Monday, November 13, 2017

Movie review - "The Gal Who Won the West" (1949) **1/2 (warning: spoilers)

Cheerful, dim musical comedy which was meant to be a vehicle for Deanna Durbin - and is typical of the weak material that star had in her latter career. It's better suited for Yvonne de Carlo, who was usually in thin films.

She's an opera singer who goes out West and is fought over two men - some random actors called John Russell and Scott Brady, neither of whom is particularly memorable. However old reliable Charles Coburn is on hand as the boys' grandfather.

It's lively and energetic and the colour is great. De Carlo seems to be having a fun time, playing basically a cheerful gold digger; she does a rendition of "Frankie and Johnny".  It is a refreshing change to have a Western with the girl center stage, driving the action - being a bit mercenary about nabbing a rich husband, succeeding and not being punished.

The script - by Bill Bowers and Oscar Brodney - has a clever opening which tells the story of De Carlo's arrival in town from three different points of view. The whole thing is in flashback from the present day - we meet de Carlo in old age makeup. There are some clever lines and the piece have spirit.

The boys brawling over De Carlo gets depressing after a while - they're so vicious about it; these two literally want to kill each other. And neither of them is really worthy of her. The piece does keep you guessing who she will marry but that's not necessarily a great thing because she has no emotional connection with either.

In the end (spoiler) she marries Russell but Russell is a womanizer - and she mostly does it because she knows Brady will keep Russell in line. I did like however that they showed de Carlo in the present day, old and happy, so presumably it all worked out.

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