Expert: Mel Priddle - 8/31/2008

Question
i'm trying to find a classic western film i saw as a kid - i can't remember many exact details - most likely a '50's or '60's movie - i think (?) color - it included several stars - seems like it may have had kirk douglas, richard widmark, woody strode, among others - in one of the final scenes the characters are racing to climb a sheer rock face (in what I would describe as southwest, indian cliff style) and then fight at the top - seems like it was a knife fight, some were outlaws, they were after some treasure or gold - something like that.  Any help would be appreciated!

Answer
Hello Shawn,

You may be thinking of the 1967 film "The Way West", which starred Kirk Douglas, Richard Widmark, Robert Mitchum, Lola Albright and Sally Field. One of the final scenes was indeed where the settlers had to lower their wagons and animals down a sheer rock face. Here are a couple of links.......

http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=17839

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Way_West_(film)


Glad to be of help. Cheers.........Mel.