1957 to 1965 and starred ward bond. Born in maine, ford entered the filmmaking industry shortly after graduating from high school with the help of his older brother, francis ford, who had established himself as a leading man and director for universal studios. The episodes were entitled the ella lindstrom story original air date february 4, 1959 and the kate parker story original air date may 6, 1959. Ward bond worked with legendary director john ford in a staggering 26 feature films.
Asked in tv shows and series who was the wagon master in t. Along the way, the group, led by elder wiggs ward bond hook up with two horse traders travis blue ben johnson and sandy owens harry. Director john ford s opening, unusual for both dramatic and idyllic qualities, from wagon master, 1950, starring ben johnson, harry carey jr. During the filming of this movie, bond and wayne befriended ford, and appeared in many of ford s later films. Wagonmaster could well be the pilot episode of the television series wagon train 19571965 which also starred ward bond in the first four seasons. Wagonmaster john ford, 1950 sandy y travis youtube. Wagon master monument valley in the movies pictures. See more ideas about train, tv westerns and john mcintire. After all, the hit western series was based on his movie wagon master, which he cited as his personal favorite of all his works.
Wagon master 1950 when a group of mormons are run out of town for their religious beliefs, elder wiggs ward bond searches for a wagon master to guide the outcasts to the san juan valley. Elder wiggs goes west, ben johnson, joanne dru and others too. Wagon master is a 1950 western film about a mormon pioneer wagon train to the san juan river in utah. The mormons are accompanied by the members of a travelling medicine show, so cue lots of music and dancing along the trail as the wagon train heads towards its destination. Even lesser john ford westerns, like this and 3 godfathers, are better than average westerns. But for all the teasing, john wayne was heartsick when ward bond died suddenly in a dallas hotel room from a massive heart attack in 1960 just as he had rejuvenated his career as the star of the hit tv series, wagon train. Wagon master 1950 cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and. The film is actually a simple story, straightforward and formulaic. The recommendation service has sorted out realistic, serious, rough, light, harsh and intense films and tv shows about with wagon train, culture clash, heroes, horse, gunfight, rivalry, old west, native american, murder and pistol plots mostly in western, drama and romance genres shot in usa, spain. Outlaws are using the mormon wagon train as a hideout from a pursuing posse. Apr 08, 2016 john ford directed one episode of wagon train. Raised in nebraska and colorado, bond was a star of the usc football team, which is how, along with lifelong friend and fellow usc football alum john wayne, he was cast in john fords 1929 football movie salute. The film tells the story of a wagon train of mormon families and their trials and tribulations along the way. But the covered wagon established the tropes, the conventions, the action beats and archetypes that carried john ford and john wayne, howard hawks and henry hathaway, clint eastwood.
A year before wagon train began, mcgrath appeared briefly as ranch foreman john pike in the 1956 memorable episode quicksand of the first hourlong television western series, abcs cheyenne, starring clint walker. The episode even recycled some footage from wagon master. John mcintire more this classy western followed the trials of a californiabound wagon train after the civil war. Although it featured less star power in its cast than most ford westerns, ford s own favorite among his movies was said to be 1950s wagon master. Robert fuller first appeared on wagon train during season 2 in two guest starring roles. Robert fuller born july is an american horse rancher and former television actor, best known for starring roles as jess harper and cooper smith on the popular western series, laramie opposite john smith and wagon train with john mcintire, get this special offer robert fuller laramie smiling portrait poster. The film was a personal favorite of ford himself, who told peter bogdanovich in 1967 that along with the fugitive and the sun shines bright, wagon master came closest to. John ford owed ward bond a favor, and the rest is tv western history. Aug 18, 2019 great news for fans of director john ford. Mar 15, 2016 the series, inspired by the 1950 john ford film wagon master, detailed the travails of people aboard a wagon train journeying from missouri to california after the civil war. The film inspired the us television series wagon train, which starred ward bond until his death in 1960. John ford said that wagon master was his favorite of all his films, and its easy to see. Director john fords opening, unusual for both dramatic and idyllic qualities, from wagon master, 1950, starring ben johnson, harry carey jr.
