Dakota (1945)

[ethanedwards]

DAKOTA

PRODUCED AND DIRECTED BY JOSEPH KANE
MUSIC BY WALTER SCHARF
REPUBLIC PICTURES

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INFORMATION FROM IMDb

Plot Summary
In 1871, professional gambler John Devlin (John Wayne) elopes with Sandra "Sandy" Poli (Vera Ralston), daughter of Marko Poli (Hugo Haas), an immigrant who has risen to railroad tycoon. Sandy, knowing that the railroad is to be extended into Dakota, plans to use their $20,000 nest egg to buy land options to sell to the railroad at a profit. On the stage trip to Ft. Abercrombie, their fellow passengers are Jim Bender (Ward Bond) and Bigtree Collins (Mike Mazurki), who practically own the town of Fargo and Devlin is aware that they are prepared to protect the little empire...trying to drive out the farmers by burning their property, destroying their wheat, and blaming the devastation on the Indians. Continuing their journey north on the river aboard the "River Bird', Sandy and John meet Captain Bounce (Walter Brennan), an irascible old seafarer. Two of Bendender's henchmen, Slagin (Grant Withers) and Carp (Paul Fix), board the boat and relieve John of his $20,000 at gunpoint. Captain Bounce, chasing the robber's dinghy, wrecks his boat on a sandbar. At Fargo, the land wars begin and John teams with the wheat farmers against the Bender gang. Several attempts are made on his life and Collins tries to frame him for murder.
Summary written by Les Adams

Full Cast
John Wayne .... John Devlin
Vera Ralston .... Sandy Poli (Devlin) (as Vera Hruba Ralston)
Walter Brennan .... Capt. Bounce of the Riverbird
Ward Bond .... Jim Bender
Mike Mazurki .... Bigtree Collins
Ona Munson .... Jersey Thomas
Olive Blakeney .... Mrs. Stowe
Hugo Haas .... Marko Poli
Nick Stewart .... Nicodemus (Capt. Bounce's Bosun) (as Nicodemus Stewart)
Paul Fix .... Carp
Grant Withers .... Slagin
Robert Livingston .... Lieutenant
Olin Howland .... Devlin's driver (as Olin Howlin)
Pierre Watkin .... Wexton Geary (Marko Poli's representative)
Robert Barrat .... Anson Stowe (as Robert H. Barrat)
Jonathan Hale .... Col. Wordin
Robert Blake .... Little boy (as Bobby Blake)
Paul Hurst .... Capt. Spotts
Eddy Waller .... Stagecoach driver
Sarah Padden .... Mrs. Plummer
Jack La Rue .... Suede
George Cleveland .... Mr. Plummer
Selmer Jackson .... Dr. Judson
Claire Du Brey .... Wahtonka
Roy Barcroft .... Poli's driver
Melva Anstead .... Dancer (uncredited)
Eugene Borden .... Italian (uncredited)
Bob Burns .... Farmer (uncredited)
Paul E. Burns .... Farmer at meeting (uncredited)
Lucille Byron .... Dancer (uncredited)
Martha Carroll .... Entertainer (uncredited)
Noble 'Kid' Chissel .... Henchman (uncredited)
Dorothy Christy .... Nora (the cook) (uncredited)
Peter Cusanelli .... Italian (uncredited)
Kenne Duncan .... Henchman (uncredited)
Geraldine Farnum .... Dancer (uncredited)
Cay Forrester .... Entertainer (uncredited)
Frances Gladwin .... Dancer (uncredited)
Fred Graham .... Bouncer (uncredited)
Lorna Gray .... Entertainer (uncredited)
William Haade .... Roughneck in saloon (uncredited)
Harriette Haddon .... Dancer (uncredited)
Rosemonde James .... Dancer (uncredited)
Russ Kaplan .... Bouncer (uncredited)
Marian Kerrigan .... Dancer (uncredited)
Rex Lease .... Railroad conductor (uncredited)
Tom London .... Old-timer (uncredited)
Cliff Lyons .... Bouncer (uncredited)
LeRoy Mason .... Gambler (uncredited)
Art Miles .... Ciano (uncredited)
Al Murphy .... Trainman (uncredited)
Jack O'Shea .... Bartender (uncredited)
Beverly Reedy .... Dancer (uncredited)
Jack Roper .... Bouncer (uncredited)
Hector Sarno .... Italian farmer (uncredited)
Betty Shaw .... Entertainer (uncredited)
Tom Smith .... Gambler (uncredited)
Dorothy Stevens .... Dancer (uncredited)
Houseley Stevenson .... Railroad clerk (uncredited)
Linda Stirling .... Entertainer (uncredited)
Larry Thompson .... Poli's footman (uncredited)
Victor Varconi .... Frenchman (uncredited)
Michael Visaroff .... Russian (uncredited)
Virginia Wave .... Entertainer (uncredited)
Dick Wessel .... Roughneck in saloon (uncredited)

