Buckskin Frontier (1943) User Reviews

"I've been workin' on the railroad," said Richard Dix.

[bkoganbing · 6/10 · 12 July 2005]

Richard Dix was a popular leading man in silent films and certainly started out strong in talkies with the lead in one of the early Best Pictures in Cimarron. He had a strong speaking voice, but a manner that suggested the stage actors from before World War I. I think that was the reason he gradually declined in popularity and was now doing B westerns like Buckskin Frontier.

Once again a singleminded man is blazing a trail for the construction of railroads to open the west. Not exactly an original western theme. But Buckskin Frontier is in the hand of seasoned professionals like producer Harry "Pop" Sherman and director Lesley Selander. These two guys between both of them have a ton of westerns to their credit.

In this case Dix's opposition comes from freight wagon owner Lee J. Cobb. Of course Dix's railroad is cutting into his business and he opposes him. Complicating things is Cobb's daughter Jane Wyatt who's developed a hankering for the railroad man.

The real villain is rival railroad owner Victor Jory who's looking to take out both Cobb and Dix. Victory Jory never gave a bad performance in any film, he was always a strong and snarling villain and he is here.

Fans of movie westerns will like Buckskin Frontier. Lots of shoot 'em up action in a rousing climax.

"Well what are we dawdling for, don't spare the horses!"

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 17 July 2008]

This was rather an anomaly among 'B' Westerns, the nominal bad guy Stephen Bent (Richard Dix) conducted himself rather admirably, while the loyal foreman of the Jeptha Marr Freighting Company, Gideon Skene (Albert Dekker), often looked like a vigilante. The REAL outlaw of course was Champ Clanton, portrayed by the ever capable Victor Jory in all his villainous glory. The story itself was played out rather seamlessly, no mean feat for an oater from the 1940's. So much so, that it's about the only one I've ever rated as high as a 7, and that includes virtually all of the Roy Rogers and Gene Autry flicks. It didn't hurt that there was an intriguing supporting cast that included Lee J. Cobb and Jane Wyatt, which in an unusual casting decision, called for Miss Wyatt, a year older than Cobb, to play his daughter!!! In fact, I'd have to say that Cobb's character here, Jeptha Marr, looked older than a handful of roles he performed up to as much as a decade later.

For anyone who gets a kick out of those little nuances that shed light on life in an earlier era, this film offers a few that were pretty interesting. Like when Gideon offers a dollar per man to unload his wagons at Pawnee and there were no shortage of takers. Or how about that conversation between Jane Wyatt's character and Bent on how marvelous it was that trains traveled at the unprecedented speed of twenty five miles per hour?!! Why someday, you would be able to take a train from New York City to San Francisco in less than two weeks! Can you imagine that?

Of course, it's always cool to catch Joe Sawyer in one of his tough guy roles, but for a real life tough guy, Max Baer had to be one of the best as a former World's Heavyweight Champ. He's suitably cast here as one of Gideon's good guy sidekicks named 'Tiny', getting to show off some of his dexterity in the fisticuffs department. But the surprise of the picture for me - George Reeves popping up as a railroad surveyor! You just have to love these old Westerns for the actors who turn up before they made it.

The only thing I would question regarding the story would be how easily Jeptha Marr became a pro-railroad man at the finale. Not that it couldn't have happened with a little more plot development, but earlier he wanted railroad agent Bent off his land or under it! It works well enough for the story, but just don't think about it too much.

Progress encroaches on the Old West

[SimonJack · 6/10 · 25 June 2016]

"Buckskin Frontier" is a different Western. It isn't a cowboys and Indians movie. It doesn't have the U.S. Cavalry, posse chases, or gunfights on main street. It isn't about a lawman chasing bandits, and it's not about a cattle baron feuding with homesteaders or sheep men. This Western is about a conflict between those building a railroad in the Southwest and the man who helped develop the territory and owns the horse-drawn freight service. We need say no more about the plot, except that there's romance and another bad hombre who stirs up most of the trouble.

This film has an interesting cast. Richard Dix stars as Stephen Bent, the guy who's building the railroad. Lee J. Cobb is Jeptha Marr, the pioneer of the town and owner of the horse and wagon freight company. His right hand man is Gideon Skene, played by a young Albert Dekker. Janes Wyatt is Vinnie Marr, daughter of the freight magnate who's returning home after being in St. Louis for a year. Lola Lanes plays Rita Molyneaux, a wealthy and attractive socialite from back East who's a friend and backer of Bent's railroad. Victory Jory plays Champ Clanton, the bad guy like so many other characters he played in Westerns of the 1930s and 1940s. And, one other interesting character is Tiny, the head teamster of the Marr freight company. Max Baer, the former boxing heavyweight champion of the world, plays Tiny. This wasn't his only film – he appeared in nearly two dozen; and his love of acting, clowning around and disinterest in training all contributed to his loss of the heavyweight boxing title a year later to Jim Braddock, the "Cinderella Man."

The script for this film is OK, but the ending seems a little hokey. After so vehemently opposing the railroad, Marr seems too accepting of the advent of the railroad, even with a position on its board of directors. He finally accepts, on condition that he gets to ride in one of those big locomotives.

It's interesting to see Cobb play an older gent in this film. He was only 32 when he plays a man in his 50s. Cobb was one of those actors who could be made up easily to be older. And one truly thinks he is much older than his co-stars. But, he was the youngest man of the leads on the set. Dix was 50 when this movie was made. Dekker was 38, and Baer was 34.

