Reagan: The Movie heading

Reagan: The Movie” has got its star. Years in development, this  film about the B- movie western star and , er 40th president of the United States will feature veteran actor Dennis Quaid in the role of the Gipper, the storyline described by producers as:


 “A journey of a lifetime, the all-American story of the boy from Dixon, Illinois, who grew up to be president and changed a nation and the world.”

Western Movie Review - Law and Order 1953

It's kinda' weird watching a Ronald Regan movie - here in the UK Reagan was portrayed as a buffonish President by the satirical puppet show, Spitting Image and every time I here Reagan talk I get a mental image of his puppet cuddled up with Margaret Thatcher. It took a little while to shake that image from my mind but when I did I found that I quite enjoyed this action packed western.

In a story that owes much to the legend of Wyatt Earp, Reagan plays Frame Johnson a sharp shooting Marshall who brings The Durango Kid into Tombstone for a fair trial, however when he has to fend off a lynch mob, which includes his own deputy he decides enough is enough and hands in his badge. He decides he wants to start a new life as a rancher in the town of Cottonwood and together with his two brothers he leaves Tombstone. The love of Frame's life, saloon girl Jeannie (Dorothy Malone) is to join Frame at a later date when he has his ranch up and running.

However Frame discovers that Cottonwood is every bit as deadly as Tombstone. The town is run by Kurt Darling, an old enemy of Frame's who hold the town sheriff in the palm of his hand. Soon there is conflict and the town judge offers the job of Marshall to Frame but he declines. Frame's younger brother Lute takes the job but is soon gunned down - there is only one thing for it and the future President of the United States does what a man has to do, and cleans up town.


This is a great western which whilst not up there with the classics of the genre, it is a pretty good movie - straightforward, predictable but entertaining enough. The colour photography is stunning and the action scenes are very well handled. It's a remake of an 1932 western of the same title which starred Walter Houston in the role of Frame Johnson and I can't compare the two because I've never seen the earlier version.

Director Nathan Juran is better known for such cult classics as, Attack of the 50 Foot Woman and the 7th Voyage of Sinbad, but he certainly seems at home in the western genre and he keeps this movie moving at a fine pace. The climax is real stirring stuff and of course we have the then obligatory Hollywood happy ending.

Not a classic but no turkey either...I rather enjoyed this one. It's just a pity the DVD is basically a vanilla release with nothing in the way of special features, not even a trailer.

The Last Outpost (1951)

Back in the day old Ronald Reagan was a regular fixture in B-westerns, and several of his westerns still hold up today - in fact you could argue that Reagan was the most successful actor in history given that he went onto become President of the United States.In this movie he is at odds with the United States and instead fights for the Confederate army. His brother, played by Bruce Bennet is a colonel in the Union Army, but far from being a story about brother V brother this is a straight forward cowboys and Indians western with the civil war acting as a backdrop.

Reagan learns that the Union army are holding several Apaches including the infamous Geronimo prisoners and intend to use these as a bargaining chip to get the Apaches to fight the Johnny Rebs alongside the Union Army. However the story turns and the two warring brothers are forced to fight side by side against an Indian attack.

The Last Outpost is pretty much a standard western adventure, of the kind the BBC would show on a Saturday night when I was growing up, but saying that it is a good one  and the climactic battle is rousing stuff. It may seem a little simplistic by the standards of later westerns but it was filmed with the sole intention of providing an exciting adventure and it certainly does that.

I'm not sure why the film should be in the public domain but given that it is available to be viewed fully on You Tube then it must be.


I have embedded the trailer below and the full movie can be found by searching on You Tube.