I'm writing from home, off work for a couple weeks, and I've got two Westerns for ya. The first one is a spoof, seen the other night, called "Go West, Young Lady"(1941). This movie was an absolute blast, and reminded me of "Blazing Saddles", albeit in a far less raunchy way (it is 1941 after all). Actually, it's more accurate to say there's no raunch, but the same wise-ass sense of humor is at work. Like "Saddles", it's a send up of the entire genre, and even has a similar premise. Glenn Ford stars as "Tex Miller", the new Sheriff in the lawless town of Headstone, their fourth in as many months. A bandit named Killer Pete is shooting them dead as fast as the townsfolk can bury 'em, and it's gotten so bad that the Judge hasn't had time to write a new eulogy. He keeps using the same one, over and over, and it's getting redundant.
That's why Ford has been sent in by the U.S. Marshal, to restore order. When we first see him, he's riding in on the stage, in the company of "Belinda Pendergast" (Penny Singleton), a Prim and Proper Lady from Back East. They aren't together - they just happen to be in the same coach - and despite Ford's attempt to make conversation, Miss Pendergast won't answer him. She doesn't talk to strange men........until they are ambushed by a pack of rampaging Indians. After Ford throws her one of his six-shooters, saying "I hope you know how to fire this", she proceeds to mow the Indians down one by one, with practiced aim. Ford is dumbfounded.
"Where'd you learn to shoot like that"?! , he exclaims.
"My Daddy taught me".
"Teaching a girl to shoot a gun? I've never heard of such a thing"!
"Well, he wanted a boy. Even called me 'Bill" for short".
And there you have the makings of what will be the film's big mix-up. You see, Miss Pendergast is traveling west to stay with her Uncle Jim in Headstone. Jim (Charles Ruggles) is the town's Big Honcho. He owns the Crystal Palace Saloon (yep, same as in Tombstone), and when he gets word that his brother has sent "Bill" to live with him, he naturally figures "Bill" is a man, and not only that, but "I'll bet he's our new sheriff, too! Imagine that, a Pendergast as sheriff of Headstone! The outlaws'll pack up and leave"!
But when the stage arrives, and "Bill" turns out to be Belinda, Uncle Jim is confused, and very disappointed. He sends her to live upstairs at the Crystal Palace, a move that shocks the local church ladies. Miss Pendergast doesn't understand, so they explain it to her : "Ma'am, there's only two kinda women in the world - the kind that goes in saloons and the kind that don't". But she's not concerned about what anyone thinks. After all, she's from Boston and is "educated and well-bred". Of course, you know that placing the goody-two-shoes Belinda in the context of a saloon is gonna create some hilarious hijinx, especially with dancing girls on hand. And wouldja believe Miss Pendergast can cut a pretty mean rug herself? Oh yeah. You see, "Go West" is also a musical, with Ann Miller on hand to perform the first number. She plays "Lola", the Crystal's headliner, who sings the title track ("Go West, Young Lady") while busting the kind of dazzing tap moves she's known for. But then Miss Pendergast comes on for a pretty slick dance of her own, while singing "Most Gentlemen Don't Prefer a Lady".
So begins a rivalry between Miller and Miss Pendergast, who Miller thinks is trying to upstage her and steal her man, a bigshot named "Tom Hannegan" (Onslow Stevens). But it ain't so! Belinda only has eyes for Glenn Ford, whom she's fallen in love with. Uncle Jim hopes Ford will marry her and leave town. He wants "Bill" off his hands : "And it ain't like we can't get another Sheriff anyway"! But Ford is sworn to stay until Killer Pete is caught. He's not gonna shirk his duty, so Miss Pendergast is there for the duration as well, much to Uncle Jim's chagrin (and that of the church ladies).
I loved "Go West, Young Lady", which will hold up to repeat viewings just like "Blazing Saddles". I found it's humor to be an unexpected delight, very edgy for it's time, yet clean enough for 1941. It's extremely well cast, and every actor knows just how much to exaggerate his or her role to create caricatures. The satirical dialogue is an absolute riot. I wouldn't be surprised if Mel Brooks is a fan, or if he used the movie as an inspiration for "Saddles". Other great characters include Allen Jenkins as "Hank", a deputy with a Barney Fife complex, Jed Prouty as the hapless "Judge Harmon", and "Killer Pete" himself, who a-speaks-a with an Italian-a accent. He wears a bandanna over his face, of course, but someone's eventually gonna unmask him for all the town to see.
Will it be Miss Pendergast? I can't tell ya, but I can reveal that her feud with Ann Miller will ultimately boil over, and when it does, stand clear!
