Winners of the West (1940 serial)
Winners of the West is a 1940 American Western film serial from Universal Pictures directed by Ford Beebe and Ray Taylor. It stars Dick Foran and Anne Nagel in a plot about the construction of a railroad and a local ganglord who opposes it. It was Universal's 115th serial release (the 47th with sound).
| Winners of the West | |
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.jpg.webp) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Ford Beebe Ray Taylor |
| Written by | George H. Plympton Basil Dickey Charles R. Condon |
| Produced by | Henry MacRae |
| Starring | Dick Foran Anne Nagel Tom Fadden James Craig Harry Woods Charles Stevens |
| Cinematography | Jerome Ash John Hickson William A. Sickner |
| Edited by | Saul A. Goodkind (supervising) Joseph Gluck Louis Sackin Alvin Todd |
| Music by | Hans J. Salter |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 13 chapters (247 min) |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The studio had used the name for an earlier silent serial but there are no plot similarities between the two versions. Columbia's Roar of the Iron Horse is very similar to this serial, however, and the writer George H. Plympton worked on both.
Plot
The Southwest Central Railroad Company[1] is attempting to build a railroad through "Hell's Gate Pass". However, King Carter, the self-appointed ruler of the land beyond the pass, does not want this to happen. He sends henchmen, including local Indians, to disrupt the construction anyway they can, from sabotage to kidnapping Claire Hartford, the daughter of the company President. The President's assistant, Jeff Ramsay, and his sidekicks, stop King Carter's schemes at every point and eventually defeat him entirely. This opens the area up to new settlers, the first of which is Jeff himself and his new wife Claire.
Cast
- Dick Foran as Jeff Ramsay, employee of the Hartford Transcontinental Railroad
- Anne Nagel as Claire Hartford, daughter of John Hartford
- Tom Fadden as Tex Houston, scout and one of Jeff Ramsay's sidekicks
- James Craig as Jim Jackson, another of Jeff Ramsay's sidekicks
- Harry Woods as King Carter, villain
- Charles Stevens as Snakeye, King Carter's lead henchman
- Edward Keane as John Hartford, President of the Hartford Transcontinental Railroad
- Trevor Bardette as Raven, one of King Carter's henchmen
- Edgar Edwards as Tim, one of King Carter's henchmen
- Edmund Cobb as Maddox, one of King Carter's henchmen
- William Desmond as Bill Brine, Railroad foreman
- Roy Barcroft as Logan, one of King Carter's henchmen
Production
Stunts
- Cliff Lyons, riding double for Dick Foran (Jeff Ramsay) and Tom Fadden (Tex Houston)
- Eddie Parker, fight double for Dick Foran (Jeff Ramsay)
- Fred Graham, doubling Harry Woods (King Carter)
- Kermit Maynard
- Ken Terrell
- Henry Wills
Chapter titles
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1. Redskins Ride Again 2. Wreck At Red River Gorge 3. Bridge Of Disaster 4. Trapped By Redskins 5. Death Strikes The Trail 6. A Leap For Life 7. Thundering Terror 8. Flaming Arsenal 9.Sacrificed By Savages 10.Under Crashing Timbers 11.Bullets In The Dark 12.Battle Of Blackhawk 13.Barricades Blasted
Source for chapter names:[2]
References
- "Winners of the West: Chapters 1-13 (1940) - video Dailymotion". September 18, 2014.
- Cline, William C. (1984). "Filmography". In the Nick of Time. McFarland & Company, Inc. pp. 227. ISBN 0-7864-0471-X.