The Far Country (1954) - The John Wayne Message Board (JWMB) (2024)

Information from IMDb

Plot Summary
In 1896, Jeff Webster sees the start of the Klondike gold rush as a golden opportunity
to make a fortune in beef...and woe betide anyone standing in his way!
He drives a cattle herd from Wyoming to Seattle, by ship to Skagway,
and (after a delay caused by larcenous town boss Gannon) through the mountains to Dawson.
There, he and his partner Ben Tatum get into the gold business themselves.
Two lovely women fall for misanthropic Jeff, but he believes in every-man-for-himself,
turning his back on growing lawlessness...until it finally strikes home.
Written by Rod Crawford

Full Cast
James Stewart... Jeff Webster
Ruth Roman... Ronda Castle
Corinne Calvet... Renee Vallon
Walter Brennan... Ben Tatum
John McIntire... Gannon
Jay C. Flippen... Rube
Harry Morgan... Ketchum (as Henry Morgan)
Steve Brodie... Ives
Connie Gilchrist... Hominy
Robert J. Wilke... Madden (as Robert Wilke)
Chubby Johnson... Dusty
Royal Dano... Luke
Jack Elam... Newberry
Kathleen Freeman... Grits
Connie Van... Molasses
Gregg Barton... Rounds (uncredited)
Robert Bice... Miner (uncredited)
Eugene Borden... Doc Vallon (uncredited)
Andy Brennan... Man (uncredited)
Paul Bryar... Sheriff Walters (uncredited)
Dick Dickinson... Miner (uncredited)
John Doucette... Miner Who Spills Gold Dust (uncredited)
Angeline Engler... Mrs. Kingman (uncredited)
Robert Foulk... Const. Kingman (uncredited)
Terry Frost... Joe Merin (uncredited)
John Halloran... Bartender (uncredited)
Carl Harbaugh... Sourdough (uncredited)
Don C. Harvey... Tom Kane (uncredited)
Gina Holland... Girl (uncredited)
James W. Horan... Miner (uncredited)
Donald Kerr... Barfly at the Castle Dawson (uncredited)
John Mackin... Miner (uncredited)
Ted Mapes... Deputy (uncredited)
Frank Mills... Barfly at the Castle Dawson (uncredited)
Damian O'Flynn... Second Mate on Riverboat Chinook (uncredited)
Eddie Parker... Carson (uncredited)
Stuart Randall... Capt. Benson (uncredited)
Allan Ray... Bosun on Riverboat Chinook (uncredited)
Chuck Roberson... Latigo (uncredited)
Paul Savage... Miner (uncredited)
Marjorie Stapp... Girl (uncredited)
Dick Taylor... Miner (uncredited)
Eddy Waller... Yukon Sam (uncredited)
Guy Wilkerson... Tanana Pete (uncredited)
Jack Williams... Shep (uncredited)
William J. Williams... Gant (uncredited)

Writing Credits
Borden Chase (story and screenplay)

Original Music
Henry Mancini (uncredited)
Hans J. Salter (uncredited)
Frank Skinner (uncredited)
Herman Stein (uncredited)

Cinematography
William H. Daniels

Trivia
One of James Stewart's favorite stories of his film career concerned his horse, Pie, a sorrel stallion whom Stewart called, "One of the best co-stars I ever had." Pie appeared as Stewart's horse in 17 Westerns, and the actor developed a strong personal bond with the horse. Pie was very intelligent, Stewart recalled, and would often "act for the cameras when they were rolling. He was a ham of a horse." When shooting the climax of "The Far Country," the script called for Stewart's horse to walk down a dark street alone, with no rider in the saddle, to fool the bad guys who were waiting to ambush Stewart. Assistant Director John Sherwood asked Stewart if Pie would be able to do the scene. Stewart replied, "I'll talk to him." Just before the cameras rolled, Stewart took Pie aside and whispered to the horse for several minutes, giving him instructions for the scene. When Stewart let the horse go, Pie walked perfectly down the middle of the street, doing the scene in one take. When Pie died in 1970, Stewart arranged to have the horse buried at his California ranch.

The Finnish title of this film is "Seikkailijoiden luvattu maa", meaning "The Promised Land of Adventurers" in English.

Goofs
Continuity
The distance between Jeff's hand and his six-shooter on the bar between shots.

