''Wells Fargo'' is a 1937 American

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film directed by

Frank Lloyd Frank William George Lloyd (2 February 1886 – 10 August 1960) was a British-born American film director, actor, scriptwriter, and producer. He was among the founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and was its president ...

and starring

Joel McCrea Joel Albert McCrea (November 5, 1905 – October 20, 1990) was an American actor whose career spanned a wide variety of genres over almost five decades, including comedy, drama, romance, thrillers, adventures, and Westerns, for which he beca ...

, Bob Burns and

Frances Dee Frances Marion Dee (November 26, 1909 – March 6, 2004) was an American actress. Her first film was the musical ''Playboy of Paris'' (1930). She starred in the film ''An American Tragedy'' (1931). She is also known for starring in the 1943 Va ...

Plot

In the early 1840s, Wells & Fargo employee Ramsay MacKay comes upon a broken-down carriage in the countryside and gives belle Justine Pryor and her mother a lift into

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...

, though he warns them he is in a hurry to make a delivery of fresh oysters. The ladies endure a very bumpy ride, and he arrives in time to enable his employer,

Henry Wells Henry Wells (December 12, 1805 – December 10, 1878) was an American businessman important in the history of both the American Express Company and Wells Fargo & Company. Wells worked as a freight agent before joining the express business. Hi ...

, to impress some bankers with the speed of his service. Wells sends him to set up a branch office in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, which is quite convenient, as the Pryors reside there. MacKay and Justine begin seeing each other, though her mother disapproves, as does Justine's more socially prominent suitor, Talbot Carter. Impressed with MacKay, in 1846, Wells sends him to open trails to California. MacKay takes along Hank York, a frontiersman who only works when he has to, and Hank's constant Indian companion, Pawnee. Among his many duties, MacKay sets out to transport gold from a mining settlement to San Francisco. One of his customers is prospector Dan Trimball. When Dan expresses his longing for his sweetheart back East, MacKay recommends Wells Fargo's new shipping venture. Elated, Dan sends for his girl. Meanwhile, when MacKay sets out with the gold, he is shot and left for dead by two robbers. Though he recovers, he is threatened by his miner customers, who do not believe he was robbed. He shows them a draft from Wells & Fargo that will cover all their losses. When MacKay and Dan meet the ship in San Francisco in 1851, passenger

has a surprise for his star employee: Justine has come too (though only with the blessing of her father). The happy couple get married. Though their union is strained at times by MacKay being away so often on business, they have a daughter and remain in love. For the birth of their second child, Justine sends her husband to fetch her mother. Then comes the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. The marriage is strained to the breaking point. Desperately needed gold is sent repeatedly from the west to the Union, but the shipments are intercepted. Wells & Fargo is assigned the task of transporting $2,000,000 in gold. MacKay, chosen to lead the wagon train, meets with President Lincoln, who emphasizes to him how crucial this shipment is. However, Justine and Mrs. Pryor are fervent Southern supporters, and Justine's brother has been killed fighting for the Confederacy. When MacKay refuses Justine's plea to shirk his duty, she overhears the secret route he will take and writes it down. At the last moment, she crumples up the letter, but her mother has no such scruples. She passes the document along without her daughter's knowledge. As a result, MacKay is met by a Confederate force led by Talbot Carter. MacKay wins the battle, but both Talbot and Pawnee are killed. MacKay finds the letter in his wife's handwriting among Talbot's possessions. When he returns to San Francisco, his house is empty. His wife and two children have gone with his mother-in-law. Many years later, when MacKay goes east for a dinner in his honor, he has an unexpected visitor afterward: his now teenage daughter Alice. She invites him to her seventeenth birthday party, but he declines, as he has to leave on business. However, he cannot stay away. When he enters, he sees his estranged wife and his heart softens. Then he discovers that she was not responsible for the bloodshed, and they are fully reconciled.

