Trouble is brewing in Canada, where British Columbia is threatening to secede if it isn’t connected to the rest of the country by rail lines.
A railroad tycoon named Van Horne is determined to do just that, but runs into a big obstacle: the Rocky Mountains.
So he summons ace surveyor Tom Andrews (Randolph Scott), who finds a possible passage through those very mountains.
None of this sits well with Dirk Rourke (Victor Jory), whose highly profitable trading posts would become less so if the venture succeeds.
He sets out to stop the railroad, by stealing dynamite to damage the tracks, by inciting the railroad workers, by convincing the locals that the railroad will bring unwelcome change.
Heck, he’ll even stoop to inciting an Indian uprising if that’s what it takes.
He also tries to blow up Tom Andrews, and nearly succeeds.
But he’s nursed back to health by Dr. Edith Cabot (Jane Wyatt), who warms to Andrews after a brusque meeting, but will never warm to the guns he wears.
Randolph Scott as Tom Andrews, about to help Van Horne find a path through the Rockies in Canadian Pacific (1949)
Victor Jory as Dick Rourke, rallying opposition against the railroad in Canadian Pacific (1949)
Review:
Enjoyable Scott Western, featuring some great scenery and decent action scenes and, unfortunately, some 1940s silliness.
For instance, Scott has a sidekick named sidekick Dynamite Dawson, who’s sent on a desperate ride for help at one point.
He’s cornered by a small group of Indians. He hands each a stick of dynamite, telling the Indians to try smoking them. They fall for the trick!
Meanwhile, Scott is torn between two women, longtime love Cecille Gautier (Nancy Olson) and Dr. Cabot (Jane Wyatt).
Wyatt is the top-billed female, but it’s Olson who steals the show and lights up the screen as the fiesty young frontier girl tired of waiting for her man. Olson was 21 at the time and this was just her second film.
Nancy Olson as Cecille Gautier, waiting for Tom Andrews to get over his railroad days in Canadian Pacific (1949)
Jane Wyatt as Dr. Edith Cabot, in love with Tom Andrews but not his guns in Canadian Pacific (1949)
Directed by:
Edwin L. Marin
Cast:
Randolph Scott … Tom Andrews
Jane Wyatt … Dr. Edith Cabot
J. Carrol Naish … Dynamite Dawson
Victor Jory … Dirk Rourke
Nancy Olson … Cecille Gautier
Robert Barrat … Cornelius Van Horne
Walter Sande … Mike Brannigan
Grandon Rhodes … Dr. Mason
Don Haggerty … Cagle
Mary Kent … Mrs. Gautier
John Parrish … Mr. Gautier
John Hamilton … Pere Lacomb
Dick Wessel … Bailey
Howard Negley … Mallis
Runtime: 95 min.
J. Carroll Naish as Dynamite Dawson, Tom Andrews’ sidekick in Canadian Pacific (1949)
Robert Barrat as Cornelius Van Horne, the man trying to build a railroad across Canada in Canadian Pacific (1949)
Memorable lines:
Scott to Dr. Edith Cabot, after being scolded for punching a man: “I can’t help it, doc. Viciousness was just born in me. Everytime I see a doo-doo in a red shirt, I go crazy.”
Tom Andrews, after crossing paths with Dr. Edith Cabot for the first time: “How long has she been around here?”
Dynamite Dawson: “Came in with the hospital car. Me, I don’t trust no sawbones without whiskers.”
Andrews: “I guess it depends on how bad you feel. I can see there’s going to be a lot of sick men around here from now on.”
Dynamite: “Yeah, too bad you ain’t gonna be around to head the parade.”
Pastor, interrupting Tom Andrews fight with Dirk Rourke: “Tom, you should be ashamed.”
Tom, delivering a final knockout punch: “I’d be more ashamed if I was him.”
Dynamite: “Well, you was a good man once. But when a fella like you starts going soft, t’ain’t long before he shakes like jelly.”
Tom Andrews: “I’m quivering.”
Tom Andrews, thanking Edith for a transfusion; “Now that I have your blood, doesn’t that give us something in common?”
Edith: “Certainly, not.”
Edith: “There’s never an excuse for drawing a gun against another man. And if you feel toward me the way I believe you do, you’ll never wear them again.”
Tom Andrews: “Well, they are kinda heavy, and I’m not as strong as I used to be.”
Cecille, offering Edith a rifle: “Here! Fight! Do you want to die?”
She delines the rifle.
Cecille: “Then you’re either a fool or a saint.”
Dick Wessel as Bailey, confronted by Tom Andrews (Randolph Scott) in Canadian Pacific (1949)
Grandon Rhodes as Dr. Mason, providing Tom Andrews with a transfusion, with Dr. Edith Cabot’s help, in Canadian Pacific (1949)
Nancy Olson as Cecille Gautier, talking on the railroad’s behalf as her father (John Parrish) looks on in Canadian Pacific (1949)
Mrs. Gautier (Mary Kent) and Cecille Gautier (Nancy Olson) face the prospect of Mr. Gautier’s involvement in an Indian uprising in Canadian Pacific (1949)
Jane Wyatt as Dr. Edith Cabot, scolding Tom Andrews for his violent ways in Canadian Pacific (1949)
Randolph Scott as Tom Andrews, solving problems with his six shooters in Canadian Pacific (1949)
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