Una diligenza per l'Ovest

Well ladies and gentleman the Pony Express rides again,, this time with John Wayne leading the charge. A man and his partner ride into town looking to make some money,, and there chance is right in front of them 25,000 prize for the quickest Pony Express run.. Crescent City is where it all starts at,, and for the life of me I can't remember the ending point, but that's really not important,, so the Duke and his partner get the line,, now only to find out that the town in which they start at has a grand total of get this,, 2 people.. well eventually 3 more people are on the way so we got 5 all together,, the man who put up the prize money though isn't playing on the up and up , as he tries to sabotage the Duke and his partner from finishing the run from the one city to the other for the Pony Express,, I found this movie to be very interesting as I really don't know much about the origins of the Pony Express.

Strong story line that benefits from Lone Star's alliance with Republic Pictures. Poverty row Lone Star usually emphasized action at the expense of story-line. This resulted in lots of exciting chases, but often with little understanding of why. Here, however, the plot is very well developed with believable characters and good action. It's an excellent sketch of how guts, risk, and ingenuity helped transform an abandoned ghost town into a vibrant new community. The screenplay also does a nice job of showing the challenges of rebuilding a frontier town without losing the conventions that entertained kids of the time. Wayne delivers a nicely appropriate turn as the driving force behind the redevelopment, along with Lane Chandler as his buddy. This film especially shows Wayne's charm before the big-money responsibility of super-stardom made him more serious. Final stage race is well conceived along with how reviving the town also restores self-confidence of its inhabitants. Very positive story-line unusual for a B-Western of the time.

I recently watched the John Wayne western Winds on the Wasteland (1936) on Prime. The plot depicts the end of the Pony Express and the shift to traditional government postal services. Recently laid-off men offer to assist a local stagecoach company in securing the government mail contract, but challenges lie ahead.

Directed by Mack V. Wright (The Man from Monterey), the film stars John Wayne (Stagecoach), Phyllis Fraser (Little Men), Lew Kelly (Paradise Express), Lane Chandler (Samson and Delilah), and Douglas Cosgrove (Lady Killer).

This is a dated western with varying degrees of success in its elements. The acting and dialogue feel somewhat stiff and inauthentic at times. However, the elite attire, settings, and props immerse the audience in the era. The storyline is compelling and holds attention, though the fake backgrounds and staged scenes haven't aged well.

In conclusion, Winds on the Wasteland is an average western with redeeming elements that make it a must-see for genre enthusiasts. I'd score this a 5.5-6/10 and recommend watching it once.

"Winds of the Wasteland" was made following the 1935 merger of Lone Star/Monogram and Mascot Pictures into Republic Pictures. With the added resources of the old Mascot serial group, the production values of John Wayne's series improved greatly. The budgets were certainly bigger and that can be seen in this particular entry.

The story has two ex Pony Express riders, John Craig (Wayne) and Larry Adams (Lane Chander) starting up a stagecoach line. They are duped into signing an agreement with bad guy Drake (Douglas Cosgrove) to operate the line between two towns one of which is deserted except for the disgruntled doctor (Sam Flint) and jack of all trades Rocky (Lew Kelly).

Doc's daughter Barbara (Phyllis Fraser) arrives unannounced and tries to convince her father to return east with her. Craig convinces them to remain and await the results of the upcoming stagecoach race for a $25,000 mail contract. Drake, along with his henchmen Bob Kortman and Yakima Canutt, among others, try to thwart our hero at every turn.

The highlight of the film, and a sequence that sets it apart, is the climatic and very well staged race between Drake's coach and that of Craig. Veteran director Mack V. Wright gives us plenty of action and a realistic race to boot. Having Yakima Canutt around meant many visually exciting stunts. The outcome of the race of course is never in doubt nor is the fate of the villains.

Jon Hall (using the name Charles Lochner), appears briefly at the beginning of the movie as a Pony Express rider who is seen talking to Wayne and Chandler. Also in the same sequence is veteran "B" western performer Ed Cassidy.

This was one of the best of Wayne's early "B" westerns.

Winds of The Wasteland is a vastly underappreciated film. Having seen most of John Wayne's pre 1939 westerns (including some of his more highly regarded ones such as Randy Rides Alone, Hell Town aka Born To The West, Blue Steel, West Of The Divide, Sagebrush Trail and Riders of Destiny) this is the most entertaining. It has a great story that is well played by the primary actors, though the doctor is a little wooden. Of all Wayne's shorts, I would first recommend this one. Get the colourized version if possible. It may be heretical to say, but the colourized shorts are more enjoyable and most are available.