Wagons East!

Set in the American West around 1870, Wagons East! follows a group of settlers who conclude they cannot build a life in the rough frontier towns they once hoped would make their fortunes. Among them are a former doctor named Phil Taylor, a prostitute named Belle, and a bookseller, Julian. Rather than press on toward the frontier, they pool their resources to hire James Harlow, a hard-drinking wagon master, to guide their wagons back east to the hometowns they left behind. Their return journey puts them at odds with a railroad man who profits from westward expansion and who prefers that nobody turn back, and the route takes them through territory held by the Sioux.

Peter Markle directed the film, which sits between his 1990 western El Diablo and his 2006 television drama Flight 93 in his directing credits. Matthew Carlson wrote the screenplay, and the cast is led by John Candy as Harlow, with Richard Lewis, John C. McGinley, Ellen Greene, Robert Picardo, and Ed Lauter. John Candy died during production.

Released in August 1994, the film is a comedic western running 107 minutes and was made by TriStar Pictures, Carolco Pictures, Live Entertainment, and Outlaw Productions, with production spanning Mexico and the United States. It earned about 4 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds a rating of 4.9 from roughly 6,900 votes, and on TMDB it also stands at 4.9, from around 111 votes.