Winds of the Wasteland

1936 "A six-shooter writes the law as war flames on the range! Adventure---as bullets blaze the pioneer trail!"
6| 0h54m| en
Details

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.

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Reviews

Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined
SparkMore n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.
Logan Dodd There is definitely an excellent idea hidden in the background of the film. Unfortunately, it's difficult to find it.
Yazmin Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.
Leofwine_draca WINDS OF THE WASTELAND is a B-movie western feature for the stalwart star of that genre, the one and only John Wayne. He was already a veteran of the genre even at this stage of his career and WINDS OF THE WASTELAND is another perfectly acceptable slice of action and courage. This film's story is set in the dying days of the Pony Express and features Wayne and his buddy going into the stagecoach business, only to find their plans thwarted by a ruthless rival. There's a little action, a little romance, plenty of sunshine, and a decent climactic stagecoach chase which isn't quite up there with the ending of BEN HUR but which still does the job well.
MartinHafer Wow, I've watched a ton of John Wayne's B-westerns from the 1930s, but I have never seen one that featured such obscure actors throughout the film. Familiar faces like Gabby Hayes and Yakima Canut are no where to be seen, so it's obvious that this is an even lower budget film than usual for Wayne--an actor who made a bazillion B-westerns. Fortunately, despite the no-name cast, the film itself was pretty dandy--mostly because it was so unlike all the rest of these films.The film begins with the closing of the Pony Express--a service that actually only operated for about a year. Wayne and another ex-rider decide to go in to the stage coach business--even though they know absolutely NOTHING about it. It's because of this that they are so easily swindled by a jerk who owns many of the stage lines. He sells them a broken-down stage and a route for a ghost town! But, instead of giving up, the two work their butts off and through some ingenuity the business and the dead town start to come to life. However, the evil rich jerk is determined to ruin the partners--even if it means killing one of them! Despite the no-names, the film was entertaining--more than I had expected. With a fresh plot and Wayne's usual effortless performance, it's among the best B-westerns I've seen. Well worth seeing...and within only a few short years, Wayne would go on to A-pictures and stardom.
dougdoepke Strong story line that benefits from Lone Star's alliance with Republic Pictures. Poverty row Lone Star usually emphasized action at the expense of story-line. This resulted in lots of exciting chases, but often with little understanding of why. Here, however, the plot is very well developed with believable characters and good action. It's an excellent sketch of how guts, risk, and ingenuity helped transform an abandoned ghost town into a vibrant new community. The screenplay also does a nice job of showing the challenges of rebuilding a frontier town without losing the conventions that entertained kids of the time. Wayne delivers a nicely appropriate turn as the driving force behind the redevelopment, along with Lane Chandler as his buddy. This film especially shows Wayne's charm before the big-money responsibility of super-stardom made him more serious. Final stage race is well conceived along with how reviving the town also restores self-confidence of its inhabitants. Very positive story-line unusual for a B-Western of the time.
Jeffrey Skinner This is my favorite B-Rater from the 30's of John Wayne!!!!! Ilove this movie, and the COach race and all, action pack john wayne 54 Minute movie that will keep u interested all through the movie! I have the pleasure to Own the VHS Copy of this movie and all its B-Rating Oater Glory right now!!!!!! John Wayne is my favorite actor of the 30's always have been and always will be. And for who ever doesn't like this movie or John wayne, then you really don't know good from bad!!!!!On a end note, who ever likes b-rated westerns from the 30's this is a great choice to pick.I HOPE THIS Review Helps you!!!!!!!