North West Mounted Police (1940)

The year is 1885 and half-breeds who helped settle Canada are balking under English rule So Dan Duroc, school teacher Louis Riel and whiskey trader-outlaw Jacque Corbeau begin planning an uprising to establish a new government north of the border.

The North West Mounted Police, just 500 men strong, will have to put down that rebellion. And into that rising tension rides Dusty Rivers (Gary Cooper), a Texas Ranger on a manhunt for Corbeau, who’s wanted for murder.

The Mounties can count on Sgt. Jim Brett (Preston Foster), an officer who lives by the book and isn’t afraid to put his life on the line. He’s in love with a nurse named April Logan (Madeleine Carroll), who’s just learned she’s being transferred to Nova Scotia. Brett vows to win her heart before that happens.

But he might have some competition from Dusty, who swears even Texas would be a better place with April there. And Brett’s relationship with April is likely to be strained because of her brother, Ronnie (Robert Preston).

That’s because he’s crazy about a blue-eyed half-breed name Louvette (Paulette Goddard); she just happens to be the daughter of Jacques Corbeau. And when she learns of a planned ambush a Duck Lake, she convinces Ronnie to run off with her to be married, then has him held captive so he’ll be out of harm’s way.

Of course, that means he’s abandoned his post and is a traitor in the eyes of the Mounties. And that means his commander, Jim Brett, will have the responsibility of bringing him to justice. If anyone survives the Riel Rebellion.

Review:

This marked the first color film for Cecil B. DeMille and Cooper, who is splendid as the surprisingly smooth talking Texas Ranger.

But he gets lots of help from a deep supporting cast, including Madeleine Carroll as the lovely blonde torn between two men, and Paulette Goddard, who films even better in color, though she’s saddled with a strong accent.

And, of course, being a DeMille film, you can expect some large-scale action scenes. In this case, there’s the well-filmed attack at Duck Lake, where Sgt. Brett and his walking wounded manage to escape only because he burns down an encampment around the small force.

Alas, there are distractions too. The shooting match between Mountie Scout Tod McDugg and Dan Duroc, his friend on the opposite side of the rebellion, is just plain silly. Brett’s heroic ride into the Indian camp after the ambush doesn’t come off much better.

But much is salvaged by an ending that provides a tall tale and a couple of unexpected twists.

The supporting cast also includes future stars Robert Ryan and Rod Cameron as members of the Mounties.

Directed by:
Cecil B. DeMille

Cast:
Gary Cooper … Dusty Rivers
Madeleine Carroll … April Logan
Paulette Goddard … Louvette Corbeau
Preston Foster … Sgt. Jim Brett
Robert Preston … Ronnie Logan
George Bancroft … Jacques Corbeau
Lynne Overman … Tod McDugg
Akim Tamiroff … Dan Duroc
Walter Hampden … Big Bear
Lon Chaney Jr. … Shorty
Montagu Love … Inspector Cabot
Francis McDonald … Louis Riel
George E. Stone … Johnny Pelang
Willard Robertson … Supt. Harrington
Regis Toomey … Constable Jerry Moore
Robert Ryan … Constable Dumont
Richard Denning … Constable Thornton
Rob Cameron … Cpl. Underhill

Runtime: 125 min.

Memorable lines:

Sgt. Jim Brett to Dan Duroc: “You’re a great old wolf, Duroc. I’d hate to see you hang with a coyote.”

April Logan: “Is there anything in the regulations about the Mounted Police always getting their woman?”
Sgt. Jim Brett: “No, but there should be.”

Louvette Corbeau: “”Ronnie. Why you be so late?”
Ronnie Logan: “The sergeant put me on potato patrol.”
Louvette: “Is this potato is other woman, I eat your heart out.”

Dusty: “My name is Dusty Rivers, ma’am.”
April Logan: “Dusty Rivers? Isn’t that a contradiction?”
Dusty: “I expect you’ve never been to Texas.”

Apri Logan, as Dusty climbs aboard her buckboard: “Where are you going?”
Dusty Rivers: “Batoche, and I wish it was 1,000 miles.”
April: “The seats too hard even for 20 miles.”
Dusty: “Lady, to me it’s just like sittin’ on a cloud.”

April Logan: “I’ve always understood Americans were too busy building and selling and shooting each other to waste time saying nice things to women.”
Dusty Rivers: “We get around to it eventually.”

Louvette Corbeau: “You hate Jacques Corbeau more strong than you love Louvette.”
Jim Logan: “I’d be bat-brained about you if your father was the devil himself.”

Sgt. Brett: “I hope you never believe Ronnie’s guilty. But that doesn’t change my job. When this is over, I’m going to get him and bring him back. And I will get him if I have to follow him over the icecap. You know what that means for him.”
April Logan: “I know your duty comes before everything else. It means more to you than mercy or love. Go ahead. Follow your orders. Kill that boy who was foolish enough to put love before everything else. But don’t tell me how sorry you are. Just do your duty. And kill.”

April Logan: “Texas must be heaven.”
Dusty Rivers: “It will be when you get there.”

Dusty Rivers: “Down where I come from we don’t jump to conclusions. It’s liable to be a fellar’s last jump.”

Dusty Rivers: “I was squeezed under a log so tight I was breathing on the installment plan.”

April Logan: “Oh, Dusty, you’re an angel in leather.”
Dusty Rivers: “I’d look funny with leather wings.”

Dusty Rivers: “I hid your horse under that silver mine you call a saddle.”

Dusty Rivers: “I guess I’ve just been having a beautiful pipe dream in the middle of a nightmare.”

Dusty Rivers, to his prisoner: “C’mon, sweetheart.”