Factual errors
The film takes place in 1896. Ronda Castle contracts Jeff Webster to drive her caravan until Dawson, Canada. Nevertheless, that Canadian miner town-site was named Dawson only in January 1897

Memorable Quotes

Filming Locations
Athabasca Glacier, Alberta, Canada
Jasper National Park, Alberta, Canada

Watch the Trailer

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The Far Country is a 1954 American Western romance film directed by Anthony Mann
and starring James Stewart, Ruth Roman, and Walter Brennan.
Written by Borden Chase, the film is about a self-minded adventurer who locks horns
with a crooked lawman while driving cattle to Dawson. It is one of the few Westerns, along

Many of Duke's 'Pal's in this one. Walter Brennan, Jay C. Flippen, Jack Elam and many more...

User Review

Quote

"… And I want that coffee ground."
8 June 2008 | by ironside ([emailprotected]) (Mexico)

Stewart is a Wyoming cattleman who dreams to make enough money to buy a small ranch in Utah ranch… His only real companion is his sidekick Ben Tatum, the great Walter Brennan… To accomplish that, they drive the cattle clear to Alaska and on to Dawson, in Canadian territory, where they sell them...

Along the way they meet the man who runs the gold-crazy town behind a dishonest lawman John McIntire... He attempts to steal them the herd... Later, in Dawson, McIntire and his gang reappear, this time interfering with Stewart's gold claim...

Captured by Mann's camera in the wonderful scenery of the Canadian Rockies, Stewart is a thoughtful loner forced into violence by his need to get rid of the treacherous actions of a corrupt entrepreneur robbing local miners of their claims…

In this entertaining, beautiful Western, Stewart has two leading ladies to struggle with: Ruth Roman, a bit too valuable to describe as a sexy woman resisting the worst vicissitudes of the territory and the more docile, the French Canadian girl Corinne Calvet who does create a nice portrait of a likable girl with the ability to form a judgment... In spontaneous manner, Stewart is lost between the ostentatious saloon owner and the wife-candidate...

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This movie is available from Amazon.com, Here from $1.60 used, to $8.00 new.

Chester

This was a great story posted in the trivia section but worth repeating

One of James Stewart's favorite stories of his film career concerned his horse,
Pie, a sorrel stallion whom Stewart called, "One of the best co-stars I ever had."
Pie appeared as Stewart's horse in 17 Westerns, and the actor developed
a strong personal bond with the horse. Pie was very intelligent,
Stewart recalled, and would often "act for the cameras when they were rolling. He was a ham of a horse."
When shooting the climax of "The Far Country," the script called for Stewart's horse to walk down a dark street alone,
with no rider in the saddle, to fool the bad guys who were waiting to ambush Stewart.
Assistant Director John Sherwood asked Stewart if Pie would be able to do the scene. Stewart replied,
"I'll talk to him." Just before the cameras rolled, Stewart took Pie aside and whispered to the horse
for several minutes, giving him instructions for the scene. When Stewart let the horse go,
Pie walked perfectly down the middle of the street, doing the scene in one take.
When Pie died in 1970, Stewart arranged to have the horse buried at his California ranch.

I posted something to you about this last night. It must have gotten Lost?
Anyway, I pulled it up on You Tube and watched it full screen. Thought it was great but cried when Ben died. Guess it had to be if they were not going back to get their ranch. Loved hearing about Pie....first time. Will have to watch Jimmy's movies more closely for him now. Thanks for the Post. KPKEITH

Quote from ethanedwards

This was a great story posted in the trivia section but worth repeating

One of James Stewart's favorite stories of his film career concerned his horse,
Pie, a sorrel stallion whom Stewart called, "One of the best co-stars I ever had."
Pie appeared as Stewart's horse in 17 Westerns, and the actor developed
a strong personal bond with the horse. Pie was very intelligent,
Stewart recalled, and would often "act for the cameras when they were rolling. He was a ham of a horse."
When shooting the climax of "The Far Country," the script called for Stewart's horse to walk down a dark street alone,
with no rider in the saddle, to fool the bad guys who were waiting to ambush Stewart.
Assistant Director John Sherwood asked Stewart if Pie would be able to do the scene. Stewart replied,
"I'll talk to him." Just before the cameras rolled, Stewart took Pie aside and whispered to the horse
for several minutes, giving him instructions for the scene. When Stewart let the horse go,
Pie walked perfectly down the middle of the street, doing the scene in one take.
When Pie died in 1970, Stewart arranged to have the horse buried at his California ranch.

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Great post, gives us a whole new perspective about Jimmy Steward.

Chester