The Wonderful Country (1959)

INFORMATION FROM IMDb

Plot Summary
Having fled to Mexico from the U.S. many years ago for killing his father's murderer,
Martin Brady travels to Texas to broker an arms deal for his Mexican boss,
strongman Governor Cipriano Castro.
Brady breaks a leg and while recuperating in Texas the gun shipment is stolen.
Complicating matters further the wife of local army major Colton has designs on him,
and the local Texas Ranger captain makes him a generous offer
to come back to the states and join his outfit. After killing a man in self defense,
Brady slips back over the border and confronts Castro who is not only unhappy that Brady
has lost his gun shipment but is about to join forces with Colton to battle
the local raiding Apache Indians.
Written by Doug Sederberg

Cast
Robert Mitchum ... Martin Brady
Julie London ... Helen Colton
Gary Merrill ... Maj. Stark Colton
Albert Dekker ... Texas Ranger Capt. Rucker
Jack Oakie ... Travis Hyte
Charles McGraw ... Dr. Herbert J. Stovall
Leroy 'Satchel' Paige ... Sgt. Tobe Sutton (as 'Satchel' Paige)
Anthony Caruso ... Santiago Santos
Mike Kellin ... Pancho Gil
Víctor Manuel Mendoza ... Gen. Marcos Castro (as Victor Mendoza)
Jay Novello ... Diego Casas
John Banner ... Ben Sterner
Max Slaten ... Ludwig 'Chico' Sterner
Margarito Luna ... (as Marguerito Luna)
Joe Haworth ... Stoker
Tom Lea ... Mr. Peebles - the barber
Chuck Roberson ... Barton
Pedro Armendáriz ... Cipriano Castro (as Pedro Armendariz)

Directed
Robert Parrish

Writing Credits
Robert Ardrey ... (screenplay)
Tom Lea ... (novel)
Walter Bernstein ... (uncredited)

Produced
Chester Erskine ... producer
Robert Mitchum ... executive producer

Music
Alex North

Cinematography
Floyd Crosby ... (photography)
Alex Phillips ... (photography)

Trivia
Final film of Victoria Horne.

Tom Lea, who wrote the novel on which the movie is based,
has a cameo as the barber who gives Robert Mitchum a shave.

Both Henry Fonda and Gregory Peck were first approached to star,
but turned down the role.
When Robert Mitchum came on board, he also served as producer.

Baseball legend Leroy 'Satchel' Paige has a cameo as a cavalry sergeant.

Quote
Helen Colton: What a pity then, that life is what we do, and not just what we feel.

Filming Locations
Durango, Mexico
San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico (streets, parroquia)
Bavispe, Sonora, Mexico
Parral, Chihuahua, Mexico

The Wonderful Country is a 1959 Technicolor Western film based
on Tom Lea's novel of the same name that was produced by
Robert Mitchum's DRM Production company in Mexico.
Mitchum stars along with Julie London.

Baseball pitcher Satchel Paige plays a soldier in the film, and Lea has a cameo as a barber.

Look out for Duke's 'Pals. Albert Dekker, Chuck Roberson, Pedro Armendáriz

User Review

Wonderful Country.....a wonderful movie
19 March 2006 | by redk61 (United States)

Quote from red

I think this movie is one of the better movies I'v seen and I have seen a lot of movies in my life time.

I really like some of the lines in the movie.
Like close to the end of the movie. They Martin Brady and Helen Colton are sanding next to the wall of a old mission talking to each other about what they had done. Helen make's the remark that she is ashame of the feelings she has for Brady knowing that her husband is not in the ground yet. Brady replies by saying what we did may have been wrong but the feelings they have for each other are not. Helen replies to him. Is'n it a pity then that life is what we do and not what we feel. At the last part when Brady had to shoot his horse named Tears. That got to me as I had a small dog and I loved her much. I had to put her down, her name was Tears.

Maybe I'm just a old corn ball from the pass. But some movies and the words in them get inside of me. I like that. They will always be apart of me and my life.