The Denver and the Rio Grande is purportedly the story of the construction of that line financed by Dean Jagger, designed by J. Carrol Naish and constructed by Edmond O'Brien. They meet some stiff opposition from the the bad railroad where Sterling Hayden and Lyle Bettger run things.
With some elements taken from films like Union Pacific and Saratoga Trunk, Denver and the Rio Grande is entertaining, but not consistently. Part of the plot is where the baddies convince Edmond O'Brien he killed Don Haggerty. They do a weak job of it in my opinion. Unfortunately that weakness leads to some rather silly motivation on the part of other characters.
What is nice is the good Rocky Mountain location photography and two very good performances by Zasu Pitts and Paul Fix in sidekick roles. They have a very cute romance going and at times they're better than the leads.
With some elements taken from films like Union Pacific and Saratoga Trunk, Denver and the Rio Grande is entertaining, but not consistently. Part of the plot is where the baddies convince Edmond O'Brien he killed Don Haggerty. They do a weak job of it in my opinion. Unfortunately that weakness leads to some rather silly motivation on the part of other characters.
What is nice is the good Rocky Mountain location photography and two very good performances by Zasu Pitts and Paul Fix in sidekick roles. They have a very cute romance going and at times they're better than the leads.