Writing Credits
Howard Estabrook adaptation
Carl Foreman story
Lawrence Hazard screenplay

Original Music
Walter Scharf (uncredited)

Cinematography
Jack A. Marta

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Yakima Canutt .... second unit director
Allen K. Wood .... assistant director (uncredited)

Stunts
Yakima Canutt .... stunt double (uncredited)
Bobbie Dorree .... stunt double (uncredited)
Fred Graham .... stunt double (uncredited)
Cliff Lyons .... stunt double (uncredited)

Other crew
Larry Ceballos .... choreographer
Walter Scharf .... musical director
Andrew V. McLaglen .... production assistant (uncredited)
Andrew Sterling .... songs (uncredited)

Goof
* Continuity: When Devlin is tossed out of Poli's house, he tumbles down the steps with his head toward the right of the porch. But on the cut to the close-up, he completes the fall with his head toward the left, a complete mismatch from the previous shot.

Memorable Quotes

Filming Locations
CBS Studio Center - 4024 Radford Avenue, Studio City, Los Angeles, California, USA
Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park - 10700 W. Escondido Canyon Rd., Agua Dulce, California, USA

Watch this Clip

[ethanedwards]

Dakota is a 1945 American Western film directed by Joseph Kane
and starring John Wayne and Walter Brennan.
The supporting cast features Ward Bond and Mike Mazurki.

Here's a film that's pretty bad, not as bad as say Tycoon, but on the way there.
Even though it was directed by Joesph Kane, and had a great supporting cast,
including, Walter Brennan, Ward Bond, Ona Munson, Paul Fix, Grant Withers and Milke Mazurki,
it didn't help the film, becoming anything, but an entertaining action drama, full of absurdities and claptrap.
The spectacular prairie fire, adding, at least something!!

The weakest casting was that of Vera Hruba Ralston, the Czech skater,,
who's only claim to fame, is that she was the Republic bosses, moll!!!
She had trouble speaking English, and couldn't act if it was to save the ice melting!!
She made 12 films for Republic and the only ones that made a profit,
were, when she appeared with Duke.

However, none of the above, could make this film a hit,
and it's almost sunk, without recognition.

User Review

Author: tmwest from S. Paulo, Brazil from IMDb

Vera Ralston was an actress that was cast into films because she was married to the big boss of Republic.
In Dakota she comes out surprisingly well as Sandy Poli a determined woman, daughter of a millionaire who marries John Wayne.
He wants to go to California, but she chooses Dakota and from then on she is the one who makes the most important decisions
for the couple. It is not usual to see John Wayne in this situation but it makes the film more interesting.
There are two familiar actors also, Walter Brennan and Ward Bond.
It is remarkable that with a low budget they made quite a convincing scenery of what Fargo,
Dakota must have looked like. The movie is quite entertaining except for the fact also mentioned in one of the comments,
that they make too much use of scenes taking place at night.
No need for that, it only makes it harder to understand what is going on.

[etsija]

Sure Dakota is forgettable, but entertaining enough to watch. I like the escape scenes in the beginning, but unfortunately the start promises more than there is to come

[Senta]

Originally posted by etsija@Jun 6 2006, 04:12 PM
Sure Dakota is forgettable, but entertaining enough to watch. I like the escape scenes in the beginning, but unfortunately the start promises more than there is to come

[snapback]31877[/snapback]

I enjoyed it too, even when understand the weak parts of the film.

[chester7777]

I don't remember having watched this film, but see that it is availabe on DVD in a collection (The John Wayne Collection) and individually at both Amazon and Deep Discount (a little cheaper at DD).

Here is a poster from the movie (reproductions of it are available at Deep Discount, too!) -

Dakota-poster.jpg

[Moonshine_Sally]

Far from being the best Duke film it kept me entertained.Pity it sometimes was a bit too dark to be able to see the scenes properly but I'm not complaing too loud.I know I have an accent speaking English but I'm pretty sure that people can understand me better than they would Vera Ralston.All in all I've seen worse films than this one.

[JohnChisum]

IMO not the best Western I saw but I've watched worse than Dakota. The story would have been good enough for a one hour B-Western of the 30's. No wonder that Duke started to produce Movies by himself.
Walter Brennan had a funny role as Steamboat Captain and he was the most entertaining part of this movie. Without him, John Wayne and Ward Bond Dakota would have been unwatchable.

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