As the war came to an end, Errol Flynn found himself back in Technicolor for this popular reprise of Dodge City – it even reuses the theme music. Errol plays a cattle rancher whose stock has been run off by baddies so he heads back from San Antonio to get revenge. On the way he runs into Alexis Smith, a snooty saloon singer (who has a sort of chaperone, Florence Bates, performing the same role as Una Merkel did in Robin Hood)
Smith was a terrific foil for Errol in Gentleman Jim but she isn’t here. I couldn’t put my finger on it why – maybe in Gentleman Jim Errol was such an egotist it was easier for her to bounce of him or something. I don’t know why they didn’t repeat it – they start doing it, then stop not long into the relationship. And Smith spends half the film whining to Errol that she didn’t have anything to do with his mate’s death, which is boring.
The script is from two top writers, Alan Le May and W R Burnett and is okay, though it goes on too long. The director was David Butler, who has a list of unmremarkable credits but does a competent job. Certainly it’s a colourful movie with plenty of extras and elaborate sets; it has more of a musical flavour: in addition to Smith’s numbers (some of which are, to be honest bland), Errol is first seen strumming the guitar and he does a little waltz with Smith.
The support cast lacks a bit of power – when the bloke who plays Errol’s best friend dies, you don’t really feel anything (where’s Alan Hale?). There is S K Sakall, but the film makes the mistake of turning this comic souffle into a plot important character by having him witness the murder. The two villains aren’t bad, though there is not really enough action apart from a spectacular final shoot out in the saloon (and a fight in the church). But they even stuff this up by having Errol not get one of the baddies, and there’s this tacked on climax where he fights the baddy on another day. Bad structure.
Some bright lines of dialogue: “Is it a Western custom to push yourself on other people?” “Yes ma’m, that’s how the West was settled”. Also Errol tells Alexis Smith “we don’t see pretty girls like you down that often – I guess that’s why we have to pay for it” – surely this is a refence to prostitution?
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