RE-WATCH MARATHONDestry Rides Again (1939)"I collect Deputy Sheriff's guns. Whenever I meet a new deputy,
I ask him for his gun and I ask him real nice." Really fun western-comedy teaming up Jimmy Stewart with Marlene Dietrich. In a lawless town, the corrupt Mayor gives the Sheriffs Badge to the town drunk, who immediately decides to stop drinking and brings in the son of a notorious lawman to be his Deputy. Only the son (Stewart) likes to use his brains, and doesn't carry a gun. Dietrich is the saloon showgirl who's in with the bad guys, and when she meets Stewart, sparks fly (along with a lot of breakables.)
The film is merely okay until Stewart arrives, and then it's great. There's a lot of humor from the way he plays all the angles and ruffles feathers. Along the way, he organizes a handful of great character actors who are genuinely funny, not just mugging for screen time. I really don't like Dietrich's low-toned singing voice, but she proves to be a capable comedian and her verbal spars with Stewart are really nicely played. Things get a little too dramatic at the climax, but overall this is a fun western for people who love screwball comedy.
RATING: ***1/2
Because my wife and I watch a lot of films from the 30s and 40s, we like to keep a running tally on how many familiar faces one movie contains. There are a handful of films that are like American Graffiti, where every face is a dependable one: You Can't Take it With You, The Thin Man, His Girl Friday, Larceny Inc. and this one. These are the ones where we find at least 10 favorites, and Destry has 9 in the opening 5 minutes, including Marlene Dietrich (#5). This is still the weak section of the film, but on re-watches it's great to see all the familiar characters establishing the town. Then James Stewart (#10) enters the film (with #11 Jack Carson) and the fun escalates quickly.
The whole cast is simply perfect.
This film works not only as a comedy, but as a brilliantly scripted Western. It battles head on the idea that violence must be used to combat violence, and twists the idea of how those considered “lowlifes” or weak are the right ones to turn society upside down.
I couldn’t help but smile and inwardly cheer throughout this film. It is an instant favorite of mine, and a contender for my top 100.
4.5/5
Destry Rides Again opened two months after Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and just two weeks before The Shop Around the Corner. That's a pretty amazing run for Stewart in a very short amount of time. Mr. Smith is more of an Oscar-worthy performance, but Destry best displays his leading man charm. Stewart respects the dialogue, while sometimes playing around with the delivery. He jumps on a person's joke like he knows it's coming, and uses the same technique with a harshening of his tone to diffuse a dangerous situation. If you're still new to Stewart, here is where you can see what sets him apart from the rest of Hollywood. If you're not, Destry has some of his best moments, like the casual way he breaks up a fight with a bucket of water, or both disarms and shames Dietrich's saloon girl with honesty.
"I'll bet you've got kind of a lovely face under all that paint.
Why don't you wipe it off someday and have a good look -
and figure out how you can live up to it." Marlene Dietrich can be a point of contention with a modern audience. You've probably heard of her, but her thick accent and overconfident sexual presence can be jarring. I've been used to her for so long, I had to step back to see the problem. (When she's fighting, she's clearly kicking her legs in the air because she thinks hers are fantastic.) What I notice about her performance here is that she's very relaxed, and not afraid to look vulnerable. The moment in the screenshot is one of her best, which is preceded by her tripping on a table leg. (It doesn't look planned but perfectly demonstrates how off-balance Stewart has made her.) After her fight she proudly calls for a drink and then is embarrassed by what a hot mess she looks like, and when she bets a married man for his pants, I've never seen Dietrich so happy to be on camera.
Then there's the singing, which isn't helped by Madeline Khan's scorch in Blazing Saddles. "Little Joe" is a fun earworm song that repeats throughout the opening. She also performs "You've Got That Look" while we impatiently wait for Stewart's arrival. I'm used to the song, but it drags the film before things even begin. Her 3rd number "See What the Boys in the Back Room Will Have" is one of her best and comes late enough that it makes for a rousing break before the Western finale.
RATING: * * * *, In the greatest year of cinema, Destry doesn't get nearly enough mention. It's in my Top 5 for 1939.