Bend of the River (1952) on Netflix
Approved19521h 27mActionAdventureWestern
Glyn McLyntock, a former border raider, guides a wagon train of homesteaders to Oregon and saves Emerson Cole from a lynching. He goes back to Portland for the settlement's winter supplies.
- Netflix3.6/5
- IMDb7.2/1011,085 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes100%
Trailer
Plot summary
In 1866, Glyn McLyntock, a former border raider, guides a wagon train of homesteaders toward Oregon, hoping to leave his old life behind. On the trail he rescues Emerson Cole from a lynching, and although the settlers' leader, Jeremy Baile, doubts that a man can change, Cole saves McLyntock's life when five Shoshone attack the camp. In Portland, Laura Baile stays behind to recover from an arrow wound, and Cole leaves for the California goldfields. The rest build a settlement in the wilderness and arrange with Tom Hendricks to send winter supplies later. As winter nears and food runs low, the supplies are at least six weeks late, so McLyntock and Jeremy ride back to Portland to investigate.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Bend of the River (1952)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Shooting at the 8,000-foot level of Mount Hood meant a bulldozer had to carve a twisting road up the mountain, caterpillar tractors hauled the covered wagons and equipment, and a steel cable was tied to the wagons so they would not go over the side. Cast and crew rode up on a mile-long ski lift.
- The sternwheeler seen as the River Queen was the real Henderson, built in 1912 and modified to look like a boat of the film's much earlier era.
- The film was promoted with a 3.6-mile steamboat race on the Columbia River on 24 January 1952, several of the stars aboard the Henderson against the newer sternwheeler Portland. The Henderson won.
- James Stewart took a share of the profits rather than a flat fee for playing Glyn McLyntock, and is estimated to have made about $750,000 from the film.
- Arthur Kennedy, who plays the outlaw Emerson Cole, sprained his knee while shooting one of the film's violent fight scenes.
