RANDOLPH SCOTT: The Paramount Years, 1932-1938

Even knowing Randolph Scott was one of the highlights of my career...There has never been such a complete gentleman in the long history of the motion picture business ... Randy was also the most unselfish star I have ever met.  -- Budd Boetticher in the foreword of Last of the Cowboy Heroes by Robert Nott

THE VIRGINIAN (Paramount, 1929), one of the first sound Westerns, was a significant one for several reasons: 1) it starred young Gary Cooper who was developing into one of the best actors in the business; 2) it featured an able supporting cast headed by the consummate actor Walter Huston (his film debut) and Richard Arlen; 3) the story was based on a famous novel by Owen Wister; and 4) it was directed by Victor Fleming, with assistance from Henry Hathaway. In 1939, Fleming would direct GONE WITH THE WIND (MGM) and Hathaway later became one of the more famous directors of Western films.

But one of the more significant aspects of the film is not readily apparent. A young native Virginian, attempting to break into movies, was hired by the producer to serve as voice coach for Cooper.  He also appeared in the film as an unbilled extra.  It was Randolph Scott's first Western role.  He and Hathaway would ride the same trail many times in the next few years.

He was born George Randolph Scott in 1898 (or 1903; dates vary) in Orange County, Virginia, but grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina. His father was a textile executive and his mother was a member of a wealthy North Carolina family. Both parents were direct descendants of Virginia settlers.

He studied the textile business at Georgia Institute of Technology (later Georgia Tech) but sustained an injury while playing football. He then transferred to the University of North Carolina where he graduated with a degree in textiles and manufacturing.

The textile business held little or no interest for Scott and as he approached age thirty, he headed west to California, armed with a letter of introduction from his father to a slight acquaintance who was dabbling in the movie business, a fellow by the name of Howard Hughes. With Hughes' aid Scott landed several bit parts as an extra, all uncredited, but was finally cast as the male lead in WOMEN MEN MARRY (1931).

He then signed a seven-year contract with Paramount.  At first the studio didn't quite know how to utilize the actor after signing him.  After all, it had Gary Cooper for Westerns, Cary Grant for romantic leads, and Buster Crabbe for "B" features.

Reportedly, author Will James wanted Scott to star in his autobiography, which was to be filmed by Paramount.  Unfortunately for Scott, since the story would have provided him with an ideal vehicle, the deal fell through.

Finally, Paramount gave him a starring role, the first of many, many starring roles in Western films.  It was HERITAGE OF THE DESERT (1932), with a script adapted from the Zane Grey novel. Henry Hathaway made his directorial debut on the film. 



From 1932 to 1935, Scott starred in ten Paramount Westerns based on Grey's novels .  The first six were directed by Hathaway, the first of several accomplished directors to associate themselves with Scott during his career.

These Paramount films were not A-Westerns, nor medium-budget Westerns (what could be labelled A minus or B plus Westerns), but B-Westerns that looked more expensive than they were.  The illusion was created by the studio's practice of intercutting footage, panoramic vistas, and some non-action long shots from its Jack Holt silent series that had been filmed at much greater expense. Consequently, Scott and the other actors wore costumes and rode horses that matched the stock footage and, whenever possible, actors from the silent series were cast in the same roles in the Scott films.

Other studios often used stock footage as well. For example, Warner Brothers spliced silent footage from their Ken Maynard films into their John Wayne and Dick Foran series that were produced during the '30's.  But no studio ever utilized stock footage to the degree that Paramount did in the Scott films.

HERITAGE OF THE DESERT, despite its melodramatic plot (after all, it was a Zane Grey story), proved to critics that Scott was a natural actor who could deliver the goods in the Western genre, and that his future was a bright one.  The supporting cast included Sally Blane (sister of Loretta Young) as the heroine, David Landau as the chief villain, as well as Guinn "Big Boy" Williams and J. Farrell MacDonald.  

WILD HORSE MESA (1932) is one of the better entries in the series.  Scott again filled the lead role that belonged to Jack Holt in the studio's silent version.



1932

1925

Fred Kohler was cast as the villain, a dastardly individual who trapped wild horses by using barbed wire, a role that had belonged to Noah Beery in the silent version.  Sally Blane was again the leading lady.  Hathaway as usual utilized silent footage for the action sequences and emphasized characterization and character relationships in the new footage.

