1939 Western
Rating: 16/20
Plot: A corrupt town loses a sheriff and promotes the local drunk to the position. He quits drinking and hires Destry, the son of some guy named Destry, as deputy with the hopes of cleaning up the town. When Destry arrives with no guns and falls for a European song 'n' dance gal, he wonders if he's made the right decision.
This movie's opening--a slow pan down the streets of Bottleneck after the town's welcome sign's shown being shot up--reminded me of Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean ride. It featured these Western-looking characters doing vaguely Western things with a whole bunch of shouts of "Yeee-whoo!" All we needed was a "Yee-who, yee-who, a cowboy's life for me." And I guess a boat.
I was worried initially, but once we meet the characters frequenting the saloon where the majority of action in this takes place, I was on board. I liked Charles Winninger as the banjo-strumming drunkard who would inexplicably be named sheriff. There's a fun Russian guy who ended up in this town for some reason, the cartoonish victim of some poker trickery, and the mayor, a guy who sits around playing games of checkers with himself. Oh, and my favorite--a surly bartender who complains about the Sisyphean monotony of his job. He's great!
And, of course, you've got Marlene Dietrich as a Wild West femme fatale. Does she get too many musical numbers in this? Well, yes. One would have been too many. Does she also pull off exotic, sultry entertainer with the kind of legs that would cause greasy saloon patrons eyes to pop out of their heads like they're watching Jessica Rabbit? Yes, she pulls that off fairly well. She also takes part in a rough 'n' tumble catfight with the Russian character's wife.
When I found out that Jimmy Stewart and Marlene Dietrich had a fling during this, Stewart's first Western, I was thrilled because that meant I had a legitimate reason to imagine the two of them having sex. This was Stewart's first Western, and it's among my favorites I've seen him in. Getting to imagine him knocking up Dietrich was just a bonus. Stewart's character is insanely likable, even when he's on his fifteenth story about a fella he knew.
This isn't the most realistic Western I've ever seen, but it's got a nice blend of comedy and drama and is very watchable.
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