"Destry Rides Again" is the oft filmed story of a non gun toting lawman who cleans up a frontier town. It was previously filmed in 1932 with Tom Mix and later in 1950 as "Frenchie" with Joel McCrea and in 1954 as "Destry" with Audie Murphy.
This version which came out in the movies' best year 1939, stars Marlene Dietrich and James Stewart. This film recharged her career and Stewart was just emerging as a major star.
The town of Bottleneck is a lawless place under the control of gambler Kent (Brian Donlevy) who with his cronies and Frenchie the "saloon singer" (Dietrich) are cheating honest ranchers out of their properties by luring them into poker games.
Rancher Lem Claggett (Tom Fadden) is the latest victim. When he loses his ranch, Sheriff Keogh (Joe King) is murdered trying to get the man's ranch back. Kent has Judge Slade (Samuel S. Hinds) appoint town drunk Washington Dimsdale (Charles Winniger) as the new sheriff. Dimsdale however, takes his job seriously and sends for Tom Destry Jr. (Stewart), the son of his former friend Tom Sr.
Destry is at first a laughing stock until he demonstrates his prowess with six shooter. Frenchie it seems has a heart of gold and starts to take a liking to Tom. Young Janice Tyndall (Irene Hervey) also has her eye on Tom. Barfly Boris (Mischa Auer) loses his pants to Frenchie in a poker game which results in his wife Lilly Belle (Una Merkel) charging into the saloon and having a slam bang fight with Frenchie.
Following a tragic event Tom becomes angered, straps on his father's guns and.....................................................
To me, there was just too much light comedy in light of the seriousness of the story. The likes of Auer, Billy Gilbert As the bartender and Allen Jenkins and Warren Hymer as Donlevy's boys is just too much comedy relief. Even Winniger's character has comedic traits. Jack Carson, who would soon become known for his comedic roles, plays a rough and tough rancher who is at first mistaken for Destry.
Dietrich's character was hilariously parodied by Madeliene Kahn in "Blazing Saddles" (1974)to the point that Dietrich's performance is overshadowed to modern viewers. It did however, get her back into the spotlight as she would follow this film up with two with John Wayne. James Stewart was just starting to be seen as a major star. He would appear in the classic "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" the same year and win an Academy Award the following year for "The Philadelphia Srory".
Despite it's faults, this film is still looked upon as a true classic.
This version which came out in the movies' best year 1939, stars Marlene Dietrich and James Stewart. This film recharged her career and Stewart was just emerging as a major star.
The town of Bottleneck is a lawless place under the control of gambler Kent (Brian Donlevy) who with his cronies and Frenchie the "saloon singer" (Dietrich) are cheating honest ranchers out of their properties by luring them into poker games.
Rancher Lem Claggett (Tom Fadden) is the latest victim. When he loses his ranch, Sheriff Keogh (Joe King) is murdered trying to get the man's ranch back. Kent has Judge Slade (Samuel S. Hinds) appoint town drunk Washington Dimsdale (Charles Winniger) as the new sheriff. Dimsdale however, takes his job seriously and sends for Tom Destry Jr. (Stewart), the son of his former friend Tom Sr.
Destry is at first a laughing stock until he demonstrates his prowess with six shooter. Frenchie it seems has a heart of gold and starts to take a liking to Tom. Young Janice Tyndall (Irene Hervey) also has her eye on Tom. Barfly Boris (Mischa Auer) loses his pants to Frenchie in a poker game which results in his wife Lilly Belle (Una Merkel) charging into the saloon and having a slam bang fight with Frenchie.
Following a tragic event Tom becomes angered, straps on his father's guns and.....................................................
To me, there was just too much light comedy in light of the seriousness of the story. The likes of Auer, Billy Gilbert As the bartender and Allen Jenkins and Warren Hymer as Donlevy's boys is just too much comedy relief. Even Winniger's character has comedic traits. Jack Carson, who would soon become known for his comedic roles, plays a rough and tough rancher who is at first mistaken for Destry.
Dietrich's character was hilariously parodied by Madeliene Kahn in "Blazing Saddles" (1974)to the point that Dietrich's performance is overshadowed to modern viewers. It did however, get her back into the spotlight as she would follow this film up with two with John Wayne. James Stewart was just starting to be seen as a major star. He would appear in the classic "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" the same year and win an Academy Award the following year for "The Philadelphia Srory".
Despite it's faults, this film is still looked upon as a true classic.