MAN OF THE FOREST (1933) was a superior entry, if for no other reason than its stellar cast that included Harry Carey, Buster Crabbe, Verna Hillie, Big Boy Williams, and, as the villain, Noah Beery.

If one were forced to choose the best of the series, it might be TO THE LAST MAN (1933).

Directed by Hathaway, the film was adapted from one of Grey's better novels. The story was based on the historic Tonto Basin, Arizona range war of 1887, a conflict involving cattlemen and sheepmen. Appearing in an uncredited role was little Miss Shirley Temple, making her film debut at age four.

While starring in the Zane Grey series, Scott was also appearing in non-Westerns, but not in any that served to advance his career.  He even found himself cast in two Astaire-Rogers musicals.

His most prestigous role during this period was in King Vidor's SO RED THE ROSE (Paramount, 1935).  Although Scott received some favorable critical notices, the film, with a plot similar to the later GONE WITH THE WIND, did not.  It not only failed artistically, but also financially, leading one studio executive to dub it SO RED THE INK!

By 1935, Scott had completed the Zane Grey series with ROCKY MOUNTAIN MYSTERY.  The following year he received his initial starring role in an A-Western, THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, while on loan-out to United Artists.  Directed by George B. Seitz, it is one of the best of many screen versions of the James Fenimore Cooper novel -- which is hardly worth boasting about since most of them have not been good.  That is to be expected, I suppose, since Cooper was not a very good writer. 

Scott is the white hunter Hawkeye and Robert Barrat is his faithful Indian companion, Chingachgook.  Also in the cast is Binnie Barnes, Heather Angel, and Bruce Cabot.

In 1938, after appearing in several more Paramount features, Scott completed his contract with the studio by starring in James Hogan's THE TEXANS, his second starring role in an A-Western.  The remake of NORTH OF '36, based on Emerson Hough's novel about post-Civil War Texas, was not a successful effort.  An epic about the opening of the Chisholm Trail, the origins of the Ku Klux Klan, and the transcontinental railroad should be anything but dull -- but this one was.

Despite an excellent cast headed by Joan Bennett and Scott, with support from May Robson, Walter Brennan, Robert Cummings, and Raymond Hatton, the film clumsily failed as a result of having its continuity disjointed by an even greater reliance on stock footage from the Jack Holt silent version than had been true in the Zane Grey series.

Scott's career, however, was about to receive a big boost.  He reached an important decision when he signed a non-exclusive contract with Darryl Zanuck and 20th Century Fox.  As a result, he would be cast in several deluxe Westerns during the late '30's and early '40's.

TO BE CONTINUED ----- 

TOP 21 FAVORITE WESTERNS -- WESTERN UNION

#6

WESTERN UNION (Fox, 1941)



The poster indicates that Robert Young is the star, but the movie indicates that he isn't.

DIRECTOR: Fritz Lang;  ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: Harry Joe Brown;  EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Darryl F. Zanuck;  WRITER: Robert Carson from novel by Zane Grey;  CAMERA: Edward Cronjager and Allen M. Davey

CAST: Robert Young, Randolph Scott, Dean Jagger, Virginia Gilmore, John Carradine, Slim Summerville, Chill Wills, Barton MacLane, Russell Hicks, Victor Killian, Minor Watson, George Chandler, Chief John Big Tree, Chief Thundercloud, Addison Richards, Irving Bacon, Iron Eyes Cody, Francis Ford, Tom London, Reed Howes, Eddy Waller


THE PLOT.
WESTERN UNION is an old-fashioned epic told in the grand style.  But who said there was anything wrong with that?  

It begins with Vance Shaw (Randolph Scott) fleeing from a posse and riding through a buffalo herd and concludes with an interesting twist and an extremely well-staged gunfight, not to mention that in-between a huge fire engulfs and destroys the telegraph expedition's construction site.

It is the story of the stringing of the telegraph between Omaha and Salt Lake City and all the obstacles encountered in doing so.  There are the Indians who disapprove and white outlaws who steal the company's livestock and sells it back to the company.  Not only that, the outlaws dress as Indians, give the Indians firewater, and prod them into attacking the construction crews.

