The Man from Dakota

Wallace Beery stars in this handsomely mounted MGM programmer, playing the gruff, old rowdy that he had made a specialty of for much of the last ten years of his career. The story, which somehow seems to involve Russian spies during the American Civil War, is most interesting for Ray June's handsome and darkly back-lit cinematography that shows off co-star Dolores Del Rio's beauty and John Howard's good looks. He favors simple compositions in this effort, which was cheaper to shoot -- although MGM boasted that it had no B units, this programmer is a classy B and no mistake about it. Beery was still a star, but....

Director Leslie Fenton started as an actor, went through the MGM shorts department, directing several of the CRIME DOES NOT PAY series, and then rose to features. He bounced around a bit and his movie career ended a decade later at Paramount. John Howard was best known for playing Bulldog Drummond in the 1930s and while a competent actor, never quite rose to be a star and Del Rio returned to Mexico after this to be a major star there, as she had been in 1920s Hollywood. The collaborators here have produced a pleasant, lightweight programmer that will please their fans.

The story begins in a Confederate prisoner of war camp during the US Civil War. One of the Union soldiers there, Sgt. Barstow (Wallace Beery) is a malingerer...a guy who fakes sick in order to avoid work. So, when there is a plague outbreak in a nearby prisoner of war camp, Lt. Clark (John Howard) nominates this jerk as well as himself to go help out at that camp. But on the way, there is a wagon accident and the pair are able to escape. Soon, they come upon a lady who just killed a Confederate officer...and soon Jenny (Delores Del Rio) joins the pair in their efforts to rejoin the Union army in the north. The biggest problem isn't having to avoid Confederates but dealing with Barstow, as he's a bit of a sociopath and a coward! Later, they find a map that would be invaluable to the Union army...the Lieutenant wants to bring it to them and the Sergeant simply wants to do what's easiest and safest!

While having Wallace Beery play a flawed man was NOT unusual, having him play one this flawed (and like the real life Beery) was unusual and a bit of a risk considering Beery was one of their most bankable stars at the time. I didn't mind seeing him play such an unlikable rogue, though the nice guy ending seemed incredibly uncharacteristic...to the point of being laughable. Not a terrible movie but a very flawed one that is a decent time-passer.

It's 1865 in Belle Island, a Confederate prisoner of war camp. Sgt. Barstow is a scout and don't want to risk escaping. Lt. Oliver Clark is almost killed during an escape attempt. The two get their chance after Clark sabotage their transport wagon. They happen upon Jenny Sanford on a runaway buggy. They find a Confederate map written in Russian.

Two prison escapees on the run is an usual premise. It gets too convoluted upon Jenny's arrival. The story gets a bit too bumpy. I guess that there was a need to make the duo into a trio. There has to be an easier way. I like the characters more than the plot points. It's a B-movie that somewhat works with fine actors. It's not high praise but it's fine.

The title role of this film is played by Wallace Beery who is a Union Army sergeant and The Man From Dakota. Beery was fighting on the Dakota frontier before the Civil War broke out. He's a POW with John Howard who is a lieutenant from Boston and a Brahman believer in the cause of the Union.

Under some unusual circumstances they're thrown togather with Dolores Del Rio who is a Russian noble. She's got possession of a map that is unfortunately in Russian that the Union Army would like to have. Howard wants to see they get it, but Beery wants to just escape and go home.

These three are most unwilling partners, but they have to work together.

A Russian with the Confederacy would have been unusual enough. The Czar Alexander II was most strong in his sympathy for the Union cause.

Routine programmer for MGM which relies on the lovable mug personality of Wallace Beery. I'd say he barely gets it across the finish line.