Dix was an actor and producer and was nominated for as Oscar for his role in "Cimarron" of 1931. The leading man of the 1920s and 1930s appeared in 100 movies. He was a star for Paramount for years and then for RKO. He also did films with Goldwyn and then MGM, and some other studios. Dix retired from films in 1947 and died of a heart attack at age 56 inn 1949.

Fine Cast in Complex Story

[dougdoepke · 21 May 2014]

Looks like producer Sherman took a break from his Hopalong Cassidy series to make this non- programmer. It's well produced with plenty of extras, even if the action never leaves the greater LA area. Dix makes an affable good guy as he tries to get a railroad built that Jory wants to sabotage for selfish reasons. Cobb's the wild card whose freight-haulers also want to sabotage Dix. In fact, the plot's a rather interesting mix of shifting alliances, along with a fine cast of movie veterans and up-and-comers like Wyatt and Cobb (he plays an old man though only a young 31). Good seeing the great Albert Dekker in a sympathetic role since he usually specialized in villains or wacko's (e.g. Among the Living {1941}). Also surprising is Jane Wyatt who makes a lovely, spirited ingénue, and ex-heavyweight champ Max Baer who's good enough to steal the film.

There's not much good action until the slam-bang finale, which makes effective use of the arid SoCal scrublands. The main part is interesting enough as the various characters clash before deciding which side they're on. Still, I wonder whose idea it was to interrupt the finale with cross-cutting to Wyatt and Lane deciding who it is they really love, and in front of a crummy background set, no less. I guess that's my only real complaint, though the earlier massed brawl is clumsily choreographed. Anyway, it's a decent enough western without being anything special.

A Battle For Control

[StrictlyConfidential · 6/10 · 26 September 2021]

"Buckskin Frontier" was originally released back in 1943.

Anyway - As the story goes - A railroad man is sent the oversee the laying of a new railroad spur cutting through a dangerous territory. The railroad line is opposed by a freight line operator working in the area and he is backed by a band of hired guns.

Up against the vile stench of greed.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 4 December 2016]

This above average western is more about American history than just your every day stalk of what went on before the west was truly open. The hopes of Richard Dix to build a train route through a mountain pass is blocked by two extremely ruthless men (Lee J. Cobb and Albert Dekker). He's treated with contempt from the moment he arrives, which leads to all sorts of violence and illegal attempts to prevent Dix from proceeding. It doesn't help that Dix has feelings for Cobb's daughter (Jane Wyatt) who has no idea of her father's involvement with the even more evil Dekker.

Fascinating account of what could have helped guiding the foundation of the wild west. I'm not fond of the generic title which insinuates one of those dime a dozen B oaters that dominated neighborhood theaters for years and were rushed out with no regards to story, quality, or originality. This is as close to an A western as you can get, and the cast, which also included Victor Jory and Lola Lane, is uniformally excellent. Superb photography and great direction makes this all the more recommendable.

Watchable

[coltras35 · 6/10 · 13 April 2023]

Kansas settler Jeptha Marr is leery of the railroad intruding on his territory, and opposes railroad representative Stephen Bent, only to be surprised when daughter Vinnie returns to the town of Pawnee after a long absence and is already acquainted with Stephen.

A rival railroad interest spearheaded by Champ Clanton tries to muscle its way in, trying to taint Stephen's reputation by insinuating a relationship with Rita Molyneaux, a woman with a bad reputation. By the end, though, Vinnie is reassured that Rita is actually interested in Gideon Skene, and the railroad is headed Pawnee's way under Stephen's watch.

Don't expect gunfights, chases or showdown (except for the rousing finale) - this is about a conflict: building a railroad in the Southwest vs the owner of a horse-drawn freight service. It's quite different, watchable with good characters and with enough drama and conflict. Victor Jory is the villain, here to throw spanners in the works in terms of Dix's plan to build a railroad. Liked how Dekker shifted his alliance.

Mr. Marr is fighting the inevitable...but a bad script isn't.

[planktonrules · 2/10 · 19 January 2016]

"Buckskin" was a film I really looked forward to seeing. After all, it starred one of my favorite actors, Richard Dix. However, despite having him and several more amazingly good actors, the film turned out to be a real dud. It often made no sense and was a pretty dumb picture.

Dix plays Stephen Bent, a man working to 'railroadize' the west. He is a man looking to the future and knows that progress is inevitable. Mr. Marr (Lee J. Cobb) is an obstructionist and spends the entire movie fighting against the railroads. He makes money hauling goods the old fashioned way and that's good enough for him, by gum! He also has some tough assistants--bruisers who use their fists to enforce Marr's will (Albert Dekker and Max Baer). Then there's Marr's daughter (Jane Wyatt)...a woman who inexplicably has fallen for Bent.

Note I just used the word 'inexplicably'--this is how EVERYONE seems to act in the film. Not only do you have no idea why the woman has fallen for Bent but Marr's tough assistants soon end up working for Bent. And, at the end of the film there's a giant shootout where no one seems to get hurt and suddenly, and for no reason whatsoever, bygones are bygones and suddenly Marr is friends with Bent and even agrees to be on the board for the railroad!!! None of this makes any sense and what you have is a western that makes no sense whatsoever.

By the way, this film is set well before the Civil War and by the way they talk about the newness of the railroads and the trains going a blistering 25 miles per hour, I'd assume the film was set in the 1840s. So why is everyone using revolvers which weren't even available until much later? They should have been using single- shot guns but since none of the movie made any sense, who cares about details like this.

Overall, a pretty dopey film that wastes some decent talent.