Noted stunt man holds his own as lead actor. Does his own stunts despite lead status and age doesn't hurt this movie. Pat Hogan is actually a native American and cast as one is unusual for that time. Peggy is young here without the skill she shows in lawman series with John v Russell.
11 Reviews
I've Been Working on the Railroad
richardchatten17 February 2022
People are shooting at each other almost nonstop (but usually miss) throughout this tough little western about building a railroad in the face of opposition from local Apaches directed with his usual terse efficiency by Fred Sears and full of cynical one-liners like "The sheriff caught me in the middle of a fascinating autopsy" and "You're sick, and the only cure for that is hanging".
Jock Mahoney was then billed as 'Jack', while perennial 'B' picture bad girl Peggie Castle is cast against type as feisty good girl in blouse and tight trousers described by saloon gal Adele Jergens as "the little princess".
Jock Mahoney was then billed as 'Jack', while perennial 'B' picture bad girl Peggie Castle is cast against type as feisty good girl in blouse and tight trousers described by saloon gal Adele Jergens as "the little princess".
B-movie western action
Leofwine_draca28 March 2023
A B-movie western that delivers the goods when it comes to action. Jock Mahoney plays a guy investigating a spate of Indian attacks on a pioneering railroad and soon undercovers a minor conspiracy taking place. What occurs plotwise is unremarkable, but this is a film better than average thanks to the execution, which favours momentum and action over tired dialogue and romance scenes. There's a feisty heroine, treachery, a square-jawed hero and a whole host of vivid battle sequences that are staged well on a low budget. It's one of those entirely forgettable films that nonetheless entertains while it's on.
Windex and pledge
jarrodmcdonald-128 February 2014
The B-western Overland Pacific documents the struggle to build a railroad and how the whites are just as brutal as the natives. It seems like an early try at political correctness, and you can't fault the filmmakers for having the best of intentions.
Jock Mahoney headlines this frontier drama. Despite Mr. Mahoney's average amount of talent in the acting department, he does help bring subtle touches of realism to this picture. For example, when there is a brawl on the street and he brushes up against a building or a railing, we actually see dust fly. A lot of westerns are too clean; but the reality is that these old west towns are dirty and dusty.
Jock Mahoney headlines this frontier drama. Despite Mr. Mahoney's average amount of talent in the acting department, he does help bring subtle touches of realism to this picture. For example, when there is a brawl on the street and he brushes up against a building or a railing, we actually see dust fly. A lot of westerns are too clean; but the reality is that these old west towns are dirty and dusty.
It seems like I've seen story this before
jjwolverine15 May 2023
This is an all right Western from 1954. The acting wasn't bad. I don't mind B & W films, so no problem there. One scene sticks with me. Jock Mahoney is in a gun battle with a rifleman a ways off. We see Mahoney take a bullet in the chest--right in his heart. There's not much blood on his shirt, but he deals with the injury by taking a handkerchief out of his pocket and sticking it under his shirt over the wound. The gunman approaches, and Mahoney gets into a fight with the guy and beats him using one hand after taking a bullet in the heart! Realistically, he'd have been dead after the shot. I didn't laugh, but I did find this to be the most memorable scene in the film.
Jock and Peggy are great together
starwood-341364 February 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Script is low budget but does have a little suspense. Quick beginning with a dropped dead body and fistfights. Several plots running at the same time leaving the viewer to decide who the bad guys are. Enjoyable way to spend a few hours.
Very poor Western in every way. Big waste of time.
chipe7 July 2010
I see that there are no reviews here so I'll add my two-cents. This was a very poor Western in just about every way. It deserves its 5.0 rating average. I usually like the stars, Jock Mahoney and Peggie Castle. Here they were attractive, anyway. Everything else about the film was cheap, unrealistic, actually embarrassing. Mahoney is known as a stunt man early in his career; here his fistfights were awkwardly staged acrobatic doings. Westerns that have battle-winning ploys at the end of throwing sticks of dynamite or lighting brush fires are a sure sign of a ludicrous movie, and the former was used here. The basic story (the bad guy's plot)seemed pretty thin and unworkable to me.
