Moviecut—Rock Island Trail

source: Rock Island Trail

Rock Island Trail

Rock Island Trail is centered on the building of a railroad bridge over the Mississippi River. Forrest Tucker (as Reed Loomis) is the head honcho of the outfit in charge of building the first railroad bridge across the Mississippi River between Rock Island, Illinois and Davenport, Iowa in 1856. He must battle rival paddle wheel steamer and stagecoach lines to break their monopoly on transport. An expansion storyline told with gusto, humour and the usual fictitious fun stuff interspersed throughout, which is conflicts in the form of shootouts, fistfights, ship ramming into the bridge setting it on fire, an Indian attack at the end and a mop fight (no joke!). It's lighthearted entertaining fare with Forest Tucker playing a hero for a change, and he does really well. Pity he didn't make more as a lead. I also liked the snappy dialogue and the song.

I saw this movie, and wanted to see just how accurate it was, so I looked at a history of the Rock Island Railroad. I discovered that Iowa City posted a $50,000 bonus to the builders if the railway reached the station in the town and a train came into the station on or before midnight December 31, 1855. On December 31st, in a temperature of 30 degrees below zero, the rails were just 1,000 feet short of their goal. Crews worked feverishly to finish the job. Ties were dropped on the staked earth and rails spiked hurriedly in place. Finally, with only minutes to go, a signal was given for the engine to approach. It couldn't move, because it was frozen to the track. With the help of every available man, they pushed the engine into the station with only seconds to spare. This would have made an exciting sequence for the film, and it would have been historically accurate. But they didn't even try to put it in.

I saw this movie, Rock Island Trail, on cable about a year ago as I was looking for something to watch. As I got involved in the plot, I realized it was partly based on the life of my Grandfather's Grandfather, Henry Farnam of New Haven, Connecticut. Mr. Farnam was a railroad builder and president of the Rock Island Line in the 1850s. He built the first bridge across the Mississippi at Rock Island and the bridge in the movie looked just like it. The steamship industry did run a boat into the bridge and burned it down. They then sued and Mr. Farnam hired Abraham Lincoln to defend the railroad. The railroad won the right to build the bridge as it was not a hazard to navigation. All this was in the movie. The western, shoot-'em-up and romantic parts were fictional. I would like to see this movie again and see how much was fact and how much fiction. Mr. Farnam's papers are at the library at Yale University. He was a big donor to Yale and the city of New Haven.

Forrest Tucker had numerous leading-man opportunities following his breakthrough role in SANDS OF IWO JIMA. This was his first and arguably best. As Reed Loomis, he is persuasive as he attempts to raise money for his railroad expansion but is a worthy man of action as well, great with a gun, his fists and, as he demonstrates in a memorable scene with Bruce Cabot, even a mop dipped in boiling soup (you have to see it). Adele Mara makes an appealing leading lady as always, Bruce Cabot is a sturdy villain, and there's great support from erstwhile Republic leading lady Adrian Booth and perennial sidekick Chill Wills. As action-packed as just about any Republic western, with one of the studio's strongest overall casts. Fast-paced and well handled by Joseph Kane. Turns up frequently these days on Encore's Western Channel. Recommended.

I found it interesting that this movie is based on some historical fact. I thought it an interesting tale of railroad expansion in the United States and could well imagine that the steamship industry would fight that expansion, just as the car and trucking industries brought about it's minor status today. Forrest Tucker was excellent in the lead, as was Adele Mara, who played his love interest. Lorna Gray was very good as the Indian princess and the introduction of women smoking was an interesting addition. I always enjoy Chill Wills and Jeff Coorey as young Abe Lincoln, small time lawyer, was also quaint, and supposedly true. Godd movie if you are looking for a western.