Marlene Dietrich

Randolph Scott

John Wayne

Margaret Lindsay

Harry Carey

Richard Barthelmess

George Cleveland

Samuel S. Hinds

Russell Simpson

William Farnum

Marietta Canty

Jack Norton

Ray Bennett

Forrest Taylor

Art Miles

Charles McMurphy

Charles Halton

Bud Osborne

Drew Demorest

Frank Austin

Irving Bacon

Robert Barron

Ed Brady

Roy Bucko

Chester Clute

Harry Cording

Richard Cramer

John Elliott

Willie Fung

William Gould

William Haade

Herman Hack

Earle Hodgins

Lloyd Ingraham

Emmett Lynn

Robert McKenzie

Robert Milasch

Paul Newlan

Kitty O'Neil

John Rice

Dick Rush

Robert W. Service

Mickey Simpson

Harry Strang

Glenn Strange

Ben Taggart

Sailor Vincent

Max Wagner

Matt Willis

Harry Woods

Duke York

Milton Krasner

Lawrence Hazard

Rex Beach

Hans J. Salter

Ray Enright

Tom Reed

Gene Lewis

Jack Otterson

Frank Lloyd

John B. Goodman

John P. Fulton

Vernon Keays

Bernard B. Brown

Vera West

Charles Previn

Russell A. Gausman

Robert Pritchard

Drama

Western

The Spoilers

Universal Pictures

Frank Lloyd Productions

Charles K. Feldman Group

United States of America

English

gold

miner

nome alaska

No fighting in here allowed unless it's over me.

We are in Nome, Alaska, miner Roy Glennister (John Wayne) and his partner Dextry (Harry Carey), are forced to fight to save their gold claims from the crooked commissioner, Alexander McNamara (Randolph Scott). Backed by sultry saloon owner and entertainer Cherry Malotte (Marlene Dietrich), the team must overcome both the odds and suspect politicians in order to get their just deserts.

Rex Beach's novel has been adapted five times thus far, and it's not hard to see why because the story is as solid as it gets. This take on the source has a wonderful sense of fun and adventure oozing from it, the cast are uniformly great and the direction from Ray Enright is tight and unobtrusive. Some fine set pieces dot themselves throughout the picture, culminating in a right royal (and lengthy) punch up between Wayne & Scott. No overkilling or tediously ham sequences are here, this is simply an enjoyable Western achieving all it set out to achieve from the off. 7/10

CinemaSerf

An oddly mis-matched cast of Marlene Dietrich, John Wayne and Randolph Scott star in this adaptation of Rex Beach's adventure tale of two miners (financed by Dietrich - a saloon owner/entertainer) who have to put up a fight against the corrupt land commissioner who is bent on stealing all the lucrative claims from their rightful owners. The cast don't really gel but that actually helps it along - it's very implausibility (e.g. Wayne in ladies' apparel) and a decent wise-cracking dialogue makes it quite entertaining. The ending is never in doubt - good will out - but it's quite an enjoyable ride to the finish with a journeyman cast of supporting actors - and a great bar brawl too!

**_Worthwhile old Western about Alaskan prospectors vs. corrupt officials with Wayne, Scott and Dietrich_**

In 1900, the Nome Gold Rush attracts claim-jumpers, including a smooth gold commissioner (Randolph Scott), who’s in league with a crooked judge (Samuel S. Hinds). An alluring saloon owner (Marlene Dietrich) is aware of the corruption as her old beau (John Wayne) arrives on the same ship as the ‘judge,’ arm-in-arm with his winsome niece (Margaret Lindsay). The situation builds to a confrontation between the honest miners and the thieves masquerading as “the law.”

"The Spoilers" (1942) is a B&W Western and one of five cinematic versions of the 1906 Rex Beach novel that was based on real-life corrupt officials, such as Alexander McKenzie, who seized gold mines from hard-working prospectors, which Beach himself witnessed when prospecting. While the film’s hindered by some understandable quaint elements (the B&W photography, the score and bits of goofy side amusement involving a couple of sourdoughs), you can’t beat the notable cast of Wayne, Scott and Dietrich.

Both Marlene (Cherry) and Margaret (Helen) are appealing in different ways. Although the flick is talky, you get to know the characters and find yourself involved in the story, assuming you can roll with the old-fashioned style. As far as thrills go, there’s a gunfight or two, a saloon fight, a jailbreak, a train crash and, best of all, a mano a mano melee between the characters played by Wayne and Scott, which took five days to plot and execute. I heard Randolph mistimed one punch and broke John’s nose, which of course delayed filming. 

The movie runs 1 hour, 27 minutes, and was shot at Lake Arrowhead, San Bernardino National Forest, which is just east of the Los Angeles area, as well as Universal Studios. Some second unit work was done in Sunland, California (just north of L.A.), and possibly Yukon, Canada.

GRADE: B

The Spoilers (1942) - Trailer

The Spoilers( 1942)

Crashing Fists in the Gold-Crazed Alaska of '98!

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A review by John Chard

Written by John Chard on Mon Jun 03 2019

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