The Spoilers (1942) User Reviews (54)

No fighting in here allowed unless it's over me.

[hitchcockthelegend · 7/10 · 9 October 2008]

We are in Nome, Alaska, miner Roy Glennister (John Wayne) and his partner Dextry (Harry Carey), are forced to fight to save their gold claims from the crooked commissioner, Alexander McNamara (Randolph Scott). Backed by sultry saloon owner and entertainer Cherry Malotte (Marlene Dietrich), the team must overcome both the odds and suspect politicians in order to get their just deserts.

Rex Beach's novel has been adapted five times thus far, and it's not hard to see why because the story is as solid as it gets. This take on the source has a wonderful sense of fun and adventure oozing from it, the cast are uniformly great and the direction from Ray Enright is tight and unobtrusive. Some fine set pieces dot themselves throughout the picture, culminating in a right royal (and lengthy) punch up between Wayne & Scott. No overkilling or tediously ham sequences are here, this is simply an enjoyable Western achieving all it set out to achieve from the off. 7/10

Double Entendres Abound!

[bobbyatgloss · 7/10 · 22 July 2000]

This movie's got a good enough plot that it's been made at least 4 times, so you know that part's covered. It's a good story that holds up and moves at a good pace. The cast of stars are caught at interesting times in their varying careers. Dietrich is riding the Destry saloon girl role in a carbon copy of the original that belabors a huge oversized Gibson-girl wig and multiple extraordinary outfits befitting Marlene "the star". She brings her distinctive charm to the role and has a tongue-in-cheek ball with the sexually loaded script, but her role has nothing extra-special or magical. John Wayne is full of swagger and charm and working his way up the ladder towards the title of big stud cowboy on campus. Randolph Scott is turning the corner of his career into Westerns also; abandoning those light comedy or milquestoast leading roles and showing a glimpse of the hardnose tough guy & questionably moral cowboy that he came to be in later career moves. This is the penultimate film for Richard Barthelmess and his role is a morose and bitter one that fits his personal situation of a star who had had his day in the sun and was ready to step-down. Kudos, big laughs and a robust round of applause to the best delivery, lines and most entertaining scenes which are all handled by Marlene's maid - Idabelle - played beautifully and naturally by Marietta Canty. She WILL have you laughing out loud! This film is chock full of sexual innuendo, lust-filled motivation and snide comments; all subtly and enjoyably delivered.

Knock-Down, Drag-Out "Northern"

[telegonus · 7/10 · 18 December 2001]

The old Rex Beach chestnut, The Spoilers, has been filmed several times, from the early silent days to the Eisenhower fifties. A durable tale indeed. When the first version was made the Emperor Franz Josef was still on the throne in Austria. All versions feature the famous fight between McNamara and Glennister, that begins in a saloon and ends several miles down the street. Windows get shattered, tables and chairs fly through the air, and people gasp in horror.

This 1942 film, directed by the reliable Ray Enright, is actually genteel compared to the silent versions, and as much a vehicle for Marlene Dietrich as anything else. As she was riding the comeback trail, in the wake of her spectacular success in Destry Rides Again, she plays a saloon singer, which had become her specialty. A rousing "Northern" western, set in the days of the Alaskan Gold Rush (which was, incidentally, closer in historical time to the year this film was made than we are to World War II), The Spoilers has a fairly conventional plot about prospectors, claim-jumpers, and the various hangers-on, honest and crooked, that made mining towns like Nome so exciting,--and so dangerous.

Leading men Randoloph Scott and John Wayne make rugged adversaries, though I find Scott somewhat more appealing, which isn't supposed to be the case. Wayne is competent if a little anonymous here. The supporting cast includes the reliable Harry Carey, Richard Barthelmess, Samuel Hinds, and in a cameo (I'm not making this up), the poet, Robert Service, best known for "The Shooting Of Dan McGrew". I guess if you're going to cast a poet in a film like this you don't go for Edna St. Vincent Millay. Service is most appropriate casting.

The sets are quite good, and at times quite fancy; and the streets are muddy, though I seem to remember the earlier films as having a more realistic, dirty look, as Alaska here is cleaner and at least physically less forbidding than one might expect. As to the climactic fight, it is well enough done, and properly violent, though neither participant seems nearly so bloodied up as he ought to. Overall, the movie is satisfying, more routine than I expected, and yet a worthy entry in that fascinating sub-genre, the Gold Rush Western.

Old Western Gold Yarn When the Law Was Illegal Works ***

[edwagreen · 9 February 2006]

Nice action picture marks "The Spoilers."

Taking place in Nome, Alaska, John Wayne and Harry Carey own a gold mine. Along comes the gold commissioner (Randolph Scott) and a judge who work together as crooks to swindle people out of their stakes.

Marlene Dietrich is along for the ride as a gambling dance-hall queen. Her role is very similar to that of "Destry Rides Again," which was made three years before this picture.

Naturally, the Scott and judge duo want to clip Wayne and Carry. The judge has a niece (Margaret Lindsay) who will not quite make that happen. We've got shoot 'em ups, bar room brawls and dynamite explosions. If that isn't enough, we have Richard Barthelmess as Dietrich's manager who kills the sheriff and tries to frame Wayne for the murder. Barthelmess loves Dietrich and Wayne is in the way. Not bad, 2 women falling for Wayne.

Nice action flick with the theme of watch out for the law. A typical western production that works.

for what it is, it's very very good

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 22 April 2006]

I like films like THE SPOILERS because they have absolutely no pretense about them. They are simple B-movie-type films with relatively simple plots and familiar actors but pack a lot of predictable but fun entertainment into them. Sure, since it's a John Wayne flick you KNOW that he will win in the end and you KNOW what to expect. And, for me, that's not a bad thing. I like a good old fashioned John Wayne flick like most of the ones he did in the 40s--good, solid, and entertaining. The only odd thing is that the Duke is billed 3rd when it is clearly his film. Top billing went to Marlena Dietrich--who at the time was the bigger star. However, her part is pretty flat and she clearly acts in support of Wayne. And, second billing went to Randolph Scott. But, once again he was clearly not the leading character but the villain. Now if all this doesn't make sense, you need to understand that although Wayne had made many films by 1942, most were B-movies and he still was only just becoming the break-out star he would so clearly be in just a few short years.

In addition to being a good old John Wayne flick (among his better ones of the 40s), the direction and plot are pretty good as well. A very good movie--nearly deserving a score of 8.

Duke vs Scott

[utgard14 · 6/10 · 29 April 2014]

John Wayne is a gold prospector who romances Marlene Dietrich and fights crooked Randolph Scott, who's out to steal both his claim and his woman. Strong cast in a fairly typical but enjoyable gold rush western. Dietrich sizzles. She has great chemistry with both Wayne and Scott. Lots of innuendo in her dialogue. For their parts, the two western stars are solid. Scott shines in a rare villainous role. His cohorts in crime in this one are, surprisingly, Samuel S. Hinds and pretty Margaret Lindsay. Duke is good. His climactic bar fight with Scott is the movie's highlight. Harry Carey plays Duke's friend. George Cleveland and Russell Simpson are fun as a couple of grizzled prospectors.

A Good John Wayne Western

[atlasmb · 7/10 · 25 April 2014]

"The Spoilers" takes place in Nome, Alaska--where men are men and the women work in saloons. It's a two-fisted "western" about hardworking men who staked their claims to Yukon gold and those who tried to jump their claims.

John Wayne plays Roy Glennister, co-owner of a mine operation. Randolph Scott plays Alex McNamara, a man who works in the gold office and wants to stake his own claim to Glennister's girlfriend, Cherry (played by Marlene Dietrich). As owner of the town saloon, Cherry is a tough businesswoman with a soft spot for Glennister, who likes to keep things informal.

Much of the plot of this traditional western is predictable, but the action is nonstop and the story is engaging. It is also a parable of sorts about the difference between law and justice. This was not the first time this story was filmed and it wouldn't be the last. In 1955, "The Spoilers" hit the big screen again. But Wayne's version is more satisfying.

Inspired casting

[counterrevolutionary · 7/10 · 23 May 2007]

One of the many good-but-not-great westerns (or would this be a "northern"?) that John Wayne made between *Stagecoach* and *Fort Apache*, *The Spoilers* has top-billed Marlene Dietrich more or less reprising her role from *Destry Rides Again* (they even play an instrumental version of "Little Joe" in the background of one scene).

But the truly inspired bit of casting is Randolph Scott as McNamara, the Mining Commissioner.

McNamara is established immediately as Wayne's rival in love and a little later as a business obstacle. Given the conventions of the genre, we would assume his villainy from the beginning...except, you know, it's *Randolph Scott*. I mean, that would be like...well, like making John Wayne the villain.

So when it turns out that he is the villain, it's a genuine surprise (for the longest time, I kept thinking that he'd have one of those Hollywood conversions right at the end and help Wayne to set things right before dying in a hail of gunfire).

And of course, Randolph Scott couldn't be expected to lose easily to some young whippersnapper named "Marion," so they were almost required to do the excellent brawl which ends the film.

(Another inspired piece of casting which I didn't know about until I looked it up is Robert W. Service playing Robert W. Service.)

North To Alaska

[Bucs1960 · 7/10 · 13 July 2007]

This filming of the oft told Rex Beach tale is a knock down, drag 'em out, shoot 'em up story of a group of your favorite players, transported from the old West to the Alaska gold rush. And it is a whole bunch of fun.

You just can't beat the cast.....even to the small parts such as Russell Simpson as Flapjack and the consummate drunk Jack Norton as Skinner. Of course, the main characters, Wayne, Dietrich and Scott are the focal points which pull the story together. They are at their best with Dietrich as the sassy dance hall owner: Randolph Scott playing against type as a unapologetic scoundrel: and Margaret Lindsay,usually the sweet virginal type is also against type here as a schemer with a heart of gold (well, sort of).

But there is something about Richard Barthelmess that kept my attention. Here was an Oscar winner (The Patent Leather Kid), who was as big as they got during the silent era but just couldn't seem to make the transition to talkies (with the exception of "Only Angels Have Wings"). And I'm not sure why.....it wasn't his looks, his voice or his acting style. Maybe he just didn't age well (he was only 47 when this film was made but looked older). Whatever the case, he does a good job here but you know from the beginning that he has to die somewhere along the line.....and sure enough, he does.

The film includes one of the most famous fights scenes in movie history between Wayne and Scott (although the use of stunt doubles is pretty obvious). They brawl upstairs, downstairs, on the stairs, and out the door. It's a dandy. It's a rousing, good time film that is worth watching......I like it!!

"What You Win You Can Collect."

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 18 July 2004]

This is the fourth of five filmed versions of Rex Beach's redoubtable northern classic and since it's the only one out on video, it's the one best known to movie audiences. The stalwart trio of Marlene Dietrich, Randolph Scott, and John Wayne head the cast in this story about gold miners losing their claims to con men and doing something about it.

Dietrich's Cherry Malotte is another version of the role she copyrighted in Destry Rides Again. And like in Pittsburgh, Randolph Scott and John Wayne have their hormones in overdrive.

Randolph Scott is the gold commissioner/conman Alex McNamara and it's the only time he ever played a thoroughgoing villain on the screen and he carries it off, but I prefer my Randolph Scott to be tough and heroic.

You need someone like Scott around because even though John Wayne's the good guy, he's just a little too sure of himself where Dietrich is concerned. Even though her heart's with the Duke, Marlene probably liked having Scott around.

Lots of slam bang action here, topped off by what some consider the most brutal movie fight in screen history. Its close rival in Pittsburgh also featured Wayne and Scott and this one is longer, but not as brutal as in Pittsburgh.

Nice cast of good supporting character actors and pay particular attention to Scott's companions in thievery, Samuel S. Hinds and Charles Halton.

With Randy Scott and the Duke and la Dietrich, how can you go wrong.

THE SPOILERS (Ray Enright, 1942) ***

[Bunuel1976 · 7/10 · 8 December 2007]

Rex Beach's Western tale was much filmed over the years – including twice during the Silent era, and an early Talkie version co-starring Gary Cooper; my brother had watched the 1955 color remake, which was O.K. but uninspired. This earlier adaptation, however, stands as a prime example of the genre from the more innocent pre-war era; in fact, starting from the year after – with William A. Wellman's THE OX-BOX INCIDENT (1943), to be exact – the Western achieved sudden maturity that would lead to any number of masterworks in various veins (noir, psychological, elegiac, revisionist) till it died out towards the late 1970s.

Anyway, this is a quite splendid film with all three stars (Marlene Dietrich, Randolph Scott and John Wayne) in good form; incidentally, all of them had just come from impressive individual work in the genre – DESTRY RIDES AGAIN (1939), Fritz Lang's WESTERN UNION (1941), and STAGECOACH (1939) respectively. Having preceded the film by the trio's subsequent (though lesser) teaming, PITTSBURGH (1942), it was interesting to see Wayne and Scott take turns playing the unsympathetic role (in the case of the latter here, he emerges to be an out-and-out villain – if a charming one, and to which he would return for his swan-song two decades later in Sam Peckinpah's RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY [1962]). Incidentally, in both THE SPOILERS and PITTSBURGH, Scott is clearly depicted as being interested in Dietrich – but she seems to prefer Wayne (maybe because she did one other title with the latter, SEVEN SINNERS [1940], which is to follow).

The supporting cast is also quite strong: Richard Barthelmess and Harry Carey (both of whom had been stars in the Silent era and had since settled in character roles) appear as Dietrich and Wayne's sidekicks respectively – the former is shady and the latter hot-headed, and each prefers to settle arguments with a weapon (Barthelmess a flick-knife and Carey the shotgun he calls "Betsy"). Scott's gang of crooked associates is made up of Charles Halton, Samuel S. Hinds and, the latter's niece, Margaret Lindsay (who was intended to seduce Wayne for the benefit of their scheme, but ends up falling for him – the actress had been a leading lady of Warner Bros. pictures during the previous decade, but her poignant Other Woman role here is surprisingly well-written).

The compelling narrative extends to many an exciting (and, often, action-oriented) development – trial, bank robbery, jailbreak, train wreck, various instances where law officers face off or shoot it out with miners, and culminating in the famously brutal lengthy fistfight between the two male stars (though this is somewhat spoiled {sic} by the obvious use of doubles in longshots).

Wayne and Scott Brawl Highlights Classic !

[cariart · 8/10 · 14 November 2000]

'The Spoilers' may be the most often-filmed western, ever, yet it has been largely forgotten by today's moviegoers, which is a shame! This is a riproaring adventure yarn with claimjumpers, a sexy romantic triangle, loads of humor, and, to cap things off, the most spectacular fistfight in screen history!

The second of three Marlene Dietrich/John Wayne teamings (and Duke is third-billed, behind Dietrich and Randolph Scott!), the plot is simple; evil government 'agents' arrive in Alaska, steal goldminers' claims, until the miners finally take matters into their own hands! In the midst of all this is Wayne, who owns a mine with partner Harry Carey (who is wonderful, as always!) and has had a long-time 'relationship' with saloon-owner Dietrich. When a 'judge' arrives with a pretty daughter (Margaret Lindsay), Wayne's eye begins to wander, and Dietrich sees red! She flirts with handsome Scott, a gold commissioner who is new in town, and obviously smitten!

What isn't known is that Scott and the 'judge' (Samuel S. Hinds, who would one day play Jimmy Stewart's dad in 'It's a Wonderful Life'!) are in cahoots to steal gold claims. After a series of tragedies, however, Wayne figures things out (Dietrich had, long before!), and confronts Scott in the middle of Dietrich's saloon...and the 'fight to end all fights' begins!

You can hold up 'The Quiet Man', or 'Hard Times', or 'Any Which Way But Loose' as having epic brawls, but this one tops them all! We're talking shirts ripped to shreds, broken furniture and windows, rolling under horses and through the mud mayhem, here! If this were pro football, both Scott and Wayne would make the All-Madden Team, for sure! Wayne is the one still standing (barely) at fight's end, and Dietrich is his proud (and willing) prize!

This film may never make a 'Classic Westerns' list (other than mine!), but it is a VERY enjoyable tale that shouldn't be forgotten! If you love a good Western, particularly if you're a John Wayne fan, 'The Spoilers' is a MUST!

Better Than Average Action Western - The Spoilers

[arthur_tafero · 6/10 · 8 March 2021]

With Randolph Scott, Marlene Dietrich, and John Wayne leading the way, you already are way ahead of the game for a Western. This action-packed tale of the gold rush in a rough and ready town in Alaska has everything you would expect, including a knock-down, drag out fight between Wayne and Scott (which in real life, Wayne would not have even the slightest chance of winning). But since he is the bad guy, we all know Scott will have to lose the fight. Even winning the fight, Wayne comes out worse for the wear. Lots of fun watching Dietrich tease Wayne with sexy comments and outfits. Solid Western yarn.

Spoilers Alert

[NoDakTatum · 3/10 · 20 October 2023]

Spoil is right, as this version of Rex Beach's story never gels from the beginning. Marlene Dietrich is sexy saloon owner Cherry Malotte in 1900 Nome, Alaska. She does not get a chance to sing, but she is being wooed by Roy Glennister (John Wayne), part owner of the Midas gold mine with Dextry (Harry Carey). Nome is lawless, and that includes claim jumping, being instigated by the new gold commissioner Alex McNamara (Randolph Scott). Roy returns to Alaska with the new judge (Samuel S. Hinds) and his cute niece Helen (Margaret Lindsay). Cherry gets competitive with Helen right away, and Roy does not help matters by fooling around with both women. Alex takes a shine to Cherry, and she does not dissuade him. Sure enough, the Midas is served papers, but Roy wants to see the case through in court. Dextry would rather shoot the place up. It soon becomes apparent that the judge and Alex are in cahoots, and Roy must find a way to defeat the "law." This results in an extended fistfight toward the end of the film between Wayne and Scott that is celebrated more than the film itself.

Since this was obviously a vehicle for Dietrich, the film's focus is squarely on her, meaning we cannot decide which side of the fence the two male leads are on. Roy is a mean rascal for two timing Cherry, and Alex begins to emerge as the hero until the rug is pulled out from underneath our feet, and everyone is shown for who they are in one unsubtle scene. Thank goodness sides are picked, suffering through Scott and Dietrich's double entendre dialogue is embarrassing. Director Enright does all the standard directorial duties here, adding nothing special to the western genre. The cast is okay, but a scene involving a blackfaced Roy and Cherry's African-American maid Idabelle (Marietta Carey) is uncalled for. Throw in the treatment of a stereotypical Chinese man in prison in another scene, and a little "harmless" but unfunny racial humor then becomes glaring pieces of racism. The script lurches along from one scene to the next, but the film is populated with too many characters and the screenwriters have a hard time keeping all these plates spinning. A train derailment, a big shootout, and the fistfight are all old news. In the end, "The Spoilers" is of interest only as another retelling of Beach's often filmed story, and it is not a good one at that.

Punchin' shootin' fun

[timrossminister · 7/10 · 27 March 2019]

John Wayne teams up with Marlene Dietrich & Randolph Scott once again in the same year they made Pittsburgh. Although Pittsburgh is a tougher, meatier story, The Spoilers is a whole lot more fun. You can begin to see Wayne's familiar acting style develop, and he has a much more commanding and convincing presence. Worth watching for a superb punch-up scene which ought to rank in the top ten punch-ups in cinema history.

Nome, Alaska during the gold rush days

[dfwesley · 7/10 · 12 December 2016]

An entertaining film made possible by big stars, John Wayne, Marlene Dietrich, and Randolph Scott. It was difficult to get accustomed to seeing Scott in a villain's role or Samuel S. Hinds, either, for that matter. You kept waiting for them to turn into good guys a little later on. Now one can never remember Percy Halton ever playing anything else but evil, or a grouch, at least. The scene with the three of them plotting and scheming, took me by surprise.

Marlene Dietrich was her usual sultry self that we have come to expect. I hadn't seen Margaret Lindsay in a long while, and I appreciated her good looks and creditable performance.

Did you wonder how Harry Carey could fire that single shot flintlock so rapidly? I don't even recall him loading it either.

Included was one of the longest brawls you can imagine between Scott and Wayne. Scott was evidently knocked out but Wayne emerged bloody but happy in Dietrich's arms, as the film ended.

Colourful Yukon adventure with rough and tumble all the way

[shakercoola · 6/10 · 7 May 2022]

An American Western; A story about a ship captain with a mine claim in Nome, Alaska. He is aided by a saloon-owner who battles an unscrupulous gold commissioner to keep hold of his mine at the height of the gold rush. This is the fourth film adaptation of Rex Beach's 1906 novel. John Wayne gives a commanding performance as the man with right on his side. Spoiler Randolph Scott keeps the tension tight. Marlene Dietrich is striking in brocade evening gowns, bringing huge glamour to the muddy backdrop. It has a fairly implausible saloon brawl as spectacle but this can be forgiven because the story conflict worked. The staging, the costumes, the art direction are all first rate. The performances are strong too for a fairly simple yarn with an uninvolving ending.

star-studded cast, solid but not great movie

[alv790 · 31 December 2020]

This is the fourth time this novel was adapted to film, and there would be one more after it, which goes to show that the story is worthwhile.

