The Spoilers (1942)

6.7Approved87 min

1942 film by Ray Enright

The Spoilers is a 1942 American Western film directed by Ray Enright and starring Marlene Dietrich, Randolph Scott and John Wayne.

The Spoilers was adapted to screen by Lawrence Hazard from the 1906 Rex Beach novel of the same name. Film versions also appeared in 1914, in 1923 (with Noah Beery Sr. as McNamara and Anna Q. Nilsson as Malotte), in 1930 (with Gary Cooper as Glennister and Betty Compson as Malotte; this is the only time that Gary Cooper and John Wayne played the same role in different films), and in 1955 (with Anne Baxter as Malotte, Jeff Chandler as Glennister and Rory Calhoun as McNamara).

Marlene Dietrich, Randolph Scott and John Wayne also appeared together that same year in a movie called Pittsburgh. At the time, Scott was under contract to Universal, whereas Wayne was borrowed from Republic. Therefore, Scott was billed above Wayne in both movies, even though Wayne's role was larger and more important in each. Dietrich and Wayne had also made the earlier film Seven Sinners together in 1940.

Bestselling poet Robert W. Service (not credited) plays The Poet, a fictionalized version of himself.

The film was nominated for an Oscar for Best Art Direction (John B. Goodman, Jack Otterson, Russell A. Gausman and Edward Ray Robinson).

Plot summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

FAQ

What is The Spoilers about?
The Spoilers (1942) — In Nome, Alaska, miner Roy Glennister and his partner Dextry, financed by saloon entertainer Cherry Malotte, fight to save their gold claim from crooked commissioner Alexander McNamara.
Is The Spoilers based on a true story?
See the production background and source material details on the official Wikipedia article.
Is The Spoilers scary?
Content rating: Approved. See the reviews tab for parental guidance and tone notes.