This Republic picture tells the story of the Rock Island Line, a railway operation that carried passengers through midwestern territory. Eventually the line serviced 14 states and operated for 130 years, from the pre-Civil War era until 1980. The historical drama that plays out on screen concerns itself with efforts to lay track from Rock Island, Illinois to Davenport, Iowa.
Several complications occur which nearly prevent an engineer turned entrepreneur (Forrest Tucker) responsible for its design from realizing his dream of improved transit that will outperform a rival steamboat company or any stagecoach in the region. The owner of the steamboat business is a shifty type played by Bruce Cabot who's a bit long in the tooth but quite determined to get what he wants.
What does Cabot want exactly? He wants two things. One, to put Tucker out of commission before the railroad takes off; and two, to marry the daughter (Adele Mara) of a wealthy banker (Grant Withers). Trouble is Mara has broken her engagement to Cabot since she has now fallen for Tucker and wants to wed him instead.
But there won't be any marrying until Tucker has proven a success of his proposed venture. He says men who marry rich women get told what to do by those women. In a noble yet chauvinistic way, he intends to accumulate enough riches of his own to be able to tell his woman what to do!
We know that Cabot won't stand idly by as this romance develops. He has ideas to sabotage Tucker at nearly every turn. At one point in the dialogue, Cabot is referred to as having a wealth of manners but a poverty of ethics. That describes him to a tee. To thwart Tucker's efforts, Cabot sends a fiery steamboat towards a new bridge the railroad just built, to destroy it.
The incident with the burned bridge leads to a trial, which Cabot loses. He loses, because Tucker has hired a smart lawyer named Abraham Lincoln (Jeff Corey). Lincoln finds a kid (Jimmy Hunt) who happened to be fishing at the time of the bridge incident. Hunt testifies against Cabot, explaining how the steamboat couldn't have accidentally drifted into the bridge, because there were no currents. The vessel had to have been deliberately steered. This is a slightly implausible plot point but still a cute nod to American history and a figure like Lincoln.
After failing with the bridge, Cabot brokers a deal with some natives. The goal is to start a war that will get in the way of the railroad's expansion. Cabot ends up betrayed by the "injuns" who slash his throat and nearly kill him. It is learned that a native princess (Adrian Booth) who wears exquisite costumes and jewelry has persuaded the men to turn against Cabot.
He's intrigued when he learns how duplicitous she is. He says the man she marries will have an interesting life with her, but also a dangerous one. She is not flattered by the remarks and says "If anymore attempts are made on Mr. Loomis' (Tucker's) life, I shall have you killed in a long painful manner. You would much rather your throat were cut."
Booth's character is hung up on Tucker, though it's clear he will eventually marry Mara by the end of the picture. It is Booth who steals the film with her calm and highly controlled characterization of a somewhat unhinged native gal who can be sweet one moment and deadly the next.
The script depicts her as more than just a one-dimensional "injun woman." Her grandfather is a peaceful old Sauk warrior; and he sent her to Europe. So she's come back to the midwestern territory with a European education and a Parisian sense of fashion. Yet, she still has savage-like tendencies. It's a fascinating role well-played by Booth. The grand finale of the picture has Booth helping Tucker and his men defeat a group of attacking Sioux that had been stirred up by Cabot. For her efforts, Booth's character is killed but she dies a heroine.
Joe Kane, Republic's 'A' western director, gets the most out of his cast and stuntmen during the exciting on-location finale. And there are some wonderfully artistic touches by cinematographer Jack Marta who uses the studio's Trucolor process to distinct advantage.
Several complications occur which nearly prevent an engineer turned entrepreneur (Forrest Tucker) responsible for its design from realizing his dream of improved transit that will outperform a rival steamboat company or any stagecoach in the region. The owner of the steamboat business is a shifty type played by Bruce Cabot who's a bit long in the tooth but quite determined to get what he wants.
What does Cabot want exactly? He wants two things. One, to put Tucker out of commission before the railroad takes off; and two, to marry the daughter (Adele Mara) of a wealthy banker (Grant Withers). Trouble is Mara has broken her engagement to Cabot since she has now fallen for Tucker and wants to wed him instead.
But there won't be any marrying until Tucker has proven a success of his proposed venture. He says men who marry rich women get told what to do by those women. In a noble yet chauvinistic way, he intends to accumulate enough riches of his own to be able to tell his woman what to do!
We know that Cabot won't stand idly by as this romance develops. He has ideas to sabotage Tucker at nearly every turn. At one point in the dialogue, Cabot is referred to as having a wealth of manners but a poverty of ethics. That describes him to a tee. To thwart Tucker's efforts, Cabot sends a fiery steamboat towards a new bridge the railroad just built, to destroy it.
The incident with the burned bridge leads to a trial, which Cabot loses. He loses, because Tucker has hired a smart lawyer named Abraham Lincoln (Jeff Corey). Lincoln finds a kid (Jimmy Hunt) who happened to be fishing at the time of the bridge incident. Hunt testifies against Cabot, explaining how the steamboat couldn't have accidentally drifted into the bridge, because there were no currents. The vessel had to have been deliberately steered. This is a slightly implausible plot point but still a cute nod to American history and a figure like Lincoln.
After failing with the bridge, Cabot brokers a deal with some natives. The goal is to start a war that will get in the way of the railroad's expansion. Cabot ends up betrayed by the "injuns" who slash his throat and nearly kill him. It is learned that a native princess (Adrian Booth) who wears exquisite costumes and jewelry has persuaded the men to turn against Cabot.
He's intrigued when he learns how duplicitous she is. He says the man she marries will have an interesting life with her, but also a dangerous one. She is not flattered by the remarks and says "If anymore attempts are made on Mr. Loomis' (Tucker's) life, I shall have you killed in a long painful manner. You would much rather your throat were cut."
Booth's character is hung up on Tucker, though it's clear he will eventually marry Mara by the end of the picture. It is Booth who steals the film with her calm and highly controlled characterization of a somewhat unhinged native gal who can be sweet one moment and deadly the next.
The script depicts her as more than just a one-dimensional "injun woman." Her grandfather is a peaceful old Sauk warrior; and he sent her to Europe. So she's come back to the midwestern territory with a European education and a Parisian sense of fashion. Yet, she still has savage-like tendencies. It's a fascinating role well-played by Booth. The grand finale of the picture has Booth helping Tucker and his men defeat a group of attacking Sioux that had been stirred up by Cabot. For her efforts, Booth's character is killed but she dies a heroine.
Joe Kane, Republic's 'A' western director, gets the most out of his cast and stuntmen during the exciting on-location finale. And there are some wonderfully artistic touches by cinematographer Jack Marta who uses the studio's Trucolor process to distinct advantage.