Dana Andrews is hard-working, no-nonsense Logan Stuart, a man determined to turn his freight line into a fortune in Oregon in the 1850s.
He has two problems, a friend named George Camrose (Brian Donlevy) with a weak spot for gambling that leads to bigger problems, and a cutthroat enemy named Honey Bragg (Ward Bond).
Women? Well, they complicate matters, too.
There’s Caroline Marsh, who wants Stuart and is also sought after by young farmer Vane Blazier. There’s Marta Lestrade, who keeps fending off the advances of Camrose.
And there’s flame-haired Lucy Overmire, who’s planning to marry Camrose, but wonders if he’ll ever measure up to Logan Stuart.
Dana Andrews as Logan Stuart, an industrious frontier businessman in Canyon Passage (1946)
Susan Hayward as Lucy Overmire, looking to Logan Stuart for answers in Canyon Passage (1946)
Review:
Lots of familiar faces show up in this slow-moving film with tons of subplots, that muddy the focus. And we never do find out why business-minded Logan Stuart feels so much allegiance to George Camrose, who shows up at, but can’t even be bothered to help with the work at a cabin raising.
Famed songwriter Hoagy Charmichael appears in one of his largest film roles and sings one of the songs he’s best known for — “Ole Buttermilk Sky.” And Ward Bond plays one of his least flattering characters, a man who kills for the pleasure of killing.
It’s his assault on an Indian girl that sets the “red beasties” — hey, that’s what they’re called in the film — on the warpath and leads to the film’s climax.
The familiar faces also include Andy Devine, whose real life son Tad played one of his sons in the film.
Brian Donlevy as George Camrose, constantly gambling his money away in Canyon Passage (1946)
Andy Devine as Ben Dance giving advice on how to snag a man to Caroline Marsh (Patricia Roc) in Canyon Passage (1946)
Directed by:
Jacques Tourneur
Cast:
Dana Andrews … Logan Stuart
Brian Donlevy … George Camrose
Susan Hayward … Lucy Overmire
Patricia Roc … Caroline March
Ward Bond … Honey Bragg
Hoagy Carmichael … Hi Linnet
Fay Holden … Mrs. Overmire
Stanley Ridges … Jonas Overmire
Lloyd Bridges … Johnny Steele
Andy Devine … Ben Dance
Victor Cutler … Vane Blazier
Rose Hobart … Marta Lestrade
Runtime: 93 min.
Hoagy Carmichael as Hi Linnet, the traveling minstrel who knows Camrose’s secret in Canyon Passage (1946)
Ward Bond as Honey Bragg, the brute with a grudge against Logan Stuart in Canyon Passage (1946)
Memorable lines:
Logan Stuart: “Gold is only yellow gravel, Cornelius.”
Cornelius: “But the yellow color makes all the difference.”
Stuart: “Butter’s yellow too, and you can spread it on bread. Ever try that with gold.”
Cornelius: “For a businessman, you’ve got odd ideas.”
Ben Dance to Stuart: “You can’t tell them Army fellas nothin’. They got a little brown book. And if it ain’t in that little brown book, it just ain’t true.”
George Camrose, about his gambling problem: “I always feel lucky. That’s my trouble.”
Dana Andrews as Logan Stuart, getting a visit from Honey Bragg while Clenchfield (Halliwell Hobbes) looks on in Canyon Passage (1946)
Susan Hayward as Lucy Overmire, the woman George Camrose plans to marry in Canyon Passage (1946)
Patricia Roc as Caroline Marsh, the woman Logan Stuart plans to marry in Canyon Passage (1946)
Lloyd Bridges as Johnny Steele, prosecuting the case against George Camrose in Canyon Passage (1946)
Onslow Stevens as Jack Lestrade, the gambler who holds Camrose’s IOUs in Canyon Passage (1946)
Stanley Ridges as Jonas Overmire, Lucy’s father, in Canyon Passage (1946)
Rose Hobart as Marta Lestrade, the woman George Camrose lusts after in Canyon Passage (1946)
Susan Hayward as Lucy Overmire, Dana Andrews as Logan Stuart and Patricia Roc as Caroline Marsh in Canyon Passage (1946)
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