The Golden Age of Hollywood brought so many different stars together that it might make your head spin, but as far as Westerns are concerned, it wasn’t often that two genre heavies headlined the same picture. But the 1942 adaptation of The Spoilers, which was nominated for an Oscar for its impressive art direction back in the day, brought together John Wayne with Randolph Scott for an Alaskan-based drama that pushes the fringes of what a Western can be. More than that, it pushed the limit of what Western duels can be as Wayne and Scott forsook firearms in favor of a battle of fisticuffs that remains legendary to this day.
‘The Spoilers’ Is a John Wayne Western You’ve Likely Never Seen
Nowadays, The Spoilers isn’t exactly a well-known story, but back in the early 20th century, it made quite an impression on the American people. The original novel, written by Rex Beach, was published in 1906, and was first adapted to the screen as a silent picture in 1914. It was tackled again by Hollywood in 1923 and again in 1930 before John Wayne and Randolph Scott paired up for the fourth adaptation in 1942 (it would be remade only once more in 1955). Wayne and Scott had appeared in the same movies early in their careers in bit parts, but this was the first time the Western stars properly faced off on screen. The Duke had already made one of his most famous pictures, Stagecoach, and Scott had played Wyatt Earp in Frontier Marshal. Both would go on to become major Western stars. Scott’s highlights include The Tall T, Ride the High Country, and Comanchie Station, leaving The Spoilers far behind them.
But what is this picture about? Well, set in Nome, Alaska, the story follows Roy Glennister (Wayne) and Al Dextry (Harry Carey) as they fight to retain their claim on the Midas mine, which is being secretly ripped from under them by gold commissioner Alex McNarmara (Scott). The problem is, McNamara acts like a stand-up guy, and even convinces Roy to come over to his way of thinking as the claims get sorted out, alienating him from Dextry. In the middle of it all is saloon owner and longtime admirer of Roy’s, Cherry Malotte (Marlene Dietrich), who does everything in her power to keep the Midas from getting robbed, not just due to her own financial interest but out of love for Roy. The only problem is, Roy and Dextry’s funds have been seized by Judge Stillman (Samuel S. Hinds), who is working with McNamara, and so they’re unable to legally fight back. Realizing his mistake, Roy begs Dextry’s forgiveness and convinces many of the other men in town (whose wealth has also been stolen) to rob the bank in the night, donning blackface in the process. To hear how it all plays out, you may just have to watch the movie…
John Wayne and Randolph Scott’s Final Fight Sequence Was Quite the Production
But there’s one more part of The Spoilers we ought to tease, making this venture back to the early years of studio filmmaking a worthwhile endeavor, and that’s the end fight between Wayne and Scott’s characters. For six minutes straight, these two beat the living daylights out of one another in front of nearly the entire cast. Beginning in the upstairs portion of the saloon and ending in the mud-soaked streets, Roy and McNamara engage in one of the most long-winded, yet thoroughly engaging, fights you’ll see in a 1940s Western. While most horse operas end with the two leads shooting each other in the street, The Spoilers subverts our expectations of how this should go by giving us a far more satisfying conclusion.
Interestingly, Wayne and Scott didn’t get along while making this picture, and argued over their differing creative approaches to acting. It makes one wonder how real some of this fight may have been. The battle itself was quite the production, utilizing fifteen different cameras to capture every angle. One was even fitted onto a seven-ton crane in order to get an aerial view of the battle inside the saloon. According to different press materials released at the time, the fight itself (which also occurs in the novel) was based on an actual fight that Rex Beach witnessed in Nome between a claim jumper (named Alexander MacKenzie) and a miner named Chris Swanson. Talk about movie magic.
After The Spoilers, Wayne, Scott, and Dietrich worked together again later that year for Universal’s Pittsburgh, but this Alaska-based Western was by far the better of the two. If you’re interested in seeing Wayne and Scott duke it out on screen, then don’t sleep on The Spoilers!