Tycoon

• Directed by Richard Wallace
• December 27, 1947
• Based on the 1934 novel Tycoon by C.E. Scoggins

An American is working in South America to build a mountain railroad tunnel for a wealthy industrialist but complications arise when the industrialist’s daughter develops a romantic interest in the American.

Tycoon is a melodramatic romance action film starring John Wayne as Johnny Munroe (they didn’t try too hard with the name) who is a man of singular will tasked with building a tunnel through the Andes mountains when a bridge would be better in order to get to a rich tycoon’s mine. Complications arise when Johnny inevitably falls for Maura (Laraine Day), the daughter of industrialist Frederick Alexander (Sir Cedric Hardwicke). Given that Johnny is the most youthful and attractive man in the area and Maura is one of three females in this movie (and the youngest) so it is a given.

Neither man is bad per se, but rather Johnny after he upsets Mr. Alexander by dating his daughter (and eventually marrying her) makes things far worse with just the way he is. And at the low point in the movie, he becomes so single minded that he starts pushing everyone away.

Mr. Alexander is an obstacle and as close to a villain as we get here though he’s not evil. He just does what he thinks is best not only when it comes to his daughter but when it comes to the tunnel project. He also fights against Johnny in the best way he can which since he controls everything in the area is to make Johnny getting resources as difficult as possible.

Johnny is ultimately shown to be right about everything even if he is headstrong. His brains and his willpower are enough to pull his idea through though there does reach a point in the narrative where his willpower and his vision gets corrupted by his own stubbornness. A personal lesson learned and something missing from modern films. Here Johnny must temper his headstrong nature, and while he may not become friends with his enemy, at least come to an understanding and they can get along.

For her part, Maura has been sheltered and tightly controlled by her father since the passing of her mother-at the minimum. Johnny is the unpredictable factor that comes into her life and sweeps her off her feet. Johnny awakens in Maura a desire to not only runoff with her love, but to spread her own wings in her way.

Tycoon is not an action adventure classic but it is entertaining. The supporting cast, including a young and rather dashing looking Anthony Quinn as Ricky Vegas, helps sell the material as much as Wayne and his leading lady do. Quinn for his part is a bit underused as both a character and actor. His character does understand that Johnny is not a bad guy and he’s doing what he thinks is best even if he doesn’t necessarily agree with him. I just feel that Quinn was in far too little of this movie. I think he should’ve been given a part that paired him more directly with Wayne and somebody else hired as Ricky Vegas.

I took it early on when she was first introduced that there was something going on between Mr. Alexander and the housekeeper Miss Braithwaite (Judith Anderson) who was also essentially Maura’s babysitter. The character had a motherly attitude towards Maura and was unconcerned with dressing down the father when the moment called for it. It would’ve been nice to play up the alluded to relationship a little bit to make it more overt. Just something a little more obvious than what they did. It is clear that they are an item (at least at the end of the movie) when the father travels to Vermont with her, and the look on Miss Braithwaite’s face says it all.

The direction is good, and the story is very entertaining. The pace is steady. If anything really hurts this movie, it’s the heavy use of sets that does not blend well with the occasional outdoor shot. I know such things were probably not noticeable to viewers of the time, but with advances in technology and such it certainly jumps out to me.

I also think the inclusion of the cute kids in this movie was completely unnecessary. Cute kids are not always a bad thing, but unless they contribute to the story, they’re just an extraneous humorous element. It also makes you ask where their parents were. Chico (Fernando Alvarado) comes and goes as he pleases or as the writer felt humor was needed. Take your pick.

Tycoon is an enjoyable film. It’s not among Wayne’s classics but it’s certainly not something that’s bad. It has enough excitement and enough romance and enough humor that you will enjoy yourself. Wayne fans and fans of older films will find plenty to enjoy.