The titular wagon master is played by Ben Johnson.
He's hired by a Mormon pioneer (Ward Bond) to lead his wagon train through the desert to their "promised land'. Jane Darwell (Grapes of Wrath) plays one of the Mormons.
Any film about a slow-moving wagon train in the blistering heat needs to have a good story and interesting characters to hold my interest. The film gets interesting when the group meets a family of gypsy performers and let them travel along. Ben Johnson even falls for the daughter, played by Joanne Dru).
There's an interesting sequence where a group of Native Americans invite the entire group to their campsite.
The film gets even more interesting when the Clegg Family - a group of fugitive brothers - gets involved. The leader of the group is the ruthless "Uncle Shiloh" (Charles Kemper), a nasty villain.
Co-starring Harry Caray Jr. Directed by John Ford.
Read a review from Laura of Laura's Misc Musings