Les conquérants de Carson City

Standard Randolph Scott oater with one notable exception - the opening stage robbery. Sensible and stylish above and beyond the norm.

First of all, how many times have we seen gangs waiting on horseback for the stage they've targeted, only to wind up chasing the damned thing for as long as the director wants and the producers can afford? Since the bad guys know when it's coming, they should be blocking the road and positioning themselves IN FRONT of it to make the heist easier on everyone. Their horses would definitely appreciate not having to run long distances at full speed, especially with people on the stage returning gunfire. A horse could get injured or killed because its owner was too stupid to form a more efficient plan. OSHA and the SPCA would have jointly condemned the vast majority of stagecoach holdups that occurred on our screens.

So kudos to Massey's (not a spoiler; we quickly learn old Raymond is the brains of the outfit) minions for how they pulled this job. Not only did they avail themselves of fortuitous terrain, lying in wait to stop the coach without having to chase or shoot at anyone. As a bonus, they used their down time to spread out an elegant, al fresco champagne brunch for the passengers, stealing only the contents of the strongbox. The gentlemen thieves of other genres (The Saint, et. Al.) could have done no better.

This film is a good Saturday afternoon western. Randolph Scott attempts to build a railroad between Carson City, and Virginia City. He must battle with an assortment of evil men, his own workers, and his step brother. I give this western an 8 out of 10 for its story, and its action.

Carson City is directed by André De Toth and written by Sloan Nibley and Winston Miller. It stars Randolph Scott, Lucille Norman, Raymond Massey, Richard Webb and James Millican. Music is scored by David Buttolph and cinematography by John Boyle. Plot finds Scott as engineer Jeff Kincaid, who clashes with bandits and town locals when he is hired to build a new rail track through Carson City.

Based in Nevada but filmed in Bronson Canyon in California, Carson City is routine stuff that still manages to come out in credit by the end. Story is set up around the building of the railroad between Carson City and Virginia, Scott and his rugged band of engineers have their work cut out in more ways than one. When a major player who is opposed to the railroad is murdered, it's no surprise who is going to get the blame. Cue dastardly goings on, sabotage, heroics and much macho posturing. In the mix is a love interest for Randolph, courtesy of a lifeless Lucille Norman, but naturally the trajectory of true love is not straightforward.

Railroad Workers Terrorise Town!

De Toth came on board late in production after Michael Curtiz baulked at trying the new Warnercolor process (this was the first film to use the process). De Toth went on record to say he only did the film for the money, but he gets much entertainment from a pretty standard script. Action quota is high, with exploding rocks, wagon over a cliff, stagecoach heist, train robbery, saloon brawls and great drama garnered out of a landslide/rescue passage of play. For Scott fans it's a pleasurable watch as it finds him in typically upright and stoic form, in fact the first time we see him he is indulging in a good old knuckle fight. Though asking us to accept his romance with Norman when there is 20 years between the two actors is a bit of a stretch.

The scenery is pleasing yet the Warnercolor is as lifeless as Norman's performance, but the print of the film is in good shape and as long as Western fans prepare for standard formula dressed up nicely, then they should enjoy it well enough. 6.5/10

Carson City has the distinction of two real western characters hiring the fictional character played by Randolph Scott to build a railroad from Virginia City to Carson City. William Sharon(Larry Keating) is getting very tired of having his gold shipments held up by a gang of bandits who also cater when they do a holdup. Sharon approaches banker Charles Crocker(Thurston Hall)who also is a big wheel in the Central Pacific railroad to build a spur line so he can ship by railroad.

Of course the railroad has its opponents in Carson City and quite subtly mine owner Raymond Massey is heading the opposition. Because Massey doesn't have a working mine, he does it the easy way, he robs the gold from the other guys and then ships it as his own.

Massey's the brains behind those bandit/caterers. His bandits holdup the stagecoach have the passengers removed and then show them to a picnic lunch topped off by a magnum of champagne. The other passengers don't care when the rich Larry Keating gets robbed and aren't too helpful to the law. It's unique in westerns I have to say, but it's also kind of silly, the sort of stuff you might see in a western from Roy Rogers or Gene Autry, but not Randolph Scott.

Starting out with such a silly premise it was hard for me to get really into Carson City, even after it turned deadly serious with Massey trying to stop the railroad in any way he can.

Randolph Scott had a unique leading lady here, radio singer Lucille Norman who sings not a note. That's a pity because the woman had a wonderful soprano. I have an album she did with Gordon MacRae of the score from The Desert Song. Lucille is the daughter of Carson City Clarion editor Don Beddoe who gets murdered by Massey when his suspicions are aroused. Lucille is also got Scott's half brother Richard Webb, TV and radio's Captain Midnight as a rival suitor and opponent of the railroad. Randy's got all kinds of personal problems for taking on this job.

Carson City is also badly edited. There were a few things that were left in the air that I'm sure wound up on the cutting room floor.

Randolph Scott's legion of fans will like Carson City, but it's far from his best work.

Two westerns in 1952 starring Randolph Scott begin their movies with a group of bandits robbing a stagecoach. How will you ever tell them apart? Well, you'll just have to watch both of them, and since they're both entertaining, you'll be in for a real treat.

In Carson City, Scottie McScottie Pants shows he's in his physical prime. His entrance to the film is a grueling bar fight that lands him in jail, and it's not the last time he beats the tar out of those who get in his way. In addition to fistfights, he hops on and off horses with grace and leads a shirtless mining expedition armed with nothing but a pickaxe and a candle. "I may be 54, but I've still got it," he proudly shows the audience. He plays a railroad engineer bringing a train station to a small Nevadan town, and many in town oppose him, including newspaper owner Don Beddoe and secret bad guy Raymond Massey. Lucille Norman, Don's daughter, has held a torch for Scottie ever since she was a little girl, but Scottie's younger brother Richard Webb has a crush on her. Since Scottie's a nice guy, he doesn't want to get in the way, but some things can't be helped. When you watch this handsome, rugged cowboy who's more at ease in a saddle than on solid ground showing off his vast physical skills, it's not hard to understand why Lucille just can't let go of her crush.

This one is a lot of fun, and in a sea of 1950s westerns that blur together, it's nice to see one that stands out from the pack. Randolph Scott is the king of the western genre, but if you want to pick and choose among his movies, don't miss this one. Next up, check out Western Union for an adorable romance.