You'd think a movie about wheat harvesters could only be so interesting and contemporary reviews didn't think much of this, but I found it a lot of fun. It's more an old Warner Bros style movie, about a bunch of guys who like to work hard and play hard, brawl, muck around, betray their friends, fall in love with the same woman - you could see it with Bogie, Cagney, Raft etc. Paramount rustled up a decent equivalent sort of cast - Alan Ladd, Robert Preston, Lloyd Nolan, with Dorothy Lamour as the gal.
In its way it is a kind of a western - with harvesting wheat instead of a cattle drive, a wheat fire instead of a cattle stampede, brawls at the saloon, skimming instead of rustling, tough heroes. But the wheat setting gives it freshness.
Ladd is animated and comfortable as he would often be in "guys world" atmosphere. There is an uncomfortable strand of misogyny throughout the film - Lamour is a no good tramp who seduces Preston because she wants Ladd but it's ok because Ladd and Preston go off into the sunset together.
Maybe ***1/2 is too much but its fun and they don't make 'em like this anymore.
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