1h 25min | Family, Musical, Western | 21 December 1945 | Color
Director: Charles Lamont
Stars: Yvonne De Carlo, Rod Cameron, Andy Devine, Sheldon Leonard.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037721/
Watched online, horribly fuzzy print. There are a dozen others out there; don't watch this print again.
Soundtracks lists 3 songs, all sung by YD, but only one of them is dubbed by another.
When I saw SL in the cast, I rolled my eyes. But he's not as ridiculous as I thought; his accent doesn't jump out at me. Either he didn't speak much and/or he actually had control of his accent.
The synopsis above is bizarre; we get 32 min of story, showing the "courtship" and marriage of the "wanderer" (RC to YD) before we get a 4th song (sung by Fuzzy Knight & not in the Soundtracks) about RC's imminent return.
Wow, someone could write a term paper in Women's Studies on this film alone. I don't remember why RC first kissed YD against her will, but he walked away, she chased him, turned him around and slapped him. He kissed her again. This repeated twice more, until he walked away into his hotel room (her hotel/saloon), and she followed him. (The whole saloon watched.) She discussed her price for being his, which he accepted, but she left (no time for anyone to think more than kissing occured.) Her price involved jewelry, particularly rings.
Next scene she's preparing for her wedding, and he arrives, surprised that he's the groom. He refuses, says he just wanted to break the colt (YD), not own it. But she insists, with a gun in her hand muff during the ceremony. Something else happens, and then he drags her off to a wedding night, she's protesting all the while.
Cut to the next morning, she's waking up in their bed. He's wanted for a prior murder, and gets dragged off to prison.
Six years later he returns to find his name on her saloon, and on their daughter. She refuses to give him a divorce because he wants it. He drags her off to bed; we see her wake up there next morning, have another fight, and she leaves him.
RC has a nearby ranch, which he now develops, biding his time to come after SL, the suspected killer of RC's partner, whom RC sought when he came to town in the first place.
YD proposes to SL, contingent on her divorce (yes, she just refused to Give one, but apparently she now wants to Get one.) They were friends before RC's first arrival, and apparently during his absence.
RC comes to the saloon and sees his 5 y.o. daughter on the bar singing mommy/chorus girl's song to sell booze. He snatches her away, argues with YD (who didn't know the girl did such things) about custody, and takes the girl to his ranch. The judge, sheriff & deputy follow him.
RC, his Cherokee houseman and the girl have gotten domestic real quick (after RC spanked the girl for misbehaving: "daddies spank their girls because they love them" she says.) The posse arrives, and the second major misapprehension occurs, when RC admits to the posse that he's been thinking about getting a woman to help raise his daughter. The posse goes to town & tells YD that RC wants her. He was referring to his schoolmarm fiancee in the next town, whom he sent Cherokee to fetch.
Schoolmarm arrives with her aunt, RC offers her the job/ extended engagement, and she accepts. Meanwhile YD has boarded up her saloon, loaded the buckboard with her stuff, and goes out to RC's ranch. Surprise, YD is upset, but discusses the situation with fiancee and aunt, and they convince her it's best for the child if she gives her up. She then goes out to talk with RC about it.
While she & RC are negotiating, SL arrives, and kidnaps the girl. Big chase scene, and girl in jeopardy, especially on a felled tree spanning a waterfall chasm. But RC has to fight with SL's men before he even realizes the girl's in danger.
When she's saved, YD has another argument with RC about the rescue, and RC spanks YD. Little girl says that means he loves YD, RC confirms it, YD melts. The End.
So an independent woman (she owns the saloon/hotel) just wanted to be broken like a fiery colt, even though she protested every step of the way. NB, men: when a woman says no, she really means yes. So do whatever you want, she'll love you for it.
This is so jaw-droppingly misogynistic that I almost want to give it a "recommended" rating. But that comes with the explanation "Why we still need #MeToo in 2018", so I won't.
P.S. Let's not forget the parallel of this story to women in America in 1945. For the last 3 years, they've been running their own lives, been productive defense and essential workers, and raising their children alone, as did YD when RC was in prison. The WW2 men are about to return home, need to rebuild their civilian lives, put down roots, like the RC character. So is this film advocating that all the self-sufficient women are Shrews who need to be tamed like colts, even if the method includes sexual assault?
Like I said, analyzing this film could be at least a college term paper.
P.S. Let's not forget the parallel of this story to women in America in 1945. For the last 3 years, they've been running their own lives, been productive defense and essential workers, and raising their children alone, as did YD when RC was in prison. The WW2 men are about to return home, need to rebuild their civilian lives, put down roots, like the RC character. So is this film advocating that all the self-sufficient women are Shrews who need to be tamed like colts, even if the method includes sexual assault?
Like I said, analyzing this film could be at least a college term paper.
Universal, dir. Lamont; 5-
