Sur la piste de l'Oregon

Fess Parker is his usual stolid self leading wagon train to Oregon, crossing paths with bloodthirsty Pawnee tribe. Fans were attracted to Parker's workmanlike acting style and amiable, almost-shy personality. He's a headliner simply by default. This Disney film has nice outdoor scenery, some strong scenes of survival and a good supporting cast (including hammy, amusing Sebastian Cabot and a few Mouseketeers); otherwise, it's a formula-bound, banal sagebrush saga. B-grade director William Beaudine does his usual anonymous work behind the camera. Tom Blackburn adapted his screenplay from Mary Jane Carr's book, "Children of the Covered Wagon" (also the film's pre-production title). ** from ****

How well I remember seeing this film in theaters when it first opened back in 1956. For those of you not old enough to remember the Mickey Mouse Club attained a cult following among juveniles back then. So Westward Ho The Wagons had a built in audience before a dime was made at the theater box office.

The dividing line between Walt Disney's television work and his theatrical work was invisible, both supported the other. As it happened back then his theatrical releases eventually were part of his Wonderful World of Color show and the films were built with the places obvious for commercial break.

This was never more true than with Westward Ho The Wagon. In fact it's like two separate films spliced together, the better for a two part extravaganza on TV. The first part consists of the Oregon bound settlers fending off a Pawnee attack until they can get through a canyon gap. Once through they're in Sioux country where Chief Iron Eyes Cody has taken a fancy to little Karen Pendleton of the Mouseketeers because his medicine man says that blonds are scarce and little blonds bring good luck. Her sister Kathleen Crowley has a big divergence of opinion on that premise.

In addition to the Mouseketeers playing children on the Oregon bound wagon train, the train has Fess Parker fresh from Davy Crockett as the scout. No doubt Parker's presence brought a few dollars in, he was another icon at this height of his career.

Playing the head of the wagon train and father of several Mouseketeers is George Reeves who was making his final attempt to escape typecasting as Superman. Reeves wears a beard, the better to hide his well known face and be accepted as another actor in a role rather than in his iconic character from those days.

Despite being episodic Westward Ho The Wagons holds up very well for today's audience if it were only seen. But Disney's old products for the most part are in the vault while we see endless reruns of Zack and Cody.

This western was Disney's attempt to cash in on the popularity of Fess Parker and the Mousketeers. The lean story is about a wagon train that is obliged to pass through Indian country during a westward trek. The attack on the train is done in fine style by Yakima Canutt. The battle is intense and the Indians display expert horsemanship but seem more content to capture horses than to lift hair. Parker comes through as the hero later in the film as a doctor who must match skills with a medicine man to save a boy's life. The movie has the usual Disney gloss and fine western vistas but seems self-conscious and mannered. The Mouseketeers maintain their wholesomeness through the stress of the battle and tensions at the fort. Kathleen Crowley is pretty as Parker's romantic interest.

This is one of several westerns that the Walt Disney studio tailored for Fess Parker in the years immediately following Davy Crockett's success. The first half hour is an enjoyable but relatively routine wagon trail tale, involving a stalwart boy (David Stollery, of Spin and Marty fame) who, like the legendary John Colter, must run from hostile Indians on foot. The action-oriented first half culminates in a rugged shootout that action-western fans will enjoy. In the minds of many, Westward Ho slows down there as the train arrives in Fort Laramie and no further big battles occur. In fact, this is where the movie takes off dramatically, promoting the sort of racial tolerance and mutual acceptance so essential to the Disney vision. Parker is a doctor, and along with a Lakota medicine man (Iron Eyes Cody), helps a dying Indian boy. "Two medicines are better than one" is the message, and a beautiful one at that, suggesting that mutual cooperation is indeed possible between the races. Fess even gets to sing several sings, and one of them, "Wringle Wrangle," became a top ten hit. This is a forgotten treat, waiting to be rediscovered.

Simply boring.

'Westward Ho, The Wagons!' is a slow watch, despite a relatively low run time of 90 minutes. Fess Parker, who I enjoyed in fellow 1956 release 'The Great Locomotive Chase', and Jeff York, co-star in the latter, fail to entertain. Some of the music is catchy, namely the opening/closing theme, but that's about it.

The plot is as problematic as you'd expect. It basically splits itself in two in terms of its portrayal of Native Americans, one is exactly what you would unfortunately predict from a '56 release but the other part is actually, surprisingly, well intentioned. Even taking all the aforementioned out, it feels pretty disjointed and majorly uninteresting throughout.

I just found it all underwhelming, sure Disney have done much worse but that doesn't stop it leaving negative thoughts.