Silver Screen Standards: Destