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  • This 'making of' documentary is probably not worth watching unless you also watch "Westward the Women"--as the short concerns the production of this Robert Taylor western epic. However, fortunately, Turner Classic Movies chose to show this immediately before this full-length film--great timing. I hope in the future they'll continue to combine the two films like this.

    Much of what I found interesting is the process the studio took to recreate a western town in the middle of nowhere. The dynamiting, the huge logistical difficulties and the stunts are all talked about in this short.

    Now if you are looking to hear from the stars of the film, you are out of luck. The stars are shown again and again in the short but it's all narrated--with no actual interview with the actors--just silent film clips of the behind the scenes goings on during the production. This is neither good nor bad but might be disappointed if you are looking for an interview with the folks.

    Overall, it's well worth seeing but not a must-see. The behind the scenes information is interesting but also highly scripted and sanitized. I wanted to see a few clips of Taylor getting drunk or director Wellman dancing about naked--something you really are NOT meant to see!
  • Warning: Spoilers
    Dry and droll. This shortie from MGM talks about the challenges of filming a movie out in the middle of nowhere. Highlighting the stars and their antics, Debbie Reynolds narrates as we see the transport trucks and the actors, cameras, and boom equipment move around in the hot desert. The weird thing is that Reynolds wasn't even in the movie being highlighted... I guess they were just using her to narrate, as she was just getting started with the studio. They show Robert Taylor, clowning around, and the difficulties of communicating in very large outdoor locations. Thank goodness the film Westward the Women is actually a lot more interesting than this. Watch the film being highlighted but skip this little shortie. They show "Westward" on Turner Classics pretty often. A real adventure film.