Chuckwalla Swing from Wagon Master (1950)

"The arrival at the river cues Wagon Master's supreme musical set piece, Jones' infectious dance tune 'Chuckwalla Swing'. A spontaneous, populist counterpart to the stirring but rigidly formal military dance sequence in 'Fort Apache', Swing follows fast on a brief, introductory hoe-down. The catchy, energetic tune is first played by the combined Mormon and medicine show instrumentalists, then sung and square-danced by members of the train. Although filmed like a traditional musical number, the scene never exceeds the bounds of a plausibly impromptu amateur performance. Ford, of course, characteristically interweaves several thematic and emotional strands at the same time." "One of the most exhilarating dramatic/musical sequences in all of Ford's work, the joyous mood is broken by the sudden, insidiously quiet materialisation of the outlawed Cleggs, who inexorably attach themselves to the train. As a result, rather than concluding with a high-spirited flourish, the scene simply winds down as Hageman's scoring counterpoints the mood of impending threat with curiously a elegiac cue for minimal strings and humming male voices." (Music in the Western: Notes From the Frontier By Kathryn Kalinak)