Dakota (1945)

John Devlin marries Sandy Poli without the consent of her railroad tycoon father. They elope to Dakota, which in the year of 1871 when this story is set was still federal territory. Sandy has sold one of her father's paintings for $20,000 and convinces her husband to go to Fargo and buy some land, which is bound to value greatly as she knows her father plans to pass a railroad through that town. They meet an obstacle in the person of Jim Bender, who has some crooked schemes of his own. Bender makes the wheat farmers sign a contract with him that will give him all their land in the event of an unsuccessfull harvest.

Western which alternates between the dramatic and the comical. One of the staples of the comicity is the character 'Sandy', who employs deceitful ways to get her way despite her husband's opposition, and whose indiscreet tongue repeatedly puts them in danger. Another is 'Captain Bounce', the owner and conductor of an old riverboat, with which he talks as to a woman. His assistant Nicodemus is always sleeping, adding to his constant aggravation. Nicodemus is responsible for the funniest exchange in the movie:

*quote*
Captain: What's going on over there?
Nicodemus: Why, why you has to ask me that, Captain? Man goes someplace, is a visit. Bunch of men go someplace, is a party. Everybody goes someplace, is a meeting. Whatever is going on over there got to be a meeting, Captain... because that's where they're all at.
*unquote*

Overall, not an especially interesting or funny movie, though.

Rating: 41