The Way West

Robert Mitchum and Richard Widmark reportedly did not get along with Kirk Douglas because of his tendency to usurp control of the project from Director Andrew V. McLaglen.

The tall case clock that Widmark and family are taking in their wagon is operational during the journey. A tall case clock has to be level and stationery in order for its pendulum to function and enable the clock to keep time. This clock is working as it chimes while crossing the rolling hills of the Great Plains as well as going up a very steep incline of the mountains west of Fort Hall. Being transported inside a jarring wagon over this rough and uneven terrain would have caused the pendulum to swing wildly about inside the tall case and rendered the clock inoperable. In other words, no such clock under such conditions could chime.

The pendulum keeps the hands at the correct time. If the clock has a mainspring, (which it does- Becky wound it at 0:08;18) the chimes can sound without the pendulum, just not at the right time.

Introducing Sally Field as "Mercy" and introducing Katherine Justice.

Featured in Discovering Film: Sally Field (2020)