A notorious bank robber joins a traveling caravan of Mormons, takes a shine to a little girl, and helps them face life on the plains, especially with attacking Indians and a bandit he betrays who vows revenge.
Bascomb (the irascible Wallace Beery) isn't all that bad. All he needs are cute little spelling contests with a little girl and the affections of an aging widow to look after his appetite. Margaret O'Brien, of course, is the cute little girl who enjoys spelling out words in conversation, while Marjorie Main is her cantankerous grandmother who dominates Beery's every minute after he promises to take care of them in the caravan. Beery wants to find the gold hidden somewhere in the caravan with the intention of robbing it, but changes his mind after becoming close with the group. This upsets his rough and tough partner (J. Carroll Naish).
Beery brings sweetness to his gruff role, a true acting feat considering his off-screen treatment of the child stars he worked with. The spelling out of words between Beery and O'Brien adds to the fun and brings some additional dimension to their relationship, although there is not as much comedy as a pairing of this nature (along with Main who is both a delightful comic and a touching serious actress) should have. There's a great scene between Beery, Main and tough-but-nurturing Connie Gilchrist in a moment where Gilchrist gives Beery her husband's old jacket and Main steps in to prevent any hanky panky. There's also a great camp fire sing-along in which pivotal plot points are taking place in the background.
The problem with the film is its over-length. There is a scene that is quite disturbing where Beery must verbally assault O'Brien to get her away from his plotting with Naish, but the tender moments between the two afterwords makes up for it.
Bascomb (the irascible Wallace Beery) isn't all that bad. All he needs are cute little spelling contests with a little girl and the affections of an aging widow to look after his appetite. Margaret O'Brien, of course, is the cute little girl who enjoys spelling out words in conversation, while Marjorie Main is her cantankerous grandmother who dominates Beery's every minute after he promises to take care of them in the caravan. Beery wants to find the gold hidden somewhere in the caravan with the intention of robbing it, but changes his mind after becoming close with the group. This upsets his rough and tough partner (J. Carroll Naish).
Beery brings sweetness to his gruff role, a true acting feat considering his off-screen treatment of the child stars he worked with. The spelling out of words between Beery and O'Brien adds to the fun and brings some additional dimension to their relationship, although there is not as much comedy as a pairing of this nature (along with Main who is both a delightful comic and a touching serious actress) should have. There's a great scene between Beery, Main and tough-but-nurturing Connie Gilchrist in a moment where Gilchrist gives Beery her husband's old jacket and Main steps in to prevent any hanky panky. There's also a great camp fire sing-along in which pivotal plot points are taking place in the background.
The problem with the film is its over-length. There is a scene that is quite disturbing where Beery must verbally assault O'Brien to get her away from his plotting with Naish, but the tender moments between the two afterwords makes up for it.