Theres almost a languorous quality to the film that you dont normally associate with a john ford movie. Wagon master inspired the us television series wagon train 19571965. Ben johnson and ward bond starred in john ford s wagon master 1950, about a wagon train of mormon settlers heading west. In 1957, mcgrath had an uncredited role as a stagecoach driver in the henry fonda film, the tin star. Bond was already part of the john ford stock company, appearing in just as many of ford s movies as john wayne did 24. John ford s wagon master 1950 is a beautiful yet also very odd western, coming in the midst of the directors cavalry trilogy with rio grande to be filmed and released later the same year and the sentimental sagebrush fable three godfathers. No significant damage was done, but bond never let john wayne forget it, even after his passing. And when the trail turns craggy, men use pickaxes to dig grooves for the wagon wheels.
Wagon masterward bond, ben johnson, joanne dru, harry carey, jr. Wagon train first aired on september 18, 1957, and would eventually place the tv show in the number one spot in the nielsen ratings. Wayne is billed under his real name of marion michael morrison in the cast and the cast of the episode itself reads like a john ford movie. The biggest names among directors of westerns have done wagon train westerns john ford, anthony mann, howard hawks, raoul walsh et al. The title of this movie is sometimes written in one word, but in the movie titles its two. Linus rawlings jimmy stewart, the beaver felt trader and mountain man, carries a kentucky flintlock rifle when he is seen riding his horse while among the native americans before meeting up with the prescott family in presentday ohio in 1839. One of the best episodes from the john mcintire years of wagon train is this one with barbara stanwyck in the title role of the caroline casteel story. The film was conceived, produced, and directed by john ford, who is often listed among the greatest film directors. The series, inspired by the 1950 john ford film wagon master, detailed the. Directed by john ford, this episode had carleton young, as colter craven, anna lee, ken curtis, cliff lyons,jack pennick, john carradine, hank worden, chuck roberson and duke as gen. Heres why this episode of wagon train should be every western.
There are two active units located in buffalo, new york and dearborn michigan. But the covered wagon established the tropes, the conventions, the action beats and archetypes that carried john ford and john wayne, howard hawks and. How the west was won internet movie firearms database. The series was inspired by the 1950 film wagon master directed by john ford and starring ben johnson, harry carey jr. Westward ho 1935 john wayne ballards trail jumpers attack the wyatt company wagon train, killing young john s parents and kidnaping his brother, jim. John fords wagon master 1950 is a beautiful yet also very odd western, coming in the midst of the directors cavalry trilogy with rio grande to be filmed and released later the same year and the sentimental sagebrush fable three godfathers. When a group of mormons are run out of town for their religious beliefs, elder wiggs ward bond searches for a wagon master to guide the outcasts to the san juan valley. He played flint from the first episode of wagon train, in 1957, until the show moved from nbc to abc in 1962. Jan 23, 2016 wagon master is the standard john ford western in its raw and rugged form. Wagon train, caravan of wagons organized by settlers in the united states for emigration to the west during the late 18th and most of the 19th centuries. Many remember bond from his starring role as major adams on the popular television western, wagon train. The wagon train series itself was based on their 1950 project wagon master. Syd kronenthal was the supervisorhe was also hired to help marlon brando play a paraplegic in his first film roleand he remembers the ford team getting drunk all the time.
Masterful film director john ford was stepping in to direct an episode of wagon train, the colter craven story. John ford 18941973 was an american film director whose career spanned from 19 to 1971. Ward bond was in how many john wayne films answers. And this is where ill need to impress upon younger people the significance of that popular show, which theyre liable to write off as just some other tv western from before their. The list contains the best, new and most relevant wagon train movies ordered by relevance. Wagon master is a very unique film amongst john fords work. Members of the dearborn unit of the ford wagon train choose to camp together on the third weekend of every month starting in april and ending.
