Movie Review: The Spoilers (1955)

I can’t call this a Movie I’ve Missed because I’ve seen it before, but the last time was more than fifty years ago when I was in high school. But I recalled liking it, so when it showed up on Grit TV, I decided to give it a try.

This is actually the first version of THE SPOILERS I ever saw. Rex Beach’s bestselling 1906 adventure novel about the Yukon Gold Rush (something he experienced first-hand) has been filmed five times, twice during the Silent Era and three sound films: a 1930 version starring Gary Cooper that isn’t available and may be lost; a 1942 version starring John Wayne, Randolph Scott, and Marlene Dietrich, the best-known and almost certainly best version if only for the cast; and this one from 1955 with Jeff Chandler, Rory Calhoun, and Anne Baxter.

It’s a familiar story: Chandler is the stalwart gold mine owner, Baxter is the flamboyant and beautiful saloon owner, and Calhoun, cast against type, is the charming but crooked gold commissioner who’s trying to swindle Chandler out of his mine and steal his girl, to boot. Elsewhere in the cast, Ray Danton is a gambler whose motivations are murky but who definitely can’t be trusted, John McEntire is Chandler’s crusty partner in the gold mine, Carl Benton Reid is a judge, Barbara Britton is the judge’s niece and some competition for Baxter, Wallace Ford is an old codger, and perennial villain Roy Barcroft is a good guy for a change, playing the local marshal. The characters jockey back and forth for position, romantic entanglements ensue, schemes are exposed, and it all culminates in a big battle between the miners and the bad guys in which a train crashes and stuff blows up real good, following by a brutal, saloon-destroying fistfight between Chandler and Calhoun.

As the only color version of THE SPOILERS, this one looks great. The location photography is good and there are plenty of bright colors. I’m not a fan of some of the Westerns made since the Seventies that are obsessed with muddy streets, filthy clothes, and scenes so dimly lit it’s hard to tell what’s going on. I don’t care if it’s realistic. The streets are muddy in this one, but other than that it’s definitely a Technicolor production. There’s some decent miniature work in the train crash, and the two leads (and their stunt doubles) throw a lot of enthusiasm into their big fight at the end. I’m not a huge fan of either Jeff Chandler or Rory Calhoun, but they’re fine here. It seemed to me that the fight is over quicker than I remember it, but it’s still pretty good.

If you’re going to watch only one version of THE SPOILERS, go with the Wayne/Scott/Dietrich effort from 1942. I’ve seen it several times, and it’s a better film. However, I think this 1955 version is worth watching, too. As I said above, I remember enjoying it the last time I saw it. I liked it this time, too, and I’m glad I saw it again.

Although I’ve been familiar with his name for years, I’ve never read anything by Rex Beach. Maybe I should. Most of his novels are in public domain, and free e-book editions are available on Amazon. If I ever get around to it, you can count on reading about it here.