John Ford designated Wagon Master as his personal favorite of the western films he made. Aside from that bit of film history, there is little that distinguishes this B-picture. The film's script and plotting are mediocre, providing nothing that connects us with the characters who are part of the wagon train. It opens with a short robbery sequence that gets our attention, but fails to follow up on that initial excitement until much later in the film. Before we meet the robbers again, we follow the efforts of Mormon settlers traveling westward to found a new city. Along the way, the settlers and their guides allow a burlesque troupe to join their caravan. This polite story is set to the tunes of the "Sons of the Pioneers" and, if I didn't know better, I'd say that showcasing their supposed talents was half of the reason Ford made this picture.
The other half would be to provide roles for the other character actors that Ford admired. These actors do well for the most part - Charles Kemper as the lead villain Shiloh Clegg is particularly interesting - but the unambitious material keeps the actors from demonstrating any real depth. The pacing is leisurely despite the running time being under 90 minutes, requiring the audience to resist the temptation of fast forwarding by the time the tenth Sons of the Pioneers song turns up. Wagon Master simply cannot match the entertaining adventure of Stagecoach or the intensity of The Searchers, and justifiably remains one of Ford's forgotten films.
Directed by John Ford (The Searchers, My Darling Clementine, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Grapes of Wrath, Stagecoach)
Written by Frank Nugent (The Searchers, The Quiet Man, Mister Roberts), Patrick Ford, and John Ford (Story)
Travis Blue - Ben Johnson
Denver - Joanne Dru
Sandy - Harry Carey Jr.
Elder Wiggs - Ward Bond
Uncle Shiloh Clegg - Charles Kemper