John ford s wagon master is one of the legendary filmmakers personal favorites, a visually stirring celebration of western will and cooperation set to the soundtrack crooning of the sons. Ben johnson and ward bond starred in john ford s wagon master 1950. Wagon train the caroline casteel story tv episode 1962 imdb. Along the way, the group, led by elder wiggs ward bond hook up with two horse traders travis blue ben johnson and sandy owens harry carey jr, the members of a traveling medicine show and. The film inspired the us television series wagon train 19571965, which. Wagon master 1950 john ford dvd elvis dvd collector. Shall we gather at the river in 7 films by john ford duration. John wayne secretly appeared in both wagon train and star wars.
The film doesnt contain any ford s usual stars john wayne, henry fonda, maureen ohara, instead, he gives his stock company an opportunity to carry a movie and the cast uniformly shines. Inspired by the 1950 john ford movie wagon master, wagon train debuted wednesday night, september 18, 1957, on the nbc television network. Ward bond, maureen ohara, victor mclaughlin and harry carey, jr. Apr 09, 2020 the searchers was bonds last movie with ford because the following year he moved on to the tv series wagon train, largely based on fords film wagon master. Wagon master is a 1950 western film produced and directed by john ford and starring ben johnson, harry carey jr. Dec 26, 2014 wagon train westerns since the classic silent epic the covered wagon in 1923, some western stories have been based in the american movement westward that began in earnest on the oregon trail in the 1840s. There are no alist starsjust the ford stock company stepping front and center in the film, rather than filling the corners and backstories.
Wagon master is one of john ford s lesser known westerns but reputed to be among his most satisfying pieces of work one in which he felt he had captured the very essence of the genre. Among his bestremembered roles are bert, the cop, in frank capras its a wonderful life 1946 and captain clayton in john fords the searchers 1956. The film is the outwardly simple tale of a mormon wagon train headed for utah. Starring ward bond, who really controlled the whole series. Wagon master, splendidly directed by john ford, is a superlative western. It would have been one of the best received wagon train episodes in any event, but bonds death made it a classic. Wagon train the colter craven story tv episode 1960 imdb.
Wagon master is the standard john ford western in its raw and rugged form. A wagon train of mormons led by ward bond are heading off to a new life and persuade a. Mother nature can be overcome, but human nature remains deadly and unpredictable. A decade later, ford would helm the season four episode the colter craven story, one of his few television credits. Wagon train is an american western series that aired on the nbc television network national broadcasting company, 19571962 and then on the american broadcasting company abc, 19621965. So this is where they got the idea for the tv show wagon train. See more ideas about tv westerns, train and john mcintire. Mar 12, 2015 wagonmaster john ford, 1950 sandy y travis juan gorostidi. Wagon train which started out inspired by the john ford movie wagonmaster was practically a television institution to eight seasons, from 1957 until 1965, and for at least two of those seasons was the number one or number two toprated television series in the country. With the fading of the fur trade, some mountain men became scouts for wagon trains kit carson, the way west. Yes, the great train robbery was the first film and it is fitting that it too, was a western.
John ford tv westerns cowboys and indians western movies john wayne classic tv orchestra bing images. Two young drifters guide a mormon wagon train to the san juan valley and encounter. Director john ford said the film came closest to what i had hoped to achieve. Wagon master is one of john fords lesser known westerns but reputed to be among his most satisfying pieces of work one in which he felt he had captured the very essence of the genre. For the successful classic tv western wagon train, a couple more movie stars and an oscarwinning director werent really essential for its success. Colin harvey takes his father alecs flintlock rifle when linus first arrives at their camp. Warner archives has released john ford s 1950 masterpiece wagon master on blu ray. A lot to talk about with wagon master, but a lot has been said about it. Mar 16, 2016 the series, inspired by the 1950 john ford film wagon master, detailed the travails of people aboard a wagon train journeying from missouri to california after the civil war.
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