The Missouri Traveler

This movie shows us how "the boy from Shane",has matured, still a soft talking very polite youth. He is a runaway in this movie and is groomed by Lee Marvin, a hard taskmaster who has made a name for himself as the poor boy who made good in this story. He takes unfair advantage of Brandon, but in the process, really teaches the youth some valuable lessons about life and how to take care of himself. These are lessons we can all learn from, and Gary Merrill provides care, comfort, and guidance for Brandon as he overcomes the hard "teaching" of Marvin. The film is anchored by the fine acting of Paul Ford, as usual, a leader of the business community, but with a soft heart for the troubled. This is a great family film, free of Hollywoods blood, guts, sex, and profanity.

I usually like turn of the century (1900), small town America movies. But this one had no zing to it, nor did it make you care about the characters. Who's fault was it? The director? The writer? The actors? I'm thinking the writing, but who knows what happened during production. There were some top actors in this movie too. Brandon de Wilde still had a big name from his earlier years but his acting was a little flat in this one, in my opinion. Lee Marvin was Lee Marvin with his strong, stony acting style so can't blame him. Gary Merrill did a decent job as the local newspaper editor but not as good as I've seen him in other movies. The actor who really made this movie any good at all was Paul Ford who played the cafe/restaurant owner. He was the only one who seemed to know how to carry a scene, and with pizazz. He has always been a great character actor. Another great character actor is Frank Cady who should have been given a larger part in this movie to help bring it along. I remember him as the store owner in Green Acres and more-so, I remember him as Doctor Williams on Ozzie and Harriet. He has always been a quiet yet competent actor. The female lead was someone named Mary Hosford, as in the credits it said she was being introduced, and I don't think she ever made another movie. She was OK but you didn't have any feelings for her part. One thing I liked was how the men stood and took off their hats when the flag went by in a parade. That was commonplace at one time, but I notice teenagers today often not bothering to take off their hats for the National Anthem at sports games. I don't think they are being ignorant, I think many ARE ignorant. Ignorant of what is proper, as no one ever taught them to respect the freedom represented by the US Flag. So, I'd say take a look at the movie if you don't have to go out of your way, and if you like the good old days and or horse or sulky racing. It's not a memorable movie, but worth seeing once I guess.

I watched this movie because Brandon De Wilde,who disappeared too soon ,was in it ; he already had under his belt such works as "Shane" and "member of the wedding ",and later on he would play prominent parts in " Hud " and "all fall down" .

Unlike some very young actors,he never hammed it up : all he had to do was act naturally ; an orphan ,he wins a whole town over (after a chilly welcome :does he come from a reform school?).He becomes Magee's protégé ;Gary Merril is excellent as the man feeling time is passing him by and who tries to live again his youth dreams thanks to the teenager who looks like a lot like him ; Lee Marvin may seem an unsympathetic character but the boy learns from him an important thing in life : for any deal ,put it in writing;on the other hand,his love affair is insignificant.

Shades of "national velvet " (the race) and more a chronicle than a classic eventful western ;predictable and derivative, but pleasant to watch with a dose of humor : the statue of the general used as a hiching post for Marvin's horse.

"The Missouri Traveler" is a film from Disney that seems to reinforce the values that Walt himself had growing up in this same state. He talked about the joy of growing up in small town Missouri and his Main Street USA at Disney World and Disneyland are modeled after this ideal.

The story begins with Biarn (Brandon De Wilde) walking down a country road. Tobias (Lee Marvin) stops to give the boy a lift into town. While it's obvious the boy is on the run, since he appears to be only about 13, the townsfolk don't question this and are quite taken with him. In fact, in a way, the people take him on as a special project, as they see he's very hard working, decent and honest. But there's a problem.... Tobias is a bit of a jerk and he seems to repeatedly make life tough for the kid. What's to become of this odd rivalry?

"The Missouri Traveler" is a very sweet film that manages to balance sentimentality and schmaltziness with entertainment. In other words, it doesn't overwhelm you with too much false sentimentality and the story works for many reasons. Of course the writing is good, but so is the nice direction and the great cast of actors....who are mostly character actors who really make you love the town. One of Disney's best live action films.

Most of the other reviews make me cringe - not because they're so out there, but because they show how much individuality and gumption today's Americans have given up for a malevolent government safety net. Years ago, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas told a college graduating class (I forget whether it was at Ole Miss, or his alma mater University of the Holy Cross in Worcester Mass.) the one thing that has stuck in MY head, ever since..."the awful truth is, when you're in America, you're on your own." In the 1800s and even into the early 1900s, orphaned kids weren't given special dispensation for being orphans and such kids grew up damned quickly. The fact that so many succeeded in so many economic directions only spoke to the innate spirit of a man (or woman) when there was nothing to fall back on.

Most every review here does nothing but attempt to impose 21st-century social standards upon a world well over 100 years removed. I daresay someone from 1890 or 1900 would be nonplussed by the criticism of the world they considered normal by people today who've been coddled into complete infantilism. All one needs to do is to search the internet for a typical 8th-grade final junior high school graduation exam to see how much lowered today's standards have become...a 25-year-old today can't pass an exam a 13-year-old was expected to master 140 years ago. Biarn showed guts, spunk and quick wits to overcome the two deuces life dealt him. Thank the good Lord he wasn't the only one. Yes, it can be sappy at times but all in all this was a good watch.