The star-studded cast also seems to point in the direction of this being a great movie, but unfortunately it's not quite as good as that. There's something missing. The dialogues are perhaps not as witty as they try to be. Also, be it far from me to judge old movies by the anachronic standards of modern political correctness, but when you see many movies from this time you do get tired of the stereotypical black servants and the no less tropey comical side characters.

Great fist-fight between Randolph Scott and John Wayne, though, and Marlene Dietrich is also good to see, in a role that is rather similar to the one she played in Destry Rides Again a few years before this.

All in all, solid but doesn't take the extra step to become great.

John Wayne vs Randolph Scott

[marthawilcox1831 · 7/10 · 3 August 2014]

This is one of the few films where you see that Randolph Scott can act. The reason being is that he is an antagonist against John Wayne who wins the affections of Marlene Dietrich. Scott is better as an antagonist when he is playing against a good protagonist. Wayne works well with Dietrich because both of them are just class. They worked well together in 'Seven Sinners' previously, but Wayne didn't have a strong enough antagonist to play against. Here Scott steps up to the mark. To demonstrate that Scott makes a better antagonist than protagonist watch 'Pittsburgh' where the roles are reversed. Wayne is the antagonist in that film, and despite how despicable his character is, he still brings class to that role. Whereas Scott is the protagonist is bland.

The performances in this film is far superior to the plot. There are times when the film plods along and drags its feet, but the tension between Wayne and Scott maintains your attention. Scott has a chiselled face with lines engraved in stone which means he looks better as an antagonist than a protagonist.

There is a scene where Wayne looks at Scott and says to him: 'any objections?' The way he delivers that makes it quite clear that he is issuing a challenge to Scott. However, when Jeff Chandler said it to Rory Colhoun in the 1955 remake it was just a dead line. It shows that it's not the writing that makes this film but the performances, and both Wayne and Scott stand out in this film as delivering good performances.

The fight scene at the end is the best fight scene ever delivered in a Wayne film.

I Am Going To Get Me A Gold Mine

[DKosty123 · 7/10 · 11 November 2007]

This is a story about gold mines in Alaska & claim jumping. This Rex Beach work was first done as silent movies in 1914, 1923. In 1930, Gary Cooper did it with sound. Then came this 1942 version which during the war took advantage of star power.

John Wayne & Marlene Deitrich & Randolph Scott are a love triangle & there is even another woman for Wayne to romance. Scott gets to play the heavy who along with a crooked judge try to ace Wayne & his partner out of their gold mine, The Midas. The other woman in Waynes life is part of the bad guys triangle, trying to lure Wayne into a trap. She utters the title line, "We're just spoilers." While I have not seen the other versions, plus 2 more done later in the 1950's, this one is stronger than your typical western because of the talented cast & the tremendous fist fight scene between Wayne & Scott which takes most of the last 10 minutes of the film.

This is the only time that this cast appears together in one film & fans of all three stars have reason to look at this film. It even presents a mild verbal cat fight between Waynes 2 women. Dietrich wins though her hero is pretty badly mauled in the final sequence. She runs a bar-casino in the movie & her tag line is "Anything you can win, you can collect." She says it twice in the movie, & like most movies of this era, you never see the winner collect, it is a stirring part of the imagination.

The dialog is tops, Wayne rather subdued, and Randy Scott is a BAD GUY!

[krdement · 9/10 · 14 July 2007]

This Great Alaskan Western is absolutely fabulous. The dialog alone is worth seeing (yes, seeing) and hearing. The innuendo and double entendre are written beautifully and delivered with crackle. John Wayne is a rather rakish ladies' man and played with much less bravado than typified his later roles. That is wonderful and fun to watch. Yeah, Dietrich played a very similar character in Destry Rides Again, but here she is more sympathetic, and has killer dialog and wardrobe. Seeing Randolph Scott as a charismatic bad guy is also worth the price of admission.

