1940s Western: Santa Fe Trail (4K Colorized)
Channel: Enhanced Public Domain
Date: 2024-02-02

Santa Fe Trail is a 1940 American Western film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Errol Flynn as J. E. B. "Jeb" Stuart, Olivia de Havilland, Raymond Massey as John Brown, Ronald Reagan as George Armstrong Custer and Alan Hale. Written by Robert Buckner, the film is critical of the abolitionist John Brown and his controversial campaign against slavery before the American Civil War. In a subplot, Jeb Stuart and George Armstrong Custer—who are depicted as friends from the same West Point graduating class—compete for the hand of Kit Carson Holliday.

The film ranked among the higher grossing films of the year, and the seventh Flynn–de Havilland collaboration. Its content has little relevance to the actual Santa Fe Trail.

Cast:
Errol Flynn as James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart
Olivia de Havilland as Kit Carson Holliday
Raymond Massey as John Brown
Ronald Reagan as George Armstrong Custer
Alan Hale as Tex Bell
William Lundigan as Bob Holliday
Van Heflin as Carl Rader
Gene Reynolds as Jason Brown
Henry O'Neill as Cyrus K. Holliday
Guinn "Big Boy" Williams as Windy Brody
Alan Baxter as Oliver Brown
Moroni Olsen as Robert E. Lee
Ward Bond as Townley
Erville Alderson as Jefferson Davis
David Bruce as Phil Sheridan
Spencer Charters as Conductor
Creighton Hale as Telegraph Operator (uncredited)
Jack Mower as Surveyor (uncredited)

The film was based on a script by Robert Buckner. At one stage, Randolph Scott was mentioned for the lead. However, by April 1940 it had become a vehicle for Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. Raymond Massey signed to play John Brown in June.

John Wayne was mentioned as a possibility for Flynn's costar. Dennis Morgan was announced for the role of George Custer. Morgan was borrowed to appear in Kitty Foyle and replaced by Ronald Reagan before filming began. Van Heflin was signed to play the villain following his success on Broadway in The Philadelphia Story; it was his first movie since 1937.

In June 1940, Warner Bros. announced the film as part of its slate. It was one of five films the studio announced for Flynn, the others being The Constant Nymph, Captain Horatio Hornblower, Shanghai, and Jupiter Laughs.

Filming started in July 1940, delayed by a recurrence of Flynn's malaria.

Outdoor scenes were filmed at the Lasky Movie Ranch in the Lasky Mesa area of the Simi Hills in the western San Fernando Valley, California. The railroad scenes were filmed on the Sierra Railroad in Tuolumne County, California.

The film was premiered in Santa Fe over a three-day festival, featuring a large number of celebrities, including Flynn, De Havilland, Rudy Vallée and Wayne Morris. Rita Hayworth performed a "welcome dance".[14][15][16] There were 250 guests and two special trains, one from Hollywood and one from the East, for a total cost of $50,000 — shared between Warners and Santa Fe Railroad De Havilland was stricken with appendicitis during the trip and had to be flown home.

In its initial release, Warner Brothers premiered this film in some large cities with an experimental sound system named Vitasound, not stereophonic but aiming to create a greater dynamic sound range for battlefield action and dramatic music.

According to Warner Bros records, the film made a profit of $1.48 million. It made $1,748,000 domestically and $785,000 foreign. The film was released in France in 1947 and recorded 2,147,663 admissions.