North West Mounted Police (film) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Northwest Mounted Police |
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Australian theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Cecil B. DeMille |
| Produced by | Cecil B. DeMille |
| Screenplay by |
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| Narrated by | Cecil B. DeMille |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Victor Young |
| Cinematography |
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| Editing by | Anne Bauchens |
| Studio | Paramount Pictures |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | October 21, 1940 (Canada) October 22, 1940 (USA) |
| Running time | 125 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Money made | $1.9 million (rentals) |
North West Mounted Police is a 1940 American Western movie. It was produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille. The main stars were Gary Cooper and Madeleine Carroll.
The story was written by Alan Le May, Jesse Lasky Jr., and C. Gardner Sullivan. It is based on a 1938 book called The Royal Canadian Mounted Police. This book was written by R. C. Fetherstonhaugh.
The movie is about a Texas Ranger who goes to Canada. He joins the North-West Mounted Police to stop a rebellion. This rebellion happened in the prairies of Canada. The film also features Paulette Goddard, Preston Foster, Robert Preston, Akim Tamiroff, Lon Chaney Jr., and George Bancroft.
North West Mounted Police was the first movie DeMille made using Technicolor. This means it was his first movie in full color. The film first showed on October 21, 1940, in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. It was released in the United States on October 22, 1940, by Paramount Pictures. The movie won an Academy Award for Best Film Editing. This award went to Anne Bauchens.
What the Movie is About
The story takes place in the 1880s. A Texas Ranger named Dusty Rivers (Gary Cooper) travels to Canada. He is chasing an outlaw named Jacques Corbeau (George Bancroft).
Dusty arrives during the Riel Rebellion of 1885. This was a real uprising in Canada. Dusty meets a nurse named April Logan (Madeleine Carroll). He likes her, but she is also liked by a Canadian Mountie, Sergeant Jim Brett (Preston Foster). This causes some friendly competition between them.
Meanwhile, April's brother, Ronnie Logan (Robert Preston), is a Mountie. He is in love with Louvette (Paulette Goddard). Louvette is the daughter of the outlaw Corbeau. They truly love each other, even though they are on opposite sides of the rebellion.
Louvette finds out that the rebels plan to attack a lookout post. Ronnie is guarding this post. The rebels also want to ambush a group of Mounties. These Mounties are trying to get a hidden supply of ammunition. This ammunition would be very useful for the rebels. By defeating the Mounties, the rebels hope to convince more Indian forces to join their side.
To keep Ronnie safe, Louvette convinces him to leave his post for an hour. She then has him held by some Indians. Dusty helps the Mounties fight off the ambush. Sergeant Jim then goes to the Indian camp. He convinces them to let him arrest Corbeau.
Dusty finds Louvette's hiding place. He convinces Ronnie to give himself up for leaving his post. Sadly, Ronnie is killed by mistake. After this, Dusty accepts that April will stay with Jim. He then goes back to Texas.
Meet the Cast
Here are the main actors and their roles in North West Mounted Police:
- Gary Cooper as Texas Ranger Dusty Rivers
- Madeleine Carroll as April Logan
- Paulette Goddard as Louvette Corbeau
- Preston Foster as Sergeant Jim Brett
- Robert Preston as Ronnie Logan
- George Bancroft as Jacques Corbeau
- Lynne Overman as Tod McDuff
- Akim Tamiroff as Dan Duroc
- Walter Hampden as Big Bear
- Lon Chaney Jr. as Shorty
- Montagu Love as Inspector Cabot
- Francis McDonald as Louis Riel
- George E. Stone as Johnny Pelang
- Willard Robertson as Supt. Harrington
- Regis Toomey as Constable Jerry Moore
- Richard Denning as Constable Thornton
- Douglas Kennedy as Constable Carter
- Robert Ryan as Constable Dumont
- Ralph Byrd as Constable Ackroyd
- Rod Cameron as Constable Underhill
- Chief Thundercloud as Wandering Spirit
- David Dunbar as Vitale
- Cecil B. DeMille as Narrator (uncredited)
- Noble Johnson as Indian (uncredited)
- Paul Newlan as Indian (uncredited)
- Emory Parnell as George Higgins (uncredited)
How the Movie Was Made
North West Mounted Police was filmed in a few different places. Some scenes were shot on sound stages at Paramount Studios. Other scenes were filmed outdoors in Oregon and California. This was done to save money. The story is based on a real event that happened in Saskatchewan, Canada.
Filming started on March 9, 1940. The main role was first offered to Joel McCrea. However, Gary Cooper traded roles with McCrea. This allowed McCrea to star in another movie called Foreign Correspondent.
Director Cecil B. DeMille also narrated parts of the story. He did this in all of his movies that were made in Technicolor.
See also
In Spanish: Policía montada del Canadá para niños
