Destry Rides Again revived Marlene Dietrich’s career, establishing her in a series of more tongue-in-cheek adventures, including Seven Sinners and this. It’s set in pre Civil War New Orleans, with Marlene as a shady lady out to nab rich Roland Young as a husband. There are two main threats – her attraction to a hunky sailor (Bruce Cabot in a role really requiring someone more charismatic, eg John Wayne, or at least funny eg Bob Cummings), and her own reputation. To battle the latter she pretends to be another person – herself – who is genuinely bad. This won’t surprise those who read the credit list and saw the script was written by Norman Krasna (the sole credited writer), who love stories about mistaken identity and/or impersonation.
This is good fun on the whole. It’s got that great studio sets and costumes and is beautifully shot – you wish it had been in colour. Rene Clair (in his American debut as director) handles things with a sure touch. Cabot isn’t much of a leading man but Marlene could make believe she’s attracted to everyone. There’s a great support cast that you got in old studio films: Mischa Auer, Andy Devine, Franklin Pangborn, Laura Hope Crews, Melville Coooper, Anne Revere. Also Dietrich has a black maid who is allowed to be young, sexy and have a sex life. I did wish it had a bit more action.
Krasna always thought the casting of the two male leads hurt it - he argued that Dietrich couldn't play comedy herself but she'd be effective against comics. (The example he gave was Olivia de Havilland, effective in comedy with experienced co-stars in Princess O'Rourke but bad without them in Government Girl). His dream casting was for this film was Cary Grant in the Cabot role and Adolphe Menjou in the Roland Young part. Young was an experienced comedian but I take his point - Menjou would have been a genuine romantic rival, as well as a genuine threat. And any comic would have done better than Cabot. Still, I enjoyed it.
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