Moments of Movie Wisdom: Printing the Truth in the Wild West

An American flag blows in the wind on a fencepost in Southeastern Colorado on Dec. 6, 2021. (John Fredricks/The Epoch Times)

Commentary

If you’re reading this, it’s probably because you value The Epoch Times’s commitment to truth and tradition. It’s almost as hard today to find reliable, honest news sources as it is to find decent entertainment. Thankfully, just as The Epoch Times offers an alternative to the mainstream media for truth-seekers, movies made during Hollywood’s Golden Era remain a refreshing source of clean, inspiring entertainment, which offers uplifting life lessons as well as diversion.

Today’s moment of movie wisdom comes from “Let Freedom Ring” from 1939, a musical set in the Wild West starring operatic baritone Nelson Eddy and soprano Virginia Bruce. The scene takes place 36 minutes into the 87-minute movie, when young lawyer Steve Logan (Eddy) and his sidekick, the Mackerel (Charles Butterworth), steal the town newspaper’s printing press and kidnap its corrupt publisher, Underwood (Raymond Walburn). Steve explains how greedy politicians can work the system for their own benefit, but as long as there is one newspaper that prints the truth, the American people won’t be conquered.

This movie takes place in the 19th-century Western town of Clover City, which is being stolen from its rightful settlers to build the railroad. In charge of the operation is Jim Knox (Edward Arnold), a New York financier who will do anything to make more money and get what he wants. He has his eye on Maggie Adams (Bruce), the pretty young restaurant owner, but she is disgusted by his selfish dealings. The only person fighting for the settlers who are being burned out of their own property is Tom Logan (Lionel Barrymore), who is running for judge against Knox’s lackey Judge Bronson (Guy Kibbee). Maggie and Tom eagerly await the return of his son, Steve, from Harvard law school to join the fight.

The Union Pacific Railroad across the Bear River in Utah, next to the Bear River ferry, circa 1870. (Andrew J. Russell/Archive Photos/Getty Images)

When Steve arrives, Tom and Maggie are horrified to watch him side with Knox, seemingly to get on his good side. He also becomes drinking buddies with Knox’s oafish Irish foreman, Chris Mulligan (Victor McLaglen), who oversees all the immigrant railroad workers. Maggie is heartbroken, and Steve’s parents are devastated. Only Mackerel, Steve’s best friend, knows it’s all a plan to defeat Knox and bring justice back to Clover City. The main weapon he intends to use is the town paper, the Bugle, which he highjacks and operates from a remote mountain cave. There, he, Mackerel, and a reluctant Underwood use the paper to print the truth about Knox and enlighten the immigrant railroad workers.

The Scene

Shortly after returning to Clover City, Steve tells Mackerel he plans to fight Jim Knox, his henchmen, and his purchased lackeys in town. However, he insists violence isn’t the answer, since they can’t outfight or outvote the brainwashed railroad workers. He wishes aloud that he had his own newspaper, but he notes the town’s weekly paper is printed right across the street. In the next scene, we see Underwood tied up, protesting loudly, while Steve and Mackerel move the printing press to their wagon piece by piece. While Underwood and Mackerel’s lines are mostly comedic in this scene, Steve is very serious about carrying out his plan.

The editor is horrified to learn they are taking him with them, but Steve insists he is actually being promoted, not kidnapped. As he ties him up in the wagon, Steve says, “You’re going to be a witness to the power of the press. You’re going to find out that the financiers can rob the poor of justice, but as long as there’s one decent newspaper left, and one man to print it, and one horse to peddle it, the United States of America is sitting pretty.”

Steve Logan (Nelson Eddy, here in a 1935 publicity photo) plays the hero in the 1939 film “Let Freedom Ring.” (Public Domain)

Its Significance

This scene is very important because it marks the beginning of Steve’s literary battle against Jim Knox. Instead of brawling directly with Knox and his followers, Steve decides to beat them by destroying their game. Like any dictator, Knox relies on fear tactics, bribery, brainwashing, and, most importantly, ignorance to control the town. He brings in a horde of foreign railroad workers, whom he views as lowlife pawns who can be pressured into voting for his candidates. As Steve explains to Mackerel, the great thing about the United States is that it is a nation of immigrants, so anyone can become a patriotic American. “All he has to do is think.”

If Steve jumped on a soapbox, he would be easily laughed off as a fanatic. However, by printing the truth about the community and local politics, Steve makes the railroad workers open their eyes to what is happening around them. Desperate times call for desperate measures, so Steve resorts to stealing and kidnapping to obtain the printing press. While this is technically wrong, we can’t help but admire his bravery and total disregard for his personal safety in the fight against oppression. Steve’s actions also remind us we mustn’t stop fighting even when the odds of winning seem insurmountable. The only way to increase the ranks on the side of justice is to help more people see the truth about what America represents.

A Patriotic Musical

“Let Freedom Ring” is, in many ways, Nelson Eddy’s most serious acting role. He sings a few songs, but they all are in the context of his character’s singing to entertain the other characters. Instead, his characterization as Steve Logan is very dramatic as he fights the injustice at the center of the story.

This movie is the closest thing to a Frank Capra film I’ve seen without having been directed or produced by Capra. The central theme, the dialogue, and even the supporting cast are straight out of a Capra film from the same period. Edward Arnold is the villain, Lionel Barrymore is the impassioned old man who refuses to give up his home, and H. B. Warner is a pathetic old man who is too weak to keep fighting. This movie doesn’t seem like a knockoff, though; it is genuinely brilliant, patriotic, and inspiring, with special touches of music and comedy to add unique charm.

Steve’s effective wielding of the power of the press to bring justice back to Clover City is a potent reminder that our nation’s values will not be lost if we share true, traditional news with those who are in the dark.