A Westward the Women [DVD] [1951]

Rugged pioneers. Indian fighters. Brave trailblazers. These are the WOMEN who tamed the wild west. Based on historical record, this wagon train saga details a 2,000 mile journey from Chicago to California. Buck Wyatt (Robert Taylor) is a tough, experienced scout who leads a wagon train full of women, including two prostitutes (Denise Darcel and Julie Bishop), a hearty widow (character great Hope Emerson), and an Italian immigrant widow, with fifteen men acting as guides. When one of the men disobeys Buck's orders not to fraternize with the ladies, Buck shoots him, causing the others to desert. Instead of turning back, the determined women insist on going on, learning to ride, shoot and drive mules. Although treacherous terrain and a deadly ambush lay ahead, these tough ladies are filled with the American frontier spirit and nothing will stop them! William Wellman directs this genre-busting western from a story by Frank Capra.