Dodge City **** (1939, Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Ann Sheridan, (Bruce Cabot, Victor Jory, Douglas Fowley) – Classic Movie Review 4725

Director Michael Curtiz’s archetypal action-packed 1939 Western pairs Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland again for the fifth of their nine movies together.

In his first Western, Flynn (who thought that he was miscast in the genre because of his English accent) forsakes his comfort zone of his usual swashbucklers to play an Irish adventurer out West, Wade Hatton (based on Wyatt Earp). Texas cattle agent Wade rides into lawless Dodge City and takes the job of sheriff to clean up the town.

Wade ends up chasing the rustling baddies (Bruce Cabot as town boss Jeff Surrett, Victor Jory as Yancey and Douglas Fowley as Munger) out of Dodge City. But meanwhile he flirts with the lovely sultry saloon singer Ruby Gilman (Ann Sheridan), and eventually wins the hand of fair lady Abbie Irving (de Havilland), who initially refuses to have anything to do with him because he shot her brother (William Lundigan).

Warner Bros’ all-star support cast, a definitive saloon barroom brawl, Sol Polito and Ray Rennahan’s beautiful early Technicolor cinematography and Curtiz’s lively directorial work make this a most popular and enduringly entertaining Western.

In his finest Western, Flynn has a field day and is just great as Wade Hatton. It helps enormously of course that Flynn has a fine original screenplay to work on, written by Robert Buckner. It is made by the same team – Curtiz, photographer Polito, writer Buckner and star Flynn – responsible for the next year’s Virginia City.

Also in the strong Western-flavoured cast are Alan Hale Sr, Frank McHugh, John Litel, William Lundigan, Henry Travers, Henry O’Neill, Guinn ‘Big Boy’ Williams, Gloria Holden, Ward Bond, Cora Witherspoon, Charles Halton, Bobs Watson, Russell Simpson, Clem Bevans, Joseph Creehan, Thurston Hall, Monte Blue, James Burke and Chester Clute.

The stuntman Flynn throws through the window of the barbershop is his long-time drinking buddy, Buster Wiles.

Tired of ingenue roles, de Havilland regarded the film as a career letdown. Warners refused her request to play Sheridan’s singer role. The studio chartered a 16-car train to take the cast and 36 reporters to Dodge City for the premiere, stopping at Pasadena so de Havilland could go to work on Gone with the Wind (1939). The premiere was mobbed by over 70,000 visitors to the town.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 4725

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