Western Union (1941) on Netflix
Passed19411h 35mHistoryWestern
In 1861, outlaw Vance Shaw saves injured engineer Edward Creighton, then becomes a scout on the telegraph line Creighton is building. Richard Blake, a Harvard-educated engineer, joins the crew.
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- Netflix3.6/5
- IMDb6.7/103,730 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes75%
Plot summary
Outlaw Vance Shaw is on the run from a posse in 1861 when he finds engineer Edward Creighton badly hurt after a surveying accident. Shaw considers taking the man's horse, then changes his mind and brings Creighton with him. Once recovered, Creighton sets out from Omaha, Nebraska, to build a telegraph line as far as Salt Lake City, Utah, against opposition from Confederate soldiers, Indians and outlaws. His sister Sue Creighton, foreman Pat Grogan and assistant Homer Kettle join the effort. Shaw, wanting to leave his outlaw past behind, asks for work and is taken on as a scout; Richard Blake, an Eastern engineer who studied at Harvard, is hired too, as a favor to his father. Shaw and Blake both court Sue until the line's construction begins on July 4, 1861.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Western Union (1941)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- The film's conflict with Native Americans over the telegraph route is invented: the real engineer Edward Creighton was known for his humane treatment of the tribes along the right of way, which won their trust and cooperation, and the wires' installation drew no protest.
