Surprisingly better than when I first saw this film many years ago, I had to up my rating from a 3 to a 5. It's still not as good as my favorite John Wayne Republic movie from the same time ("Lady for a Night"), but it's not as dull as I remembered it to be. The one weak element is Sigrid Gurie who is supposed to be Austrian but sounds Scandinavian, and considering that's of Norwegian descent not surprising. It's really distractive, especially when she's with her father Charles Coburn who definitely sounds more Austrian.
The film deals with the two refugees from Nazi occupied Austria who escaped to the United States and are offered jobs in North Dakota. Gurie hates it at first sight because of the constant dust, and in fact, she's rather snobbish and uncaring towards the long-suffering residents who need a real doctor and not veterinarian Spencer Charters, a completely cantankerous but loveable old fool.
While Gurie wants to leave immediately, her father wants to wait and see, and becomes involved in the lives of those who need him. Eventually it becomes too much and they are forced to relocate to Oregon. There's lots of friction, but a romance between Wayne and Gurie follows, predictably. Coburn's been offered another position, more esteemed and clean, but it's obvious that his humanity is going to rule his heart. No way will he be as heartless as his ventful doctor was in "King's Row", especially when he learns that his new employers are Nazis.
Although this was made before America got into the second World War, it obviously uses propaganda because of the war going on in Europe. Wayne is better than usual, but Gurie seems a bit too cold and there's never any warming up to her. The Nazi subplot is brief so you wonder why they brought it in at all outside the desire to be timely. Coburn is excellent as expected, and Charters is a delightful scene stealer. The first part of the movie is better than the second part, showing the North Dakota town in complete disarray, and stopping at nothing in making it look unliveable.
The film deals with the two refugees from Nazi occupied Austria who escaped to the United States and are offered jobs in North Dakota. Gurie hates it at first sight because of the constant dust, and in fact, she's rather snobbish and uncaring towards the long-suffering residents who need a real doctor and not veterinarian Spencer Charters, a completely cantankerous but loveable old fool.
While Gurie wants to leave immediately, her father wants to wait and see, and becomes involved in the lives of those who need him. Eventually it becomes too much and they are forced to relocate to Oregon. There's lots of friction, but a romance between Wayne and Gurie follows, predictably. Coburn's been offered another position, more esteemed and clean, but it's obvious that his humanity is going to rule his heart. No way will he be as heartless as his ventful doctor was in "King's Row", especially when he learns that his new employers are Nazis.
Although this was made before America got into the second World War, it obviously uses propaganda because of the war going on in Europe. Wayne is better than usual, but Gurie seems a bit too cold and there's never any warming up to her. The Nazi subplot is brief so you wonder why they brought it in at all outside the desire to be timely. Coburn is excellent as expected, and Charters is a delightful scene stealer. The first part of the movie is better than the second part, showing the North Dakota town in complete disarray, and stopping at nothing in making it look unliveable.