Kit Carson (1940)

Simply A Masterpiece

Let's be realistic.

Did you people see the same film I saw?

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

It's really rewarding when you can find a gem where you weren't expecting to. I watched "Kit Carson" because it was raining and golf was cancelled, and I wanted to kill some time. What a surprise to see Jon Hall, of all people, in an action-packed story better than many with higher ratings. I figure it must have been the second feature paired with a more expensive picture, but this one held its own. It moves along at a good clip with some good second unit work on several fight scenes between the settlers and the Cavalry troop, led by Capt. Dana Andrews, chief scout Jon Hall and sidekick Ward Bond. One of the settlers wagons is driven by Clayton Moore - you can close your eyes when he talks and he becomes the Lone Ranger. Close your eyes again, and Jon Hall sounds like Randolph Scott, soft drawl and all.See it when it's on again if you like surprises and action westerns, and overlook the plot holes. It's one of those pictures that is better the younger you are. I found it was nice to be young again.Star rating is in the heading. The website no longer prints mine.

This is a semi-historical western adventure film, featuring the historic Kit Carson(Jon Hall) and J.C. Fremont(Dana Andrews) as the leaders of the American expedition to establish a wagon trail from Ft. Bridger, in SW Wyoming, to central California, across much barren land and the Sierras. Carson refused Fremont's request that he serve as his scout. However, he was convinced to act as wagon master for the wagon train that became attached to Fremont's cavalry unit. This split command offered more opportunities for disagreements on routes, policies, and romance. They are pursued relentlessly by Shoshone all along their route, until they have crossed the Sierras.(Historically, the Shoshone were probably more important in attacking wagons and settlements along the Oregon Trail, although they did range from western Wyoming through Utah and Nevada, as indicated in this film.Once over the Sierras, their enemy became General Castro's Mexican forces. He had supplied the Shoshone with rifles, in their attacks on the Americans.(General Castro is an appropriate historical name). Castro doesn't cause trouble on the trip to Monterrey, on the coast. A celebration is held at the Murphy hacienda. Murphy is a rich man by California standards. His daughter, Dolores(Lynn Bari) was a member of the wagon train(why?). She developed some romantic attachment to both Carson and Fremont during their long trip. She prefers Carson at this point, but he mysteriously leaves for the plains and some beaver traps. Dolores assumes she will never see him again. However, Kit's plans change when he learns of Castro's plan to destroy the Murphy Hacienda. Kit returns to the hacienda to lead it's defense, and take an important part in the movement by the small American community to wrest California from the Mexicans.Throughout, until near the end, Kit has 2 partners in Ape(Ward Bond) and Lopez(Harold Huber). The 3 were the only survivors of a sizable party of trappers who were attacked by Shoshone in the Ft. Bridger area, losing all their beaver pelts....Raymond Hatton plays Bridger, whom we meet at his fort, where the principle characters first meet....It's nice to see Lynn Bari in a leading role. Usually, she was relegated to a supporting role, often 'the other woman'.Much of this was shot in Monument Valley, as was often clear in the background. This was just a year after John Ford discovered this spectacular area for "Stagecoach" and several subsequent films. Unfortunately, neither film was shot in color.As a rather muddled historical adventure, the film isn't bad. Lots of action, and cursory romance between. See it in B&W at YouTube.

The western film Kit Carson, an independent release from United Artists in 1940 presents a rousing action filled portrayal of one of the greatest of American frontier characters. But the real Kit Carson was so much more interesting that it's almost a shame that this one is his screen epitaph. Jon Hall plays Carson in proper frontier style with Mesquiteer like mountain men companions Ward Bond and Harold Huber. Dana Andrews is John C. Fremont noted explorer and surveyor of the west who eventually became the first Republican party presidential candidate. One thing I should dispel right away, they never quarreled over any woman, even one as beautiful as Lynn Bari. Fremont was already married to Jessie Benton, daughter of US Senator Thomas Hart Benton and Carson after living among the Indians and fathering two illegitimate children married the daughter of the governor of New Mexico when it was still in old Mexico. He even took instructions in the Roman Catholic faith to make such a marriage. The action of about two years is compressed into approximately a few months with Fremont's expedition being the catspaw of the US government to check out California to see if it was ripe for the taking. Fremont never took a wagon train to California or anywhere else, especially since he was mapping and surveying the territory that Carson and other mountain knew about before. He had enough trouble getting him and his men over the Rockies and Sierras without women and kids along.Both Hall and Andrews certainly do right by their characterizations of both men and I wish I could rate the film higher. Sad to say though its accuracy is so bad that it's almost on the level of a B western where they use some real life western figure and build a fictitious plot around them. Plenty of action though with Indian fights and then fights with the Mexican army in California. Kit Carson must have done well with the Saturday matinée crowd back in the day.

Kit Carson is an amazing film, it reminds you of one of those old Zane Grey books about caravans going west. Everything that you can expect to happen, is here, an ambush on a narrow passage, the caravans making a circle to protect themselves in an attack, making the enemy believe there are more people then actually are in a place, making a horse run with a dead man mounted, so the Indians will follow, it is all there . At the same time you feel the film was made on a low budget, even though it was made in 1940, it seems older. Jon Hall is very good as Kit Carson, also Dana Andrews as the hard headed Captain. Lynn Bari has an incredible old fashioned look, she seems more like an actress from the twenties. I remember this film being shown here in Brazil, very often during the early fifties, and always with good results at the box office.