Overland Pacific
CinemaSerf24 July 2023
This might have packed a bit more punch had the assembled acting talent had a bit more to them, but as it is it is really just a rather routine cowboy and indian western centring around the expanding railroad after the end of the American civil war. "Granger" (Jock Mahoney) is, ostensibly, a telegrapher sent in by the railway company but is soon embroiled in some gun-running that is providing the hostile Comanches with the wherewithal to hold up construction and cause mayhem amongst the workforce. It soon becomes clear that there is something more to this harassment - and evidence of bribery and corruption in order to have the line diverted quickly emerges. Can he get to the bottom of it? It takes it's time to get going this, but after about twenty minutes it becomes a predictable, but perfectly watchable, afternoon filler. There are some gunfights, fisticuffs and, of course, the obligatory romance before a denouement that we've all seen loads of times before. Nothing at all new, but it's not bad.
For Tickers Only!
nigel_hawkes4 March 2022
For some reason I hadn't ticked this one against my reference bible (Phil Hardy's "Western Movies"); it was on UK TV's marvellous Talking Pictures free channel.
What a nasty story full of murders, treacherous former friend, saloon gal with heart of gold (murdered), cowardly sheriff (murdered), feisty heroine (Peggy Castle) sporting tight slacks (father is murdered); hero is supposedly a telegrapher but really a "railroad agent", former mate is chief crook conniving with the usual sinister townies to supply repeating rifles to the Comanches to cause mayhem so railroad is diverted to town so land values can increase (familiar?); Hardy mentions the awful colour (Color Corp. Of America) which is a bleached horror; (the cowardly, crooked sheriff is Chubby Johnson-playing against his usual comedy type-warmly remembered as the riverboat captain in "Bend of the River"); ticked it off as am an obsessive Western watcher-but will never see it again!
What a nasty story full of murders, treacherous former friend, saloon gal with heart of gold (murdered), cowardly sheriff (murdered), feisty heroine (Peggy Castle) sporting tight slacks (father is murdered); hero is supposedly a telegrapher but really a "railroad agent", former mate is chief crook conniving with the usual sinister townies to supply repeating rifles to the Comanches to cause mayhem so railroad is diverted to town so land values can increase (familiar?); Hardy mentions the awful colour (Color Corp. Of America) which is a bleached horror; (the cowardly, crooked sheriff is Chubby Johnson-playing against his usual comedy type-warmly remembered as the riverboat captain in "Bend of the River"); ticked it off as am an obsessive Western watcher-but will never see it again!
Overland Pacific
coltras3517 May 2024
Ross Granger is an railroad agent, going undercover as a telegrapher, looking into a series of raids by the Comanches on railroad construction near the town of Oaktown. He quickly discovers that the raids are sponsored by Del Stewart, a local businessman, and his associate Broden. Their goal is to force the railroad to run through land that they own.
Overland Pacific is a decent western with some fine fisticuffs, shoot em up action featuring Comanches vs railroaders, dry quips, friendship going sour and political machinations, however I found Jock Mahoney a little too passive when it came to investigating and not too determined. His friendship with William Bishop is explored more - speaking of which, Bishop steals the scene as the charming heel whose greed makes him murderous. Adele Jergens plays the saloon gal who still loves him, despite setting his cap for Peggy Castle. Predictably Castle falls for Mahoney - especially when she learns that Bishop was involved in her father's murder. Not a bad railroad western to settle down to enjoy. The finale is a cracker with attacking Comanches and dynamite. Good action.
Overland Pacific is a decent western with some fine fisticuffs, shoot em up action featuring Comanches vs railroaders, dry quips, friendship going sour and political machinations, however I found Jock Mahoney a little too passive when it came to investigating and not too determined. His friendship with William Bishop is explored more - speaking of which, Bishop steals the scene as the charming heel whose greed makes him murderous. Adele Jergens plays the saloon gal who still loves him, despite setting his cap for Peggy Castle. Predictably Castle falls for Mahoney - especially when she learns that Bishop was involved in her father's murder. Not a bad railroad western to settle down to enjoy. The finale is a cracker with attacking Comanches and dynamite. Good action.
Not the worst of Sears
searchanddestroy-111 September 2022
I caught this rare item from a 16mm print, not very good, but I don't care. It is a good time waster without any surprises, with Jock Mahoney in a predictable role. A western as you have seen a thousand times before, with plenty of action, a bit romance and that's all. It was not produced by Columbia Pictures and their infamous Sam Katzman, Columbia where Sears made most of his career. He was not a bad director, but the producers whith whom he had to deal over the years prevented him to show better skills. He made many westerns and thrillers but only EARTH VS FLYING SAUCERS - a science fiction film - brought him fame.
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