"This is one of those history lesson films that tell us an interesting story about the expansion of this country, the failure of the US Post Office to meet the demands for communication in the rapidly expanding country of the 1840s and of the rise of the famed courier service, sort of a modern UPS. Joel McCrea plays one of the early riders, who becomes a stalwart supporter and defender of the rapid expansion theories and in the course of his dedication and absence from home, loses his marriage, redeemed only in the last reel. It's a very interesting film, well done and well played. It received an Oscar nom for Sound, but did not deserve it - instead it did deserve a nod in the Art Direction category, but failed to get it. Most available prints are the 97 minute edited versions - original release was 20 minutes longer. Certainly a good solid film and worthy of a look." - Arne Anderson Directed by Frank Lloyd Writing credits Gerald Geraghty Frederick J. Jackson Cast (in credits order)verified as complete Joel McCrea .... Ramsay MacKay Bob Burns .... Hank York (a wanderer) Frances Dee .... Justine Pryor MacKay Lloyd Nolan .... Dal Slade Henry O'Neill .... Henry Wells Mary Nash .... Mrs. Pryor Ralph Morgan .... Mr. Nicholas Pryor Johnny Mack Brown .... Talbot Carter Porter Hall .... James Oliver Jack Clark .... William Fargo Clarence Kolb .... John Butterfield Robert Cummings .... Dan Trimball (a prospector) Granville Bates .... Mr. Bradford (banker) Harry Davenport .... Mr. Ingalls (banker) Frank Conroy .... Mr. Ward (banker) Brandon Tynan .... Mr. Edwards (newspaper publisher) Peggy Stewart .... Alice MacKay Bernard Siegel .... Pawnee Stanley Fields .... Abe (prospector) Jane Dewey .... Lucy Dorsett Trimball Frank McGlynn Sr. .... President Abraham Lincoln (as Frank McGlynn) Sheila Darcy .... Lola Montez (as Rebecca Wassem) rest of cast listed alphabetically: Ernie Adams .... Miner (uncredited) Erville Alderson .... Marshal Sam (uncredited) Richard Allen .... Bit (uncredited) Billy Arnold .... (uncredited) Sam Ash .... Man with Beaver Hat (uncredited) Gertrude Astor .... (uncredited) Frank Austin .... Toothless Miner (uncredited) Arthur Aylesworth .... Southern Orator (uncredited) Jack Baxley .... Knick-Knack Vendor (uncredited) Scotty Beckett .... Young Nick Pryor (uncredited) Joseph E. Bernard .... Customer (uncredited) Barlowe Borland .... Scottish Passenger (uncredited) Wade Boteler .... Ship captain (uncredited) Edward Brady .... Prospector (uncredited) Henry Brandon .... Larry (uncredited) Charles Brinley .... Gambler (uncredited) Fritzi Brunette .... Pioneer Woman (uncredited) Hal Budlong .... (uncredited) Ray Burgess .... First Fargo Rider (uncredited) Tom Burke .... Bit (uncredited) James P. Burtis .... Portly Gentleman (uncredited) George Burton .... Bit (uncredited) Marie Burton .... Girl (uncredited) Jimmy Butler .... Nick Pryor Jr. (uncredited) Arthur S. Byron .... Townsman (uncredited) Lane Chandler .... Tom (Wells Fargo messenger) (uncredited) Spencer Charters .... Jethro (an old Confederate) (uncredited) Ethel Clayton .... (uncredited) Shirley Coates .... Alice at 10 years old (uncredited) Irene Coleman .... (uncredited) D'Arcy Corrigan .... Preacher (uncredited) Ronnie Cosby .... Ramsay MacKay Jr. (uncredited) Hal Craig .... Southerner (uncredited) Nell Craig .... (uncredited) Richard Cramer .... Miner (uncredited) Thomas A. Curran .... Bit (uncredited) Jack Curtis .... Bit (uncredited) Sidney D'Albrook .... Townsman (uncredited) Helen Davis .... Bit (uncredited) Hal K. Dawson .... Ormsby (correspondent) (uncredited) Lillian Dean .... Bit (uncredited) Richard Denning .... Bit (uncredited) Helen Dickson .... Boy's mother (uncredited) Mike Donovan .... Miner (uncredited) Lester Dorr .... (uncredited) Lowell Drew .... Townsman (uncredited) Fritzi Dugan .... (uncredited) Eddie Dunn .... Ed Slocum (stagecoach driver) (uncredited) David Durand .... Alex Trimball (uncredited) Edward Earle .... Mr. Padden (uncredited) Dora Early .... Pioneer Woman (uncredited) Oliver Eckhardt .... Townsman (uncredited) Fern Emmett .... Mrs. Jenkins (uncredited) Frank Erickson .... Southerner (uncredited) Ann Evers .... Bit (uncredited) Martin Faust .... (uncredited) Al Ferguson .... Southerner (uncredited) Arthur Foster .... Confederate Captain (uncredited) Willie Fung .... Wang (MacKay's servant) (uncredited) Barney Furey .... Bandit (uncredited) Norah Gale .... Girl (uncredited) Chester Gan .... Chinese Workman (uncredited) Jack Gardner .... Clerk (uncredited) Joe Gilbert .... Practical Telegraph Operator (uncredited) Gus Glassmire .... (uncredited) June Glory .... Bit (uncredited) George Guhl .... Passenger (uncredited) Earl Gunn .... (uncredited) Harriette Haddon .... Girl (uncredited) Charles Haefeli .... Gambler (uncredited) Sherry Hall .... Clerk (uncredited) Beth Hartman .... (uncredited) Harry Hayden .... Postal clerk (uncredited) Dell Henderson .... Customer (uncredited) Ben Hendricks Jr. .... Sailor (uncredited) Charles Herzinger .... Wagon Train Driver (uncredited) Herbert Heywood .... Bartender (uncredited) Mitchell Ingraham .... Barber (uncredited) Dolly Jarvis .... Bit (uncredited) Darby Jones .... Black Man (uncredited) Edward Keane .... Secretary of the Treasury Salmon Chase (uncredited) Hazel Keener .... (uncredited) Gwen Kenyon .... Girl (uncredited) Philip Kieffer .... Top Sergeant (uncredited) Stanley King .... (uncredited) Paul Kruger .... Coachman (uncredited) Jerry Larkin .... Southerner (uncredited) Edward LeSaint .... Doctor (uncredited) Bert Lindley .... Townsman (uncredited) Lucien Littlefield .... San Francisco Postmaster (uncredited) Jean Lorraine .... Bit (uncredited) George Magrill .... Northerner (uncredited) Alphonse Martell .... Headwaiter (uncredited) Joyce Mathews .... Girl (uncredited) Eric Mayne .... (uncredited) Charles McAvoy .... Miner (uncredited) Ralph McCullough .... Clerk (uncredited) Robert McKenzie .... U.S. Postmaster, Batabia (uncredited) Mary Mersch .... Pioneer Woman (uncredited) Frank Mills .... (uncredited) Bruce Mitchell .... Miner (uncredited) Howard M. Mitchell .... Bit (uncredited) Monte Montague .... Prospector (uncredited) Bert Moorhouse .... Clerk (uncredited) Philip Morris .... Bart (express driver) (uncredited) Ferdinand Munier .... Mr. Langley (uncredited) Forbes Murray .... (uncredited) Louis Natheaux .... Jonathan (proprietor) (uncredited) Babs Nelson .... Alice at 6 years old (uncredited) David Newell .... (uncredited) Paul Newlan .... Zachary 'Zeke' Martin (uncredited) William H. O'Brien .... Headwaiter (uncredited) Robert Emmett O'Connor .... Sea Captain (uncredited) George Ovey .... Townsman (uncredited) Carol Parker .... Girl (uncredited) Franklin Parker .... Reporter (uncredited) Lew Payton .... Sam (Pryor's butler) (uncredited) Vester Pegg .... Fargo Rider (uncredited) Jack Perrin .... (uncredited) Grant Peters .... Bit (uncredited) Lee Phelps .... Printer (uncredited) Hal Price .... Townsman (uncredited) Suzanne Rhoades .... Bit (uncredited) Cyril Ring .... (uncredited) Julian Rivero .... Candy vendor (uncredited) Buddy Roosevelt .... First Lieutenant (uncredited) Alma Ross .... Girl (uncredited) Art Rowlands .... (uncredited) Oscar Rudolph .... (uncredited) Dick Rush .... Conductor (uncredited) Francis Sayles .... Townsman (uncredited) Cy Schindell .... (uncredited) Harry Semels .... (uncredited) Allen D. Sewall .... Northerner (uncredited) Kathryn Sheldon .... Captain's Wife (uncredited) Charles Sherlock .... (uncredited) Ernest Shields .... (uncredited) Lee Shumway .... Townsman (uncredited) Gertrude Simpson .... Plump townswoman (uncredited) Pietro Sosso .... (uncredited) Harry Stafford .... Dinsmore (uncredited) Dorothy Stevens .... Bit (uncredited) Bob Stevenson .... Southerner (uncredited) Tom Stevenson .... Bit (uncredited) Harry Strang .... (uncredited) Al Sullivan .... Southerner (uncredited) Charles Sullivan .... Northerner (uncredited) Danny Sullivan .... Northerner (uncredited) Elliott Sullivan .... (uncredited) Bernard Suss .... Bearded Man (uncredited) Dorothy Tennant .... Mrs. Ward (uncredited) Jerry Tucker .... Boy (uncredited) Archie Twitchell .... Man with Paper (uncredited) Tom Ung .... Chinese Brickmason (uncredited) Monte Vandergrift .... Sailor (uncredited) Clare Verdera .... Mrs. Edwards (uncredited) Emmett Vogan .... Merchant (uncredited) Wally Wales .... (uncredited) Ruth Warren .... Mrs. Andrews (uncredited) Blue Washington .... Coachman (uncredited) Dorothy White .... Girl (uncredited) Gloria Williams .... (uncredited) Florence Wix .... (uncredited) Freeman Wood .... Bit (uncredited) Harry Woods .... Timekeeper (uncredited) Runtime: Country: USA Language: English Color: Black and White Sound Mix: Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording) Certification: Finland:K-16 plain packaging
