Denver and Rio Grande (1952)

The Worst Film Ever

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Hollywood usually gets the details of history all wrong, whether it be miscasting the actors and distorting the facts. This does more of the later, but why quibble? It's an interesting piece of western fable told with gusto and taste, well cast and quite entertaining. The American west always looks its best in color, with the mountain greenery and blue skies smiling down on the settlers. That little piece of prose as as authentic as the story here of two rival railroad companies dealing with the competition in completely different ways. Edmund O'Brien represents the more ethical of the two, while a bearded Sterling Hayden represents the more ruthless of the two.This is highlighted by a train collision head on, with Zasu Pitts amusing as a lovelorn cook. Linda Elliott, who went onto a career on T.V. as Kasey Rogers, is a vengeance seeking young woman who gets in the good graces of O'Brien with a hidden agenda. It's a fast moving A western that may not have all the facts, but at least provides steady entertainment and pretty visuals.

The Denver and the Rio Grande is purportedly the story of the construction of that line financed by Dean Jagger, designed by J. Carrol Naish and constructed by Edmond O'Brien. They meet some stiff opposition from the the bad railroad where Sterling Hayden and Lyle Bettger run things.With some elements taken from films like Union Pacific and Saratoga Trunk, Denver and the Rio Grande is entertaining, but not consistently. Part of the plot is where the baddies convince Edmond O'Brien he killed Don Haggerty. They do a weak job of it in my opinion. Unfortunately that weakness leads to some rather silly motivation on the part of other characters.What is nice is the good Rocky Mountain location photography and two very good performances by Zasu Pitts and Paul Fix in sidekick roles. They have a very cute romance going and at times they're better than the leads.

What we have here is the typical western shoot-up between two rival railway companies attempting to build through the Colorado Rockies. What makes this film somewhat unique is the head-on collision of two trains engineered by the "bad guys." The collision is for real! The Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad provided two narrow-gage trains that we destined for the scrap-heap for the Big Scene. With adequate dynamite placed on the engines, the crash was carried off. There were, obviously, no re-takes. After close-ups, the engines were hauled off to the steel-mills at Pueblo. A good Western that rail buffs will appreciate.

Two railroad construction crews go head to head in getting a new line through to the west. One crew is filled with dirty rotten scalawags who stop at nothing to fulfill their duty. The other group are square shooters who just want to do an honest days work for an honest days pay. They meet for the final showdown in an explosive ending. Good western filmed in beautiful mountain country.