Tonight I watched "Silver River", an epic Western directed by the great Raoul Walsh and starring two of my favorites : Errol Flynn and Ann Sheridan. The movie begins with a spectacular 6 minute action sequence that takes place during the Battle of Gettysburg. A Union payroll wagon carrying a million dollars is being escorted through the area. The money is for the soldier's wages. Suddenly a rider approaches with a telegram. Lee's Confederate forces are advancing in the direction of the convoy. The telegram contains orders for the payroll wagon to stop and remain in place until an alternate route can be planned out. The convoy's captain rides ahead with several men to assess the situation, but before he leaves, he directs lieutenant Flynn to remain in place with the payroll wagon. Flynn's pal "Pistol" (Tom D'Andrea), stays back too. While they are waiting for the captain to return, a Rebel flank breaks through the lines and storms toward them. Flynn has to think fast. He makes the decision to leave his post and ride off with the payroll wagon in order to protect the money. The Confederate riders are closing in though, so in desperation Flynn and Pistol burn the cash to avoid it falling into enemy hands.
I have to interject to ask if anyone remembers the game of "think fast" in the 1960s. I mention it because in the paragraph above, I wrote that Errol Flynn has to "think fast". That reminded me of another use of the phrase from when I was a kid. Back then, "think fast" was what you heard right before someone tossed you something, like a water balloon or a potato, or maybe a Superball. Remember Superballs? You threw them hard against the sidewalk and they would bounce over your house and into your backyard. Superballs were made by Whammo. I don't know if Whammo is still in business, but we need more companies like Whammo in 2020. Anyhow - "think fast"!
See, I just tossed you something and you dropped it. That's what "think fast" was all about. :)
Back to the movie, after Flynn and Pistol flee from the Confederate force and burn the payroll money, they are court martialed for disobeying an order. Flynn escapes prison, based on his good record as a soldier, but the experience leaves him embittered. He vows never to be "used" again.
"From now on, if anyone is giving orders it's going to be me", he declares. Flynn and Pistol then depart for the West. They wind up in Silver City, Nevada Territory. Here Flynn's rise to the top begins. He (wait a second while I switch off the italics) owns several freight wagons that he managed to swindle from Ann Sheridan, whose husband owns stock in the local silver mines. The husband needs those wagons to bring in mining equipment. Flynn agrees to sell them for stock in the company, and before too long he is the majority owner. Formerly penniless, he is now the wealthiest man in the Territory, and he has an Enormous Mansion built to prove it.
But what he really wants is Ann Sheridan, the mining engineer's wife. The script of "Silver River" is an allegory of the Biblical story of King David, who saw a beautiful woman bathing. He lusted after her, decided he had to have her, and sent her husband to the front lines of a battle where he was certain to be killed. When he was, King David married his widow. Mission accomplished. Until God had His say.
This is what Errol Flynn will try to do to Bruce Bennett, who plays Ann Sheridan's boring but sincere husband. Recently we have seen Hollywood use the Boring Husband Canard several times in order to dispatch with the husbands in question, simply because they are boring, especially compared to the Exciting Star, who in this case is Errol Flynn. Now, you know I love Flynn. He's one of my favorite "movie star" actors, great in every role, but - as much as I liked him in "Silver River" - there is an event that takes place that is never satisfactorily resolved, and I felt it cheapened the message of the picture, which again was a morality play based on the "King David" story. It also calls into question the decency of Ann Sheridan's character, and this is problematic because here you have two very likeable stars - Big Stars - who normally play sympathetic roles. Here, they are playing opposite their type - okay fine - but when the script tries to redeem them at the end, it fails to account for their deeds. It's as if what happened was no big deal, and for me that drove my appreciation for the film down a notch.
This is too bad, because in every other way "Silver River" is a Western Epic, a sweeping saga of a man's ruthless ambition and his desire for what he cannot have. Director Walsh made several Westerns with Errol Flynn, including "They Died With Their Freakin' Boots On", an all-time classic, and this film measures up to that level in almost every way. The location photography is spectacular (and in black and white!), the story is multilayered, the subject matter is unusual (the history of Nevada silver mining), and the acting is first class. My only problem was with the event that led to the Flynn/Sheridan romance, and the way that event was dismissed.
I'm still gonna give "Silver River" Two Big Thumbs Up, because of it's positive attributes. It's a great Western, up there with the best. But it has this one aspect in the storyline that I did not care for.
Highly recommended anyway. ////
It's now Wednesday night, late night, and I am writing from home. We are still in choppy waters where Pearl is concerned. Please pray for her and keep the faith. As of tonight she is doing okay, and will be seeing the doctor tomorrow morning. When I came home tonight, I had a stroke of luck. I saw on FB that Eric Johnson was giving away tickets to his concert this Saturday night at the Regent Theatre in downtown Los Angeles. I posted my name in reply, and lo and behold, five minuted later EJ informed me I'd won a pair of tix. Normally, I'd have purchased a ticket the day they went on sale, but because this concert has a 5:45pm start time, I held off, because I didn't think I could make it. I mean, who's ever heard of a concert starting at 5:45pm? This one will, because the venue has a disco party happening later that evening. Can you say "disco sucks"? Ahh, but we knew it all along. Today, the Notorious B.I.G. was elected into the Rock 'N Roll Hall Of Fame, ahead of Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy and Todd Rundgren. That's all you really need to know about the promotion of modern music. The crumminess rises to the top.
I'm glad the EJ show will start at dinnertime. That way, I can get home in time to watch a movie and review it for you. See you in the morning.
Tons of love. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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