Vera Ralston

California land tycoon Charles Hale (Ray Middleton) hatches a scheme to marry off his brother Oliver (John Russell) to a wealthy Spanish ranching family. Oliver, however, follows his heart and marries a gal named Garnet (Joan Leslie) instead. A battle of brotherhood ensues. This expansive, all-star Western from Republic Pictures features scene-stealing turns from Vera Ralston as saloon chanteuse Florinda and Pat O'Brien, who plays a drunken doctor.

After years of hard work, Charles Alderson (Bill Elliott) becomes a wealthy cattle rancher in Wyoming. When the territory becomes a state, he opposes a law opening up the land to new homesteaders, even though his actions anger his idealistic daughter, Karen (Vera Ralston). When settler Duke Lassiter (Albert Dekker), who is secretly rustling cattle, foments war between the newcomers and the rancher, Alderson seeks help from a gunslinger.

Perilous Journey is a dramatic full-length story based on the experiences of the Samuel Pucell family who in 1856 join the ill-fated handcart companies that met with tragedy on the high plains of Wyoming. Filled with humor, adversity, romance, this story is climaxed by the faith and courage a young man who spared the Pucell family from another tragedy. On the trail is a documentary recounting the trek of the Martin and Willie handcart companies. Late in the summer of 1856 over a thousand hand carts pioneers left for Salt Lake City. Unfortunately, they met early snow and over two hundred perished. Their journals were a guide to that same number of teenagers from the Sandy Utah Crescent and Lone Peak Stakes who retraced their steps 140 years later.

Perilous Journey is a dramatic full-length story based on the experiences of the Samuel Pucell family who in 1856 join the ill-fated handcart companies that met with tragedy on the high plains of Wyoming. Filled with humor, adversity, romance, this story is climaxed by the faith and courage a young man who spared the Pucell family from another tragedy. On the trail is a documentary recounting the trek of the Martin and Willie handcart companies. Late in the summer of 1856 over a thousand hand carts pioneers left for Salt Lake City. Unfortunately, they met early snow and over two hundred perished. Their journals were a guide to that same number of teenagers from the Sandy Utah Crescent and Lone Peak Stakes who retraced their steps 140 years later.