Senator William J. Tadlock (Kirk Douglas) enlists the help of veteran scout Dick Summers (Robert Mitchum) to lead a wagon train of settlers from Missouri to Oregon in this plodding, routine western. A scared settler accidently shoots an Indian boy who is mistaken for a wolf, prompting Summers to order newlywed triggerman Johnny Mack (Michael Witney) to be hanged to avoid an Indian attack. The highlight of the film is the expert cinematography. Watch for Sally Field in her first big-screen role as the slatternly Mercy McBee.

Cast: Kirk Douglas, Robert Mitchum, Richard Widmark, Sally Field

Producer: Harold Hecht

Director: Andrew McLaglen

A well-made and wholly professional Hollywood Western, Widmark and Mitchum are excellent – Roger Ebert

IMDb user reviews:

“Spectacular Western focusing a wagon train of emigrants bound from Missouri to Oregon”

“The unsung hero of westerns, and a great example of how superior they were before 1970”