‘Winds of the Wasteland’: Rewards Flow to Risk-Takers

An early film of how big changes in the Ol' West brought an end to the Pony Express.

Larry Adams (Lane Chandler) and John Blair (John Wayne) keep in step with big changes in the Old West, in "Winds of the Wasteland." Republic Pictures

NR | 55m | Western | 1936

This film opens with a tribute text that dedicates the film to the unsung heroes of the Old West. They gave their lives to bring the thin strands of communication wire across the then great American Desert. They braved “the perils of the trail that the telegraph wires might follow the Pony Express and unite the new cities of the West with the nation’s capital.”

For years, Larry Adams (Lane Chandler) and dispatch riders like him made a living riding along and across state lines, serving the 19th-century mail-delivery station, Pony Express.

But with the coming of the telegraph, their relay-rider station shuts down, putting their future at stake. Adams figures he’ll sell his horses so that the money lasts him a while, but his buddy John Blair (John Wayne), sniffing change in the air, would rather invest in a stagecoach line and ropes him in.

(L–R) Larry Adams (Lane Chandler) and John Blair (John Wayne) get help from Mayor Rocky O’Brien (Lew Kelly), in “Winds of the Wastelands.” Republic Pictures

They’re too gullible to suspect that crafty Buchanan City businessman Cal Drake (Douglas Cosgrove) loans them money only to hoodwink them into buying a stagecoach route in a ghost town. The lone residents of that town, Crescent City, are Mayor Rocky O’Brien (Lew Kelly) and Dr. William Forsythe (Sam Flint), Drake’s former business partner.

These two ol' timers pity the young riders and help them enter a stagecoach race to try and win $25,000 and, hopefully, rights to a new government mail-delivery contract. Blair registers for the race, but Drake scares off other entrants so that Blair will be the only one to compete against and thus increase Drake’s chances of winning.

A telegraph crew that Blair befriends offers to run a telegraph line through Crescent City, bypassing Buchanan City. But Blair must find 50 workers to build the line. He does. However, most of these workhands are from Buchanan City. Furious, Drake tries to foil Blair’s growing success. Adams ends up with a bullet in his spine and Blair ends up behind bars. Blair’s only chance is to win the race. But how?

Big Changes

Wright’s film is a commentary on how change swept the Old West. If the stagecoach symbolized a revolution in the age of horseback, the telegraph represented a revolution in the age of the stagecoach.

That innovation nudged lone riders who would guarantee only their leg of a relay in a longer route into joining teams who would guarantee entire routes, end to end. Likewise, it spawned an industry that trained horses used to running solo, into teams that ran in tandem.

For such an interesting plot, the dialogue is too flat. Still, Wayne’s charisma and some superbly crafted action sequences make it an enjoyable Western. His heroics suggest that it isn’t the horse but the man behind the horse that matters. That man here is Blair, an unapologetic risk-taker.

Larry Adams (Lane Chandler, L) and John Blair (John Wayne) are former Pony Express riders, in "Winds of the Wasteland." Republic Pictures

True, Blair gave some of his best years to the Pony Express. But when he loses his job thanks to circumstances beyond his control, he acts. Rather than wait for handouts or sit back and act entitled, he bravely risks his hard-earned money and his skill with horses to take on a new business in a new town.

No Risk, No Reward

Forsythe’s daughter Barbara (Phyllis Fraser) fancies Blair, even if she’s daunted by his daring. Forsythe hints that Blair would make a swell spouse, but she sulks, “Too bossy to suit me.” Forsythe replies with typical Old West wisdom, “It takes bossy men to succeed out here.”

(L–R) Dr. William Forsythe (Sam Flint), Barbara Forsythe (Phyllis Fraser), and John Blair (John Wayne), in “Winds of the Wastelands.” Republic Pictures

Of course, “bossy” is screenwriting shorthand for men who get things done, aren’t beaten by setbacks, are resilient enough to own their mistakes and press ahead, having learned their lesson.

Blair doesn’t berate himself or Adams for buying the stage route in a dead town. He simply starts fresh. Instead of blind risks, he takes calculated risks. His entrepreneurial spirit sees solutions even before problems emerge. He trusts in his strengths, accepts help where he can, tackles threats, and seizes opportunities. Watch how he offers to ferry Drake’s gold shipment to Sacramento, California, knowing how slimy Drake is.

Wayne had long worked with rodeo cowboy Yakima Canutt, co-developing stunt styles that would become mainstream in later films. Unsurprisingly, it’s their time-tested off-screen personal and professional partnership that delivers the thundering chase and race sequences here.

Canutt went on to greater things as a respected stunt director, including leading choreography for the most memorable race sequence in “Ben Hur.” Wayne, who wasn’t a star at the time, also went on to greater things. A few years after riding stagecoach here, he joined a John Ford film, unassumingly titled, “Stagecoach.”

The rest, as they say, is history.

Lobby card for "Winds of the Wasteland." Republic Pictures

You can watch “Winds of the Wasteland” on Prime Video, MGM+, and Plex.

‘Winds of the Wasteland’ Director: Mack V. Wright Starring: John Wayne, Lane Chandler, Douglas Cosgrove Not Rated Running Time: 55 minutes Release Date: July 6, 1936 Rated: 3 stars out of 5

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