The more films I watch by George Marshall, the more impressed I am. He directed the funniest W.C. Fields film, "Never Give A Sucker an Even Break," the funniest Bob Hope movie, "Monsieur Beaucaire," and the funniest Jimmy Stewart movie, "Destry Rides Again." He is right up there with Howard Hawks for knowing how to blend comedy and action.
This film contains two scenes that should be considered classics. The first is a boxing match. The only rules seem to be that a round ends when someone gets knocked down, but the fight only ends when a fighter gives up or dies. The second scene is the meeting of William Holden and Claire Trevor. Holden is on the run from a lynch mob and tries to steal a horse from Tevor's buckboard. She fights him every step of the way, leading to some great stunts and tricks. At the end, she gets her dress caught, falls and screams, "The blankety-blank dress!"
Holden, his sidekick partner, Glenn Ford, and eventual love interest Trevor are all excellent, George Raft is fine as a wealthy windbag, however it is Edgar Buchanan who steals the show as a conniving Dentist. Buchanan guest starred on just about every television Western in the 1950's and starred in the long running 1960's television series "Petticoat Junction." He always had excellent comic timing. Here he is given a big enough part to really appreciate his talent. His funniest bit is disarming whomever he is talking to by looking at their teeth, registering concern and saying how their "bicuspid" looks bad.
Anybody who likes comic Westerns like "Maverick," "Alias Smith and Jones," and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," should enjoy this.
This film contains two scenes that should be considered classics. The first is a boxing match. The only rules seem to be that a round ends when someone gets knocked down, but the fight only ends when a fighter gives up or dies. The second scene is the meeting of William Holden and Claire Trevor. Holden is on the run from a lynch mob and tries to steal a horse from Tevor's buckboard. She fights him every step of the way, leading to some great stunts and tricks. At the end, she gets her dress caught, falls and screams, "The blankety-blank dress!"
Holden, his sidekick partner, Glenn Ford, and eventual love interest Trevor are all excellent, George Raft is fine as a wealthy windbag, however it is Edgar Buchanan who steals the show as a conniving Dentist. Buchanan guest starred on just about every television Western in the 1950's and starred in the long running 1960's television series "Petticoat Junction." He always had excellent comic timing. Here he is given a big enough part to really appreciate his talent. His funniest bit is disarming whomever he is talking to by looking at their teeth, registering concern and saying how their "bicuspid" looks bad.
Anybody who likes comic Westerns like "Maverick," "Alias Smith and Jones," and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," should enjoy this.