Kansas Pacific

1953
PG
1h 13m

IMDb RATING

YOUR RATING

Sterling Hayden and Eve Miller in Kansas Pacific (1953)

With the Civil War about to begin, Southern saboteurs attack frontier railroad construction.With the Civil War about to begin, Southern saboteurs attack frontier railroad construction.With the Civil War about to begin, Southern saboteurs attack frontier railroad construction.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

5.8/10

826

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Photos7

Top cast28

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Sterling Hayden

Capt. John Nelson

Eve Miller

Barbara Bruce

Barton MacLane

Cal Bruce

Harry Shannon

Smokestack

Tom Fadden

Gus Gustavson

Reed Hadley

Bill Quantrill

Douglas Fowley

Max Janus

Robert Keys

Lt. Stanton
(as Bob Keys)

Irving Bacon

Casey

Myron Healey

Morey

James Griffith

Joe Farley

Clayton Moore

Stone - Henchman

Jonathan Hale

Sherman Johnson

Lane Bradford

Max - Henchman
(uncredited)

Bill Coontz

Henchman
(uncredited)

Joe Garcio

Henchman
(uncredited)

Tommy Garland

Heavy
(uncredited)

Roy Gordon

Gen. Winfield Scott
(uncredited)

Director
- Ray Nazarro
Writer
- Daniel B. Ullman
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Walter Mirisch of Allied Artists had Walter Wanger's name put on the picture as a producer, although he was in prison for shooting agent Jennings Lang, whom he believed to be having an affair with his wife, Joan Bennett. Wanger pled insanity and was sentenced to four months imprisonment, though he served only 98 days. Thanks to Mirisch, Wanger received a producer's billing, salary and profit participation.

Goofs
The film is set in late 1860/early 1861 shortly before the outbreak of the American Civil War. The crew building the Kansas Pacific railroad is using dynamite for blasting. Dynamite was invented by Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel in 1866.

Quotes
Barbara Bruce: [resignedly] You're staying.
Cal Bruce: I guess old Smokestack's right this time. We've handled these diploma boys before, you know. He'll learn soon enough to stay out of our way.
Barbara Bruce: Well... alright. But you've got to promise me one thing. If this man turns out to be impossible, we're leaving. I'm not go to let anyone push you around.
Cal Bruce: Have you ever seen anyone push me around... except you and your mother?

Connections
Featured in The Sierra Number 3 Locomotive: A Star Is Reborn (2012)

User reviews26

Review

Featured review

Straightforward Civil War Western with Good Action Sequences

"Kansas Pacific" is a dramatization of one of the types of confrontations that took place in the West during the Civil War. In an area where the residents had divided loyalties, a group of Southern sympathizers wants to prevent the completion of a railroad being built by the Union, so the Union Army sends in experts and eventually backs them up with strength. It's a decent Western, and it is also interesting as a fictional depiction of a little-known aspect of the Civil War era.

The story is straightforward, and the script and acting are fairly routine, though there are some familiar faces in the cast such as Sterling Hayden, Barton MacLane, and Clayton Moore.

The action sequences, especially towards the end, are done well and are the main reason to watch the movie. The period setting is convincing, the special effects during the battles are realistic and exciting, and there is also a decent musical score.

There should be plenty in "Kansas Pacific" for any Western fan to enjoy it, and you might also give it a try if you enjoy historical-based fiction.