Robert Taylor plays trapper Bushrod Gentry, who represents every desirable confirmed bachelor. Eleanor Parker, as Mary, represents every woman who is determined to demonstrate they are as good as a man in doing things traditionally done by men(like shooting, running from Indians, and taking care of herself in the wilderness), and is determined to breakdown the defenses of the most stubborn confirmed bachelor of her choice. Mary is very in your face determined to make wounded Bushrod stay at her home long enough to agree to marry her. The circuit riding preacher who comes only once a year to perform marriages and baptisms is present. Thus, it's imperative that Mary act fast to snare Bushrod. She's already saved his life from hostile Shawnees several times, and will do so several times more, near the end of the film. Bushrod has also saved her life and will do so several times near the end of the film. Finally, her whole family turns up with rifles to make Bushrod marry her, but it's not certain they will stay together.It's a continuing battle between an aging (44y.o.) confirmed bachelor and a confirmed spinster in her prime(33y.o.). At one level, Mary is much like Calamity Jane, as personified by Doris Day, in a then recent film. At another level, Mary rather reminds me of Shirley Temple in "The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer, with her hyperagressive chasing of a very desirable older man.Also present is the charismatic Victor McLaglin, playing Mary's father like he's in a John Wayne film. James Arness, of "Gunsmoke " fame, is the father of a distant family, who almost leaves his family to go trapping with Bushrod. I was surprised to see Russ Tarnblyn as Mary's brother. I had only seen him in musicals, where he can demonstrate his dancing and acrobatic skills.This film is quite different from the other films I've seen that feature trappers of the 18th or 19th centuries, such as "Across the Wide Missouri", "The Mountain Men", and "Hudson's Bay". They are all quite different from each other.

Saw "Many Rivers to Cross" when it came out originally, then just recently -- in a boxed set of westerns from "Costco". I was 13 when I first saw it--and didn't remember much about it. Now, I know why, there's nothing memorable about it. This was an effort to equal the popularity and success of "The Quiet Man", a "comedy" with a roughly parallel tone and marriage-spoof/conflict. It even brings back Victor McGlaughlin in an almost identical role as "Man". The bad mistake with "Rivers...Cross", is that just because a Western has a comedic tone, it doesn't mean it should insult the genre right down to the spokes and horse's hooves. Some respect should be shown,if only a minimum, regards sets, script continuity, costumes and the times when the film is supposed to occur. Plus, if the budget requires a mostly studio effort, then some vigor should be made in the studios scenes to make them appear roughly genuine. If this were a weak "B" second feature from a minor studio maybe the poor quality could be excused; however, the cast was first rate, and this was allegedly an "A" movie. So, as an "A" movie, it completely failed for me. Lastly, it wasn't funny at all.

Absolutely stupid, inane farce with Robert Taylor and Eleanor Parker falling apart in their attempt to do comedy. 1955 was a banner year for Miss Parker. She received a well-deserved Oscar nomination for playing polio-stricken opera star Marjorie Lawrence in the wonderful musical biography of "Interrupted Melody." How Parker, who often was criticized for a tendency to over-act, permitted herself to be drawn into this project is beyond me. Ditto for Taylor. Just 2 years before, he was a smash in the Oscar nominated "Ivanhoe." As a backwards man trapper, Tayor displayed the appropriated facial pain of being subjected to the script.Both take chances of saving each other by Indians during the 1700s in Kentucky. It's the usual fanfare of supposed dislike leading to love.This film would have been far better had there been a dramatic element to it. The ending scene is the cave was just too ridiculous to discuss.As for the supposed-catchy tune, The Berry Tree-It's almost like saying The Berry Tree, Woe is Me. Catching a wife. After hearing this song and viewing this stinker, it's time for a divorce.

I saw this movie many years ago, and fully enjoyed it. Does anyone know the words to the song, "The higher up the berry tree"???? If so, please e-mail me @ [email protected]. I really would love to get this info, as my mother is just wild about this song. I am really having a hard time finding anyone who can help me on this subject. I was probably about ten years old when I first saw this movie, and heard this song. I can still remember humming it to this day, but for the life of me I can't remember the words. Great movie though. My oldest brother can usually help me on any of the "movie classics", but even he wasn't able to come through to help on this one.