Canadian Pacific ** (1949, Randolph Scott, Jane Wyatt, Nancy Olson, J Carrol Naish, Victor Jory, Robert Barrat) – Classic Movie Review 8,950

The solid, busy 1949 Western movie Canadian Pacific stars an ideal Randolph Scott as a railroad surveyor who discovers the pass through the Rockies, fights Indians and battles a trapper-boss (Victor Jory).

Director Edwin L Marin’s solid, busy, sometimes impressive minor 1949 Cinecolor Western movie Canadian Pacific tells the story of the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway. It stars an ideal Randolph Scott as manly railroad surveyor Tom Andrews, who discovers the pass through the Rockies, fights Indians and battles trapper-boss bad guy Dirk Rourke (Victor Jory), all of whom are trying to stop rail progress for their own supposedly selfish reasons.

Meanwhile Tom Andrews still finds time to romance both a nice lady doctor, the construction camp medic Dr Edith Cabot (Jane Wyatt), and the wayward Cecille Gautier (Nancy Olson). Also notable in the cast, J Carrol Naish plays Dynamite Dawson and Robert Barrat plays railroad boss Cornelius Van Horne.

The redoubtable Scott, the Rockies location filming, the film’s visual sweep and the action sequences make it worthwhile. However, as an attempt to retell these real-life events it hardly gets started with such a fanciful script based on a story by Jack DeWitt. But then, hey, after all this isn’t a history lesson.

Also in the cast are Walter Sande, Don Haggerty, Grandon Rhodes, Mary Kent, John Parrish, John Hamilton, Richard Wessel [Dick Wessel], and Howard Negley.

It is shot in the Canadian Rockies in Banff National Park, Morley Indian Reserve in Alberta, and Yoho National Park in British Columbia, 

Canadian Pacific is directed by Edwin L Marin, runs 94 minutes, is made by Nat Holt Productions, is released by 20th Century Fox, is written by Jack DeWitt and Kenneth Gamet, based on a story by Jack DeWitt, is shot in Cinecolor by Fred Jackman Jr, is produced by Nat Holt, and is scored by Dimitri Tiomkin.

Release date: May 19, 1949 (New York City).

Nancy Olson was born on 14 July 1928.

Scott was 51 but his love interest Nancy Olson was only 21. Olson was signed to a film contract by Paramount Pictures in 1948 and Canadian Pacific was her first big role. Born on 14 July 1928, she was Oscar nominated as Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Sunset Blvd (1950).

Nancy Olson retired from acting in the mid-1980s, although she appeared in Flubber (1997) and Dumbbells (2014).

Randolph Scott (1898–1987) was one of the most popular Western stars but retired to enjoy his enormous wealth after Ride the High Country (1962).

Jane Wyatt (August 12, 1910 – October 20, 2006).

The cast are: Randolph Scott as Tom Andrews, Jane Wyatt as Dr Edith Cabot, J Carrol Naish as Dynamite Dawson, Victor Jory as Dirk Rourke, Nancy Olson as Cecille Gautier, Robert  Barrat as Cornelius Van Horne, Walter Sande as Mike Brannigan, Grandon Rhodes as Dr Mason, Don Haggerty as Cagle, John Parrish as Mr Gautier, Mary Kent as Mrs Gautier, John Hamilton as Pere Lacombe, Howard Negley as Mallis, Dick Wessel as Bailey.

© Derek Winnert 2019 Classic Movie Review 8,950

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