Many Rivers To Cross – 1955

 

I love great character names…Holly Golightly, Trip Fontaine, Rooster Cogburn, Lloyd Dobler…but my favorite character name of all time happens to come from one of my favorite movies:

Many Rivers To Cross – starring Robert Taylor and Eleanor Parker

This 1955 MGM film stars Robert Taylor as, are you ready, Bushrod Gentry (great name, right?) and Eleanor Parker as his devoted admirer, Mary Stuart Cherne.

This underrated western-comedy is pure enjoyment, mainly due to the banter between Parker and Taylor.

Bushrod Gentry (Taylor) is a somewhat famous frontiersman who is devoted to his freewheeling life as a fur trapper.  His pioneer playboy lifestyle is going along fairly well until he meets Mary Stuart Cherne (Parker), an almost-spinster who sets her desperate and determined cap for Bushrod.  Mary is bound to have her way and traps Bushrod into a marriage that he immediately tries to escape.

Not to be outdone, Mary pursues Bushrod through the wilds of the American West, foiling Indians and fighting for the love of her reluctant bridegroom.

This western is more comedy than action, but 100% enjoyment.  There is also a great chance you will find yourself singing Bushrod’s song about the “Berry Tree” for days and days.

 

*Scenes to watch for: Bushrod’s early attempts at avoiding matrimony