Cast

as Ramsay MacKay * Bob Burns as Hank York, a wanderer *

as Justine Pryor MacKay *

Lloyd Nolan Lloyd Benedict Nolan (August 11, 1902 – September 27, 1985) was an American film and television actor. Among his many roles, Nolan is remembered for originating the role of private investigator Michael Shayne in a series of 1940s B movies. Bi ...

as Dal Slade *

Henry O'Neill Henry O'Neill (August 10, 1891 – May 18, 1961) was an American film actor known for playing gray-haired fathers, lawyers, and similarly dignified roles during the 1930s and 1940s. Early years He was born in Orange, New Jersey. Career ...

as Henry Wells * Mary Nash as Mrs. Pryor *

Ralph Morgan Raphael Kuhner Wuppermann (July 6, 1883 – June 11, 1956), known professionally as Ralph Morgan, was a Hollywood stage and film character actor, and the older brother of Frank Morgan. Early life Morgan was born in New York City, the eig ...

as Nicholas Pryor *

Johnny Mack Brown John Brown (September 1, 1904 – November 14, 1974) was an American college football player and film actor billed as John Mack Brown at the height of his screen career. He acted and starred mainly in Western (genre), Western films. Early lif ...

as Talbot Carter *

Porter Hall Clifford Porter Hall (September 19, 1888 – October 6, 1953) was an American character actor known for appearing in a number of films in the 1930s and 1940s. Hall typically played villains or comedic incompetent characters. Early years Hall wa ...

as James Oliver *Jack Clark as

William Fargo William George Fargo (May 20, 1818August 3, 1881) was a pioneer American expressman who helped found the modern-day financial firms of American Express Company and Wells Fargo with his business partner, Henry Wells. He was also the 27th Mayor ...

Clarence Kolb Clarence William Kolb (July 31, 1874 – November 25, 1964) was an American vaudeville performer and actor known for his comedy routines that featured a Dutch dialect. Biography Kolb started out as one half of a vaudeville comedy team, Kol ...

as John Butterfield *

Robert Cummings Charles Clarence Robert Orville Cummings (June 9, 1910 – December 2, 1990) was an American film and television actor who appeared in roles in comedy films such as '' The Devil and Miss Jones'' (1941) and ''Princess O'Rourke'' (1943), and in ...

as Dan Trimball, a prospector *

Granville Bates Granville Bates (January 7, 1882 – July 8, 1940) was an American character actor and bit player, appearing in over ninety films. Biography Bates was born in Chicago in 1882 to Granville Bates, Sr., a developer and builder, and Adaline Bates ...

as Bradford, banker *

Harry Davenport Harry Davenport may refer to: * Harry Davenport (actor) (1866–1949), American film and stage actor * Harry Davenport (footballer) (1900–1984), Australian footballer * Harry J. Davenport (1902–1977), Democratic Party member of the U.S. House ...

as Ingalls, banker * Frank Conroy as Mr. Ward, banker *

Brandon Tynan Brandon Tynan (born James William Tynan; April 11, 1875 – March 19, 1967) was an Irish-born American stage and screen actor. In his early stage career he appeared with Alla Nazimova on Broadway in her early years after migrating from Russia. He ...

as Edwards, a newspaper publisher * Peggy Stewart as Alice MacKay * Bernard Siegel as Pawnee * Stanley Fields as Abe, a prospector * Henry Brandon as Larry * Frank McGlynn as

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

Ed Brady Ed John Brady (born June 17, 1962) is a former American football player. Brady was raised in Morris, Illinois, and attended Morris Community High School, where he led the Morris Redskins football team to a state championship. Brady played for ...

as Prospector (uncredited)

Reception

Loren L. Ryder Loren L. Ryder (March 9, 1900 – May 28, 1985) was an American sound engineer. He won five Academy Awards and was nominated for twelve more in the categories Best Sound Recording and Best Effects. After serving in World War I, Ryder stu ...

was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

in the category of Best Sound Recording.

References

External links

* * * {{Frank Lloyd , state=collapsed 1937 films 1937 Western (genre) films American Civil War films American Western (genre) films American black-and-white films 1930s English-language films Films set in New York (state) Films set in San Francisco Films set in St. Louis Films set in 1846 Films set in 1851 Paramount Pictures films Films directed by Frank Lloyd Films scored by Victor Young 1930s American films