Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Reptileenbu Did you people see the same film I saw?

filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Jemima It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

MartinHafer Wallace Beery plays pretty much the same style character he'd been playing in films for years. Like his Long John Silver from "Treasure Island", he's a bad guy in disguise as a good one...and deep within is a heart of gold. In fact, in many ways, the film is almost like a remake or at least was heavily influenced by this earlier Beery film.The film is set in the old West and Beery is the head of a gang of outlaws. A posse is pursuing them when they come upon a lone Mormon scout--who they soon kill. Later, in order to avoid capture, Beery and his sidekick (J. Carrol Naish) join the nearby Mormon caravan--telling them how the man they actually murdered "died trying to save our lives" and that they are Mormon converts. Naturally, the two no-good galoots are accepted into the caravan and go along with them--at least until the coast is clear.The Mormon folk are friendly, but Beery is particularly affected by sweet Margaret O'Brien--who, as usual, plays an adorable kid. Slowly, he turns from his evil ways thanks to the power of niceness. However, I could easily see someone being a bit creeped out by O'Brien's overtures towards Beery throughout the film--like she wanted him for her boyfriend or future husband. Weird stuff, huh, though I don't think this is what the writers at MGM intended.Despite a few minor complaints, a most enjoyable but highly predictable and formulaic film--especially when O'Brien becomes ill at just the right time. Had this not been like many previous films, I probably would have rated this one a bit higher.By the way, at the 52 minute mark, Beery is sitting at a picnic table talking. If you pay attention to the background, trees keep appearing and moving each time the camera pans on him! Also, at the 68 minute mark, much of Beery's dialog was clearly dubbed using someone else's voice. Who and why they did this, I have no idea and the voice sounds much more like Harry Carey, Sr.'s voice. Oops.

C.K. Dexter Haven By all accounts, Wallace Beery was a coarse and miserable A-hole off camera. It's no surprise the man lacked refinement, just look at him, but I hope he wasn't quite the jerk biographers have painted him since his death in 1949. I've always enjoyed watching Wallace Beery movies, if his personality was something less than desirable in real life you'd never know it from many of his films, where the man is just simply...lovable. And if it was only that way on screen, then that's all that really matters I guess. Beery played a persona that made him a good living, and he always delivered the goods once the cameras rolled.In Bad Bascomb, Beery is hilarious. He spits as many mouthfuls of funny dialogue as he spits his food. He also shows himself to have been a far better actor than he's remembered for as he emotes menace, sweetness, redemption and morosity with his craggy mug as good as any actor of his day. I defy anyone to dislike Beery in this film.The movie itself is at times unbalanced...moves between a children's film and a more conventional western, with all its back shooting nastiness, a little unseamlessly. But it was all shot outdoors on location and as Wagon Train movies go, this one has a fairly authentic look to it.Maybe not a great western, but it's great fun to watch Beery and Margaret O'Brien play off each other. The kind of sweetness reminiscent of Edmund Gwenn and Natalie Wood in Miracle in the 34th Street. One of Beery's must see roles. Well worth your time if you come across it on TCM.

dstenhouse This movie inspired Anthony Mann to make his own western using one of its themes (bad guy hides in/leads wagon train) in 1954, "Bend of the River". He uses the opening scene to pay homage to "Bad Bascomb", by having James Stewart ride up to a wagon and receive a piece of food from a little girl. This points to another theme which is actually dropped from Mann's movie - father hunger in action. This theme is handled well in "Bad Bascomb", without it being overplayed. I could especially identify with the scene where the kid overreacts to the adult's supposed lack of interest in what he thinks is a trivial moment. Margaret and Wallace both sparkle in this - if only they had made more movies together! The only disappointment to me is that there is so much wonderful scenery, and it is in black and white! Finally, what's the best way to attack a wagon train in a circle? Watch this movie and find out!

logan-hill Bad Bascomb is a true Western Classic. Wallace Beery was a great actor of his time; although there are other movies of his that my family and I liked, this one is the best.Marjorie Main & Margaret O'Brien are also a great asset to this film. I am sorry to say this movie is not shown on TV very often and is not available on VHS/DVD; hopefully in the near future.For all of you Wallace Beery fans, I am happy to report, I was e-mailed the other day from Turner Classic Movies, that this movie will be shown on TCM on Thursday, December 13th, at 6:00 pm ET; so have a new tape ready for this GREAT movie.Thank You for your time!! JAL