Edward Creighton (Dean Jagger) is the chief engineer and surveyor in charge of the Western Union effort.  He hires Vance Shaw to be his troubleshooter.  He knows that Shaw has a shady past, but since Shaw has done him a good deed he thinks the outlaw possesses the qualities that deserve a fresh start.

Robert Young is Richard Blake, a brash young Eastern tenderfoot sent West to serve as one of Creighton's assistants.  He got the job because his father made a nice financial contribution to the company.  But the tenderfoot is made of sterner stuff than first appearances would dictate and after several false starts he wins his spurs.

The Old West was hard on women and Western movies could be as well.  Virginia Gilmore as Creighton's sister is along as window dressing and to add a romantic angle in which Shaw and Blake compete for her attention.  We have seen this before and it doesn't add much to the story.



(L-R) Chill Wills, Dean Jagger, Randolph Scott, Robert Young

TRUE OR FALSE?
There was a real Edward Creighton.  He was in charge of stringing the telegraph from Omaha to Salt Lake City.  His memory is much honored in that part of the country as indicated by the fact that Creighton University in Omaha is named in his honor.  The other characters in the story are fictitious.

But did Creighton and Western Union have to fight outlaws and Indians in order to complete its mission?  In a word, no. 

The movie is billed as Zane Grey's WESTERN UNION and is purportedly based on the last novel written by the prolific novelist.  Supposedly it was published just three days before his death.  

The novel does exist but some claim that it was written after the screenplay.  It doesn't really matter.

As in so many other cases Grey's name exists as a brand name used in advertising to attract customers.  More times than not the only elements of his stories to make it into the films are the title and a few of the principal characters.



Zane Grey

After the director, Fritz Lang, agreed to take on the film and after he received a copy of the script he re-wrote it in order to inject some historical accuracy.  The producers rejected his efforts.  It was more accurate but it was too dull.

Here's what Lang had to say in a later interview: "In reality nothing happened during the whole building of the line except they ran out of wood for the telegraph poles."

So there was no resistance on the part of the Indians, there was no thievery and skulduggery by white outlaws and they didn't provoke the Indians into attacking the line?  

Well, then it was a good thing the director didn't get his way.  The real story would have been one dull Western. 



Fritz Lang

THE CAST.
Robert Young received top billing in the film, but he is not the star.  That would be Randolph Scott as the good-badman, Vance Shaw. And it may very well be his best performance, even surpassing his more acclaimed roles in the Boetticher films and RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY (MGM, 1962).

Scott had been starring in low-budget A-Westerns such as FRONTIER MARSHAL (Fox, 1939) and WHEN THE DALTONS RODE (Universal, 1940) or co-starring in more prestigious films such as JESSE JAMES (Fox, 1939, Tyrone Power and Henry Fonda) and VIRGINIA CITY (WB, 1940, Errol Flynn).

WESTERN UNION should have led to bigger and better things for the actor, but it didn't work out that way.  He went back to the same kinds of roles that had been given to him before.

But he built a following and became a popular performer probably because people knew what to expect in a Scott film and they were rarely disappointed.  And occasionally films such as CORONER CREEK (Columbia, 1948) and MAN IN THE SADDLE (Columbia, 1951) would rise above the norm.

Many of the films would be produced by Harry Joe Brown, one of the producers on WESTERN UNION, and during that period the producer and actor would form their own production company to produce the Scott films.

Then came SEVEN MEN FROM NOW (Batjac/WB, 1956), the first of the Boetticher films, and Scott finally received the long overdue praise that he deserved for his acting.

Reportedly Don Ameche and Lloyd Nolan were original choices for the Young and Scott roles, respectively.  Ameche would have been acceptable, but if Nolan had been cast rather than Scott the result would have been a different film -- an inferior one -- and it would not have made my list of favorites. Nolan was a good actor in the right role, but he also is on my list of actors who should have never been cast in Westerns.  



Randolph Scott as Vance Shaw dominates WESTERN UNION

Dean Jagger's breakthrough role occurred in 1940 when he was cast in the title role in BRIGHAM YOUNG -- FRONTIERSMAN (Fox).  He would go on to become one of Hollywood's most dependable supporting actors and would win an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in TWELVE O'CLOCK HIGH (Fox, 1949).  He is very good as a sincere and dedicated straight arrow, Edward Creighton.

