Winds of the Wasteland

Jul 6, 1936

0h 54m

★ 5.1

A six-shooter writes the law as war flames on the range! Adventure---as bullets blaze the pioneer trail!

Overview

The arrival of the telegraph put Pony Express riders like John Blair and his pal Smoky out of work. A race will decide whether they or stageline owner Drake get the government mail contract.

Genres

Western

Production Companies

Republic Pictures

Winds of the Wasteland Trailers

Cast

John Blair

John Wayne

Barbara Forsythe

Phyllis Fraser

Rocky O'Brien

Lew Kelly

Cal Drake

Douglas Cosgrove

Larry Adams

Lane Chandler

Dr. William Forsythe

Sam Flint

Henchman Cherokee Joe

Bob Kortman

Mr. Dodge

Ed Cassidy

Jim

Jon Hall

(uncredited)

Yakima Canutt

It is now an accepted fact that the best of Johnny Mack Brown's Universal westerns were directed by the talented Joseph H. Lewis. Boss of Hangtown Mesa may not be in the same league as the Brown-Lewis classic Arizona Cyclone, but it comes awfully close. This time around, hero Steve Collins (Brown) comes to the aid of Betty Wilkins (Helen Deverell), who has taken over the telegraph-line business established by her uncle John (Henry Hall). The latter was murdered by outlaws who don't cotton to having the territory linked up electronically with the rest of the world.

6.9

Hidalgo

Feb 4, 2004

Set in 1890, this is the story of a Pony Express courier who travels to Arabia to compete with his horse, Hidalgo, in a dangerous race for a massive contest prize, in an adventure that sends the pair around the world...

6.3

Carry On Cowboy

Nov 26, 1965

Stodge City is in the grip of the Rumpo Kid and his gang. Mistaken identity again takes a hand as a 'sanitary engineer' named Marshal P. Knutt is mistaken for a law marshal. Being the conscientious sort, Marshal tries to help the town get rid of Rumpo, and a showdown is inevitable. Marshal has two aids—revenge-seeking Annie Oakley and his sanitary expertise.

7.8

Rio Bravo

Mar 18, 1959

A small-town sheriff in the American West enlists the help of a disabled man, a drunk, and a young gunfighter in his efforts to hold in jail the brother of the local bad guy.

3.8

Die for a Dollar in Tucson

Jul 9, 1965

A gang of bandits takes control of Tucson in preparation for the arrival of a consignment of gold, with only a band of voluntary soldiers trying to outwit them and save the town.

7.2

3:10 to Yuma

Aug 7, 1957

Dan Evans, a small time farmer, is hired to escort Ben Wade, a dangerous outlaw, to Yuma. As Evans and Wade wait for the 3:10 train to Yuma, Wade's gang is racing to free him.

4.2

Ghost Town

Mar 1, 1956

A stage headed West with a group of passengers is attacked by Cheyenne Indians, and takes refuge in a nearby ghost town.

6.0

Riders of the Pony Express

May 13, 1949

In a rigged gunfight Tom Blake is forced to shoot a man in self defense and is then hunted for murder. After a long trip fleeing the posse he uses a false name and joins the Pony Express which is just about to commence operatons. Relegated to the most dangerous section of the route, he finds himself fighting the District Manager's scheme to sabotage the inital run. But just then a wanted poster with his picture on it arrives.

7.1

Hombre

Mar 21, 1967

John Russell, disdained by his "respectable" fellow stagecoach passengers because he was raised by Indians, becomes their only hope for survival when they are set upon by outlaws.

5.4

Stagecoach

May 18, 1986

Story follows a stagecoach ride through Old West Apache territory. On board are a cavalry man's pregnant wife, a prostitute with a broken heart, a Marshal taking in his prisoner Johnny Ringo, a crooked gambler, and the infamous Doc Holliday

0.0

Bandits of Dark Canyon

Dec 15, 1947

As prisoner Ed Archer is being transferred, the stage is attacked and crashes. Archer escapes the attackers but Ranger Rocky Lane catches up with him. As Rocky is bringing him in, Archer is attacked again. Somebody wants Archer killed and Rocky, now suspecting Archer is innocent, decides to find out who and why.

6.2

The Shakiest Gun in the West

Jul 10, 1968

Jesse W. Haywood (Don Knotts) graduates from dental school in Philadelphia in 1870 and goes west to become a frontier dentist. Penelope "Bad Penny" Cushing (Barbara Rhoades) is offered a pardon if she will track down a ring of gun smugglers. She tricks Haywood into a sham marriage as a disguise. Haywood inadvertently becomes the legendary "Doc the Haywood" after he guns down "Arnold the Kid".

0.0

Frontier Agent

May 16, 1948

Johnny Mack Brown is sent to the badlands to round up an elusive outlaw gang.

7.8

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

Apr 13, 1962

Questions arise when Senator Stoddard attends the funeral of a local man named Tom Doniphon in a small Western town. Flashing back, we learn Doniphon saved Stoddard, then a lawyer, when he was roughed up by a crew of outlaws terrorizing the town, led by Liberty Valance. As the territory's safety hung in the balance, Doniphon and Stoddard, two of the only people standing up to him, proved to be very important, but different, foes to Valance.

5.0

Sonora Stagecoach

Jun 10, 1944

The Trail Blazers are bringing in a prisoner to stand trial for bank robbery, when several attempts are made to kill him; convinced of the man's innocence, they arrange a trap for the real thieves.

6.1

Virginia City

Mar 23, 1940

Union officer Kerry Bradford escapes from a Confederate prison and races to intercept $5 million in gold destined for Confederate coffers. A Confederate sympathizer and a Mexican bandit, each with their own stake in the loot, stand in his way.

0.0

Stagecoach Driver

Jul 15, 1951

Jim Bannon and his partner own a stagecoach line. With the coming of the telegraph and the end of the Pony Express, two men plot to take over and get the new mail contract. When Jim's partner is murdered and Jim's name is written in the sand beside the body, Jim is arrested. At his trial Whip brings surprising evidence that clears Jim and the two plotters are soon arrested.

10.0

Louis L'Amour's The Cherokee Trail

May 21, 1981

In the late 19th Century, Mary Breydon, a widow, and Peggy Breydon, her daughter manage a stagecoach stop on The Cherokee Trail. The story is told from the perspective of Peggy, looking back on her adventures.

7.8

The Hateful Eight

Dec 25, 2015

Bounty hunters seek shelter from a raging blizzard and get caught up in a plot of betrayal and deception.