Old silent star, Richard Barthelmess, delivers a nice performance, too, in his supporting role as Dietrich's spurned but loyal suitor and employee. His secretive character, Bronco, really is key. In more run-of-the-mill movies, spurned suitors always side with the bad guys in the mistaken belief that The Hero is their obstacle to happiness. (How predictable is that gambit?) With Bronco you always have that scenario in the back of your mind.

The best scenes all revolve around Dietrich, whether she is being sweet talked by Wayne or Scott. They are both charming, which also is rather unique. Usually the bad guy competitor for the affections of the leading lady in a Western is pretty transparently, well, bad. But Scott manages to make us believe that the law-biding front he maintains for the public is credible - at least to some, but not good ol' Marlene!

I always enjoy seeing Harry Carey in a movie, and this role is particularly neat, since he was one of Wayne's idols. In fact, Randy's cronies are terrific, too. If you are a fan of Westerns, this one is excellent.

Good western with big brawl for the climax...

[Doylenf · 6/10 · 10 November 2007]

Formula stuff, but entertaining story of bad man RANDOLPH SCOTT and good guy JOHN WAYNE brawling in lusty western style over Yukon saloon queen MARLENE DIETRICH in the 1800s, with Dietrich looking like a glamorized queen of the 1940s era. It's a tidy western directed by Ray Enright in good Warner Bros. style.

MARGARET LINDSAY is pretty but merely decorative as Dietrich's rival for Wayne and RICHARD BARTHELMESS is shockingly aged looking as Dietrich's admirer. He's the one with the boyish good looks who began films in the silent period. You have to wonder what happened to him at 47.

It's a pretty thin story with a very predictable finish. As the bad guy, RANDOLPH SCOTT is stuck with a badly written role which has him assuming a wicked gleam in his eye and a sly grin--but that's about the extent of his characterization. JOHN WAYNE has much more to work with and he fills the role to a T. Both men appear to be in their physical prime, as does Miss Dietrich.

At any moment, I expected saloon queen Dietrich to do either a dance hall number or belt out a song in her own inimitable style, but no such thing. She has a straight dramatic role and never looks anything less than ultra glamorous or stunning throughout with never a hair out of place. The men have the tough roles and the big brawl at the conclusion must have kept the two stunt men busy earning their pay.

I is getting' mighty tired pretending Eskimos are from Virginia.

[lastliberal · 8/10 · 23 May 2007]

The John Wayne Marathon continues into the 14th hour with a whole boatload of interesting characters in a story about the gold rush in Alaska.

Wayne gets third billing in this movie to Marlene Dietrich and Randolph Scott. Dietrich plays a jealous girlfriend and Scott is the new dude in town that is muscling in.

Margaret Lindsay plays the new girl in town after Wayne's heart. Harry Carey is Wayne's partner.

This is at least the 4th version of this story and it won't be the last. A tale of gold mining, claim jumping, saloon, muddy streets, brawls and fancy women will always be in style.

Hang on to your hat and enjoy another Wayne classic.

Sentimental Taffy and Hard Boiled Eggs

[Maniac_In_Black · 6/10 · 9 March 2022]

While the first half hour seems to be filled with almost too much unnecessary dialog, I found myself enjoying the slow burn of it as the plot heated up. Regardless, everyone plays their part quite well and at no time did I have trouble believing motives or actions. A few memorable moments: Dietrich sheds some tears, John Wayne in drag.. and the bar fight scene. Worth a watch if you're a fan of westerns, Dietrich or Wayne.

Vigorous Wayne, ordinary picture

[cutter-12 · 5/10 · 17 May 2005]

One of Universal's A cast B movies of the golden era that never even tries to elevate the material or challenge the actors. Strictly a ham and eggs Northern Western, with a few notable condiments. It's always fun to see John Wayne throwing his fists around, and the climactic knuckle-fest, aside from the embarrassingly obvious stand-in for Randolph Scott in the full shots, won't disappoint fans of cinematic saloon brawls. Also, good to watch a young Wayne playing scenes with one of his mentors, old western legend Harry Carey. But the script is one dimensional, Dietrich and Scott are collecting a paycheck, and a few moments of unfortunate racial humor don't reflect well in this day and age. Unless you must see everything John Wayne or Dietrich ever made, skipping this one won't cause you much harm.