Robert Young is also on my list of actors who should never have been cast in a Western.  However, in this one he portrays an Eastern tenderfoot and that's exactly what he appears to be.  His top billing is misleading since his role ranks behind that of both Scott and Jagger.

Virginia Gilmore doesn't have much to do in this film and it is a role that any actress chosen by lot could have filled.  Three years later she married Yul Brynner, which was a role I suppose that not just anybody could fill.

Barton MacLane was always more believable as an Eastern gangster than a Western outlaw, but he does okay as the chief villain, Jack Slade. 

Chill Wills, as Homer Kettle (great name), is well-cast as a rough, uncouth assistant to Creighton who has fun giving the tenderfoot a hard time -- but not as hard a time as the one he eventually experiences.

Slim Summerville as a cowardly cook is on hand for comedy.  A little Slim Summerville goes a long way and we get way too much in this film.

John Carradine is Doc Murdoch and he gives one of his patented oddball performances.  Apparently, the role was orignally intended for B-Western sidekick Gabby Hayes, who had to drop out due to illness.

Native Americans were rarely treated kindly in the Westerns of this era -- and this one is no exception.  Here they are child like and easily manipulated by bad men for bad purposes and by good men for good purposes.  

Iron Eyes Cody (who really wasn't an Indian, but that's another story) is briefly seen as a drunken Indian. 

Receiving more screen time is Victor Daniels, a Cherokee whose screen name was Chief Thundercloud.  He is the chief's son who is drunk on the white man's firewater and thus is out of control and is foolishly wounded by the tenderfoot.  

Daniels is best known as the screen's original Tonto in Republic's two Lone Ranger serials released in 1938 and 1939, respectively.


Tonto (Chief Thundercloud) and the Masked Man



Chief John Big Tree as Pony-That-Walks in John Ford's SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON (Argosy/RKO, 1949)

The chief is portrayed by Chief John Big Tree, a member of the Seneca tribe.  He became a member of John Ford's stock company and had roles in THE IRON HORSE (1924) and STAGECOACH (1939), and most prominently in DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK (1939) and SHE WORE A YELLOW RIBBON (1949).    

THE DIRECTOR.
Frederich Christian Anton Lang, better known as Fritz,

was born in Vienna in 1890.  That and the fact that he was one of the founding fathers of film noir would appear to combine to make him an unusual choice to direct a Western.  He directed only three and one, WESTERN UNION, is a classic. That's not a bad average.

His others were THE RETURN OF FRANK JAMES (Fox, 1940) and RANCHO NOTORIOUS (RKO, 1952).  The first is a totally fictitious account  of Frank's actions after the assassination of his brother.  It isn't a bad film.  RANCHO NOTORIOUS has its partisans, but I don't see it.  For one thing, the three leads -- Marlene Dietrich, Arthur Kennedy, and Mel Ferrer -- are all on my list of people who should never have been cast in a Western.

LOCATIONS AND PHOTOGRAPHY.
WESTERN UNION is beautifully filmed in glorious Technicolor by cinematographers Cronjager and Davey, which is one of the film's strong suits.  They take full advantage of the rugged vistas provided by Horse Rock Canyon in Arizona and especially Zion National Park and the area around Kanab, Utah.

******
REVIEWS

"Randolph Scott, an ex-outlaw who joins the expedition as a scout turns in a strong persuasive characterization." -- Variety

"Despite its dated drawbacks, WESTERN UNION remains a grand entertainment, probably the best of the epics of the period....Scott's performance...is exemplary -- possibly his best before RIDE THE HIGH COUNTRY -- and the usually heavy-handed Lang directs with deft levity." -- Brian Garfield in Western Film: A Complete Guide

"Fritz Lang tells a straight, tense, lusty story with an almost naive enthusiasm, and the film's large budget pays off in the unsurpassed Utah scenery that's present in abundance." -- Steven H. Scheuer

"...Randolph Scott...shapes one of the truest and most appreciable characters of his career....Any way you take it WESTERN UNION is spectacular screen entertainment." -- Bosley Crowther in The New York Times