FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Keeley Coleman The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Edwin The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

Ed-Shullivan Well they just don't make them like this anymore. I for one would enjoy new releases of this calibre of the western genre. The original western cowboy and the officer and a gentleman vying for the heart of the classy lady who is travelling across the prairies heading for California to re-unite with her wealthy cattle rancher father. The only problem is there are hundreds of Indians behind the tall hills who do not want the Americans settling on the land that they already are sharing with the Mexicans who also have aspirations of taking the beautiful state of California land as their own.The rugged frontiersman is a real life cowboy named Kit Carson (played by Jon Hall) who has teamed up with two of his best friends and loyal followers whose names appropriately are Ape (Ward Bond), and Lopez (Harold Huber). These three amigos agree to be the lead scouts for the wagon train that the unmarried damsel named Dolores Murphy (Lynn Bari) has secured their services for a wheel barrel full of cash. The wagon train also has a flank of American soldiers at their side led by Captain John C. Fremont (Dana Andrews).What is different about this western/romance is that the two alpha males who are vying for Ms. Murphy's affections act more like the courteous animated chipmunks Chip and Dale then two adversaries. Both are true gentlemen and only want Ms. Murphy to be happy with her choice for her future husband.This film is filled with action, light humor, cowboys and Indians, chivalry, romance and a pretty darn good ending for a black and white film released 78 years ago. I liked it a lot and I give it a sound 7 out of 10 rating.

bkoganbing The western film Kit Carson, an independent release from United Artists in 1940 presents a rousing action filled portrayal of one of the greatest of American frontier characters. But the real Kit Carson was so much more interesting that it's almost a shame that this one is his screen epitaph. Jon Hall plays Carson in proper frontier style with Mesquiteer like mountain men companions Ward Bond and Harold Huber. Dana Andrews is John C. Fremont noted explorer and surveyor of the west who eventually became the first Republican party presidential candidate. One thing I should dispel right away, they never quarreled over any woman, even one as beautiful as Lynn Bari. Fremont was already married to Jessie Benton, daughter of US Senator Thomas Hart Benton and Carson after living among the Indians and fathering two illegitimate children married the daughter of the governor of New Mexico when it was still in old Mexico. He even took instructions in the Roman Catholic faith to make such a marriage. The action of about two years is compressed into approximately a few months with Fremont's expedition being the catspaw of the US government to check out California to see if it was ripe for the taking. Fremont never took a wagon train to California or anywhere else, especially since he was mapping and surveying the territory that Carson and other mountain knew about before. He had enough trouble getting him and his men over the Rockies and Sierras without women and kids along.Both Hall and Andrews certainly do right by their characterizations of both men and I wish I could rate the film higher. Sad to say though its accuracy is so bad that it's almost on the level of a B western where they use some real life western figure and build a fictitious plot around them. Plenty of action though with Indian fights and then fights with the Mexican army in California. Kit Carson must have done well with the Saturday matinée crowd back in the day.

mark.waltz Something tells me that there are a lot of facts missing from this story of Kit Carson, the Indian Scout who helped the army protect a wagon train across the wild west. With the tribe in cahoots with the Mexican government to prevent the wagon train to make it through (lead by evil Mexican general C. Henry Gordon), my eyebrows raised when the Indian leaders revealed that Kit was guilty of various crimes against native Americans, yet the film makes him out to be a hero. Of course, there is the obligatory romantic between Kit (Jon Hall), the beautiful Lynn Bari and Army officer Dana Andrews which dominates most of the movie when there aren't battle scenes with the Indians. In spite of the motivation of the Native Americans to attack the wagon trains, they are presented rather one dimensionally, manipulated by the stereotypical Mexicans who are mearly using them for their own agenda against the whites (to keep control of California), which made me ask, what made the settlers think they had the right to take over it anyway?In spite of those misgivings concerning this film, I still found it entertaining, and extremely well photographed with a depth of perception of the outdoor scenes usually flat in dimension in most westerns. I must add that I saw a computer colorized version of this film which was actually fine for the outdoor settings but not for the facial features of the actors who look like they are suffering from jaundice.

bux Rousing, action packed tale of the taking of California from the Mexican Government. While historically inaccurate, the cast and direction move things along in a pleasant manner, with lotsa Indians and gunfire. It's a good thing that Andrews wears a moustache since he and Hall are almost twins.