Two Huge Thumbs Up for "Go West, Young Lady", which also features songs by the legendary Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, as well as a barbershop quartet known as The Foursome. Boy can these groups play and sing. The musical performances are reason alone to watch the movie, but with a story this funny you don't need an excuse. The Youtube print is excellent, too. Do not miss it, very highly recommended! ////
Our other Western, seen last night, was "City of Bad Men"(1953), starring Dale Robertson of Carpeteria fame. Remember those commercials from the early '70s? He spoke in that clipped delivery of his :"This is Dale Robt-sn for Carp-teria"........"Carp-ting by Carp-teria". My friends and I loved those commercials and used to imitate his voice, which was deep and throaty. He was about 50 at the time, and that was all we knew him for, the "Carp-teria" commercials. It was clear he'd been a star, but when you're 12 the past is ancient history as we've talked about. But in this movie he's young, tall and handsome, so much so that I didn't recognize him at first, even though his name was at the top of the credits! I kept saying to myself, "who is that actor? I know I know him". One thing that should've given it away is his hair. Robertson has one of the greatest pompadours in Hollywood history. Halfway through the film, I did finally catch on to him ("oh yeah, it's Dale Robt-sn"!), and he plays the leader of a gang of outlaws who ride into Carson City, Nevada on the eve of the heavyweight championship fight between James J. Corbett and Bob Fitzsimmons.
The year is 1897. Robertson and his gang have been in Mexico for a half dozen years, fighting as mercenaries, and they expect to return to the Wild West as they knew it. Instead, progress has come to America, in the form of inventions : automobiles, telephones, electric lights.......police forces. In town, even something called a "shower" is being advertised at the main hotel, in lieu of the baths of old. The plan in Carson City was to rob the National Bank, but now that Dale Robertson sees the crowds gathered for the boxing match, and calculates the ticket price multiplied by probable attendance, he decides they're gonna rob the fight instead. "It's gonna be 120 grand, boys".
But the "boys" are a bunch of Bad Hombres (hence the movie's title), and they don't agree on Robertson's change of plans, especially when he locates his ex (Jeanne Crain) and starts trying to rekindle the flame. She's now engaged to the fight's promoter, further complicating matters. As he falls further for Crain, Robertson is offered a job by the local sheriff, to stand guard at the box office during the fight. If he accepts, he'll be deputized as an officer of the law. "My boys will hang me if I do it", he muses, but because he can't resist true love, he takes the job, telling his gang it's just a ruse. "It'll get me closer to the money", he says. The plot will build on this thread of suspense : is Robertson being honest with his men, and sticking to the plan to rob the fight, or is he loyal to the sheriff, as a deputized lawman, to look good in the eyes of Jeanne Crain?
The action takes a while to develop, but Robertson's laconic style is contrasted by the more aggressive energy of the "bad men" of the title, and what a freakin' cast it is! In Robertson's gang are Lloyd Bridges as his brother, Leo Gordon as a henchman, and then you've got Richard Boone as the gang's arch enemy "Johnny Ringo". You've also got James Best (of "Rolling Thunder" fame) in a small role as a deputy, and finally........drum roll please.....you've got Mr. Reeves as a spectator at the fight! Yes indeed, and he starts a punchout when some galoot is blocking his view!
Holy smokes, folks. I mean, for half the movie you're sitting there trying to recognize Dale Robertson, and then at the end, the instantly recognizable Mr. Reeves pops up. And we just walked by his house today, as we always do......
Well, my goodness, such is life, no? One minute you're drawing a blank, the next, there's Mr. Reeves. Please don't bother him, as a favor to my Mom, but definitely watch "City of Bad Men", a contextual Western that pits the outlaws against human progress, which is fast outmoding their lifestyle. It looks great in Technicolor and gets Two Big Thumbs Up. I've only given you the basics of the plot, so watch it in depth for yourself and enjoy. ////
That's all for tonight. Have you heard the new song by KK's Priest? If not, Google it and get back to me with your opinion. My take is that it's nothing new in the Metal Realm, but it has an energy I find missing from the current version of Judas Priest, a rawness that's been refined out of JP's production. While it's not a song I'll be whistling on my daily rounds (and I miss the old Judas Priest hooks), I still appreciate the try for authenticity in this day and age, and I'll be ready to attend the first KK show in Los Angeles, as soon as it's announced. He founded Judas Priest and was always their heart and soul as far as I'm concerned.
Props to ya Ken. ////
See you tomorrow morning, tons of love as always. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
No comments:
Post a Comment