''20 Mule Team'' (also known as ''Twenty Mule Team'') is a 1940 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 about

Death Valley Death Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, in the northern Mojave Desert, bordering the Great Basin Desert. During summer, it is the Highest temperature recorded on Earth, hottest place on Earth. Death Valley's Badwater Basin is the ...

, and

Daggett, California Daggett is an unincorporated community located in San Bernardino County, California in the United States. The town is located on Interstate 40 ten miles (16 km) east of Barstow. The town has a population of about 200. The ZIP code is 92 ...

borax Borax is a salt ( ionic compound), a hydrated borate of sodium, with chemical formula often written . It is a colorless crystalline solid, that dissolves in water to make a basic solution. It is commonly available in powder or granular for ...

miners, directed by Richard Thorpe and starring

Wallace Beery Wallace Fitzgerald Beery (April 1, 1885 – April 15, 1949) was an American film and stage actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Bill in '' Min and Bill'' (1930) opposite Marie Dressler, as General Director Preysing in '' Grand Hotel'' ( ...

Marjorie Rambeau Marjorie Burnet Rambeau (July 15, 1889 – July 6, 1970) was an American film and stage actress. She began her stage career at age 12, and appeared in several silent films before debuting in her first sound film, '' Her Man'' (1930). She was t ...

and Anne Baxter. The film provides an extremely rare opportunity to see Beery act opposite his nephew Noah Beery Jr., best known for playing Joseph "Rocky" Rockford on television's ''

The Rockford Files ''The Rockford Files'' is an American detective drama television series starring James Garner that aired on the NBC network from September 13, 1974 to January 10, 1980, and remains in syndication. Garner portrays Los Angeles private investiga ...

'' starring

James Garner James Garner (born James Scott Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, including ''The Great Escape (film), The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy ...

during the 1970s. The film was originally released in Sepiatone, a brown and white process used by the studio the previous year for the Kansas scenes in '' The Wizard of Oz.''The AFI Catalog of Feature Films: ''20 Mule Team''
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Plot

In 1892 Death Valley, California, dwindling borax deposits have the Desert Borax Company at the brink of bankruptcy. The company is unable to pay its transport drivers, the 20 mule teams that haul the borax across the desert. Skinner Bill is one of the mule team drivers. Without pay, he's unable to pay his rent. Josie Johnson, owner of the Furnace Flat saloon, puts Bill out. Stag Roper arrives in town and persuades the bank to extend the borax company's credit, hoping to discover more borax. Stag learns that Bill has found borax crystals from Chuckwalla, who died in the desert. Stag knows Bill is wanted for murder and blackmails him to help get Chuckwalla's claim. Bill agrees, and the next day sets out with Pete to locate the claim. Chuckwalla's partner was Mitch, and a shootout ensues as he tries to protect his claim. Josie's daughter Jean plans to elope with Stag, but Josie locks her in her room and confronts Stag. He shoots Josie, after which he and his partner, Salters, ride off to steal Mitch's claim. Bill and Pete head after Stag, and find Mitch unconscious in the desert. Following a shootout with Stag, Bill puts Mitch on his mule and sends him back to town. Mitch marries Josie, and they move to Los Angeles.

Cast

as Skinner Bill

Leo Carrillo Leopoldo Antonio Carrillo (; August 6, 1880 – September 10, 1961), known professionally as Leo Carrillo, was an American actor, vaudevillian, political cartoonist, and conservationist. He was best known for playing Pancho in the television ...

as Piute Pete

as Josie Johnson
Anne Baxter as Joan Johnson
Douglas Fowley as Stag Roper
Noah Beery Jr. as Mitch

Arthur Hohl Arthur Hohl (May 21, 1889 – March 10, 1964) was an American stage and motion-picture character actor. He was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and began appearing in films in the early 1920s. He played a great number of villainous or mildly la ...

as Salters

Clem Bevans Clem Guy Bevans (October 16, 1880 – August 11, 1963) was an American character actor best remembered for playing eccentric, grumpy old men. Early life Bevans was born in Cozzadale, Ohio. Career Bevans had a very long career, starting in va ...

as Chuckawalla

Charles Halton Charles Halton (March 16, 1876 – April 16, 1959) was an American character actor who appeared in over 180 films. Life and career Halton trained at the New York Academy of Dramatic Arts. He made his Broadway debut in 1901, after which he ...

as Henry Adams
Minor Watson as Marshal

References

External links

*
Fandango entry
1940 films 1940 Western (genre) films American black-and-white films 1940s English-language films Films directed by Richard Thorpe Films set in California Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films American Western (genre) films Films with screenplays by Richard Maibaum Films about mining 1940s American films {{1940s-Western-film-stub

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links