Destry Rides Again
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Movie Reviews of Destry Rides Again
Movie Review: An interesting old film in the style of old films
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a typical 1939 black and white western where people get shot and fall dead with no puncture wound or blood shown. A black woman appears as a maid and speaks and acts in the typical 1939 stereotypical demeaning silly manner. James Stewart got second billing after Marlene Dietrich. The hour and a half film is filled with more humor than violence. Dietrich sings three songs with her German accent, but since this is 1939, and Germany is about to become an American enemy, she is repeatedly called Frenchy, to mislead us, as if we could be fooled.
The action takes place in the town of Bottleneck, which is controlled by a saloon owner and his cohorts, including the town mayor. The saloon owner cheats a rancher at cards when Dietrich helps him by switching one of the rancher's cards. The rancher loses his ranch and cattle as a result of his bet. He figures out what happened and gets a rifle to confront the owner, but the sheriff intercepts him and promises to save his ranch. However the saloon owner kills the sheriff and the mayor appoints the town drunk as his replacement. The new sheriff sobers up and tells everyone that he is bringing the son of the fabled now dead Sheriff Destry to town to serve as his deputy. He will clean up the town, and Destry will ride again.
Destry (James Stewart) seems like a dandy. He says he doesn't want to use a gun because people can get hurt; this is exactly what happened to his father who was shot in the back because people were afraid to face him and his gun. Viewers will enjoy seeing how Destry cleans up the town, how he resolves various conflicts using his wits, and helps the defrauded rancher. Viewers will find themselves, like Marlene Dietrich, charmed by the homey manner of the new deputy. They will also enjoy watching to see whether Destry gives up his non-violent approach to crime when the saloon owner kills his friend the sheriff, because, you see, despite his protestations, Destry can shoot.
Movie Review: Clean and scrappy...
Summary: 4 Stars
It is true that there are parody elements in George Marshall's delightful "Destry Rides Again" but the real humor lies not so much in these sorts of antics, nor the heavily laid on inquiries of Marlene Dietrich as to the tastes of the backroom boys, but rather in James Stewart's no-gun Destry characterization...
This springs from the same source as Ford's 'characters', recognizable frontier independent-minded eccentrics, with a firm footing in American literature; characters often with a roundabout way of making a point, or pointing a moral, as with Destry's habit of prefacing each little cautionary parable with: 'I knew a fellow once who...' A habit that inevitably drew the aggrieved riposte: 'You know too many fellows, Destry...'
The other 'characters' in this film have more than a color or two of parody--Mischa Auer's improbable Slavonic cowboy, Charles Winninger's town drunk, Brian Donlevy, unprincipled boss, and Samuel S. Hinds' nicely played judge...
In retrospect, it's odd how much this movie gains from its rather touching little postscript... Stewart, the unconventional lawman, having pacified his cowtown, strolls the streets with a hero-worshiping lad at his heels, and yet also takes a little cloud of sadness along with him...
Marshall's film is considered a classic Western which manages to encompass suspense, comedy, romance, tenderness, vivid characterization, horseplay, songs and standard western excitements, without moving for more than a moment from a studio main street set... Hollywood expertise at its very best...
Movie Review: "See What the Boys in the Back Room Will Have."
Summary: 4 Stars
With the help of Frenchy (Marlene Dietrich) a dance hall girl from New Orleans, local ranchers in the town of Bottleneck are being swindled out of there land by the unscrupulous saloon owner Kent (Brian Donlevy).
Sheriff Keogh (Joe King) attempts to correct this and suddenly leaves town without his body.
Judge Slade (Samuel S. Hinds) who is in cahoots with Kent assigned the job of sheriff to the town drunk. Newly assigned Sheriff Washington Dimsdale (Charles Winninger) remembers a previous sheriff named Tom Destry and sends off for the son of Destry, Thomas Jefferson 'Tom' Destry Jr. (James Stewart).
On the day of Destry's arrival with all the crowds are waiting in anticipation. Destry steps out of the coach with a parasol and a bird cage. Sheriff Dimsdale thinks he may have made a mistake.
Only time will tell.
I personally think there is more to this film than the surface story and subplots. It has a good after taste.
Cheyenne Social Club [VHS]
Movie Review: Offbeat Western For Stewart
Summary: 4 Stars
This movie which was made in 1939 is a very offbeat western with some comedic scenes. Marlene Dietrich is beautiful and James Stewart is very good as the low key deputy that comes to town to clean it up. The realism of the movie of course comes into question, but if you can get past that and take it as a light comedy/western, you'll enjoy the film.
****Warning**** The film is black and white and made in 1939. I know many people of the 21st century have an aversion to anything B&W and old immediately deeming something unworthy and not good..so if you are one of those people....don't bother ****Warning Over****
This is a good film. I enjoyed it very much. I think young kids who haven't been told B&W is a bad thing would enjoy the film. Better than a lot of junk they put in movie theaters today. Yes Destry is a bit dated, but it is quaint and enjoyable. Worth watching several times over the course of one's lifetime and worth having on DVD.
Movie Review: True western classic
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm an unabashed Jimmy Stewart fan and I readily acknowledge Destry Rides Again as a classic which every western lover should see and will undoubtedly enjoy. However, I also like director George Marshall's Technicolor remake of this film with Audie Murphy, titled simply Destry. No, Audie Murphy was not as good an actor as Jimmy Stewart. But, given a good script and good direction, Audie Murphy was a far better actor than his many B movies would lead one to expect, and Destry was one of his best performances. The fact that director George Marshall chose to remake his black and white Jimmy Stewart hit, Destry Rides Again, in Technicolor with Audie Murphy as Destry clearly indicates that Marshall felt his original film could be equaled, and possibly even improved upon. In this reviewer's opinion, he was right. Both the original and the remake are very good westerns and both should be available on DVD for western fans to enjoy.