Santa Fe Trail (1940) on Netflix
A West Point brawl sends Jeb Stuart and George Custer to Fort Leavenworth, where John Brown's crusade against slavery has left Kansas Territory war-torn. Both fall for Kit Carson Holliday.
- Netflix3.0/5
- IMDb6.2/104,670 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes56%
Trailer
Plot summary
At West Point in 1854, Cadet Carl Rader hands out anti-slavery pamphlets, and classmates who object to them come to blows. Rader is dishonorably discharged for starting the fight, while Jeb Stuart and George Custer leave as second lieutenants, posted to Fort Leavenworth in Kansas Territory, an assignment they welcome. Riding toward Kansas, the two meet Cyrus K. Holliday, who is building a railroad to Santa Fe, and his daughter Kit, and both men fall in love with her. Brown's campaign against slavery has torn the territory apart, and Rader, now a mercenary and military advisor, has joined Brown's army. Brown's men free slaves and raid the countryside.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Santa Fe Trail (1940)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The Santa Fe premiere drew 250 guests and two special trains, one from Hollywood and one from the East, at a total cost of $50,000 shared between Warners and the Santa Fe Railroad; Olivia de Havilland was stricken with appendicitis during the trip and flown home.
- John Wayne was mentioned as a possible co-star for Errol Flynn, and Dennis Morgan was announced as George Custer but was borrowed to appear in Kitty Foyle and replaced by Ronald Reagan before filming began.
- For its initial release in some large cities, Warner Brothers used an experimental sound system called Vitasound, not stereophonic but built to give a greater dynamic range for battlefield action and dramatic music.
- Filming on the film began in July 1940, but the start was delayed by a recurrence of star Errol Flynn's malaria.
- Randolph Scott was mentioned for the lead at one stage, but by April 1940 the film had become a vehicle for Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland.
- The film makes Jeb Stuart, George Custer, Philip Sheridan, George Pickett, James Longstreet and John Bell Hood West Point classmates stationed together in Kansas, but in reality they graduated at different times: Stuart in 1854, Custer in 1861, Sheridan and Hood in 1853, Pickett in 1846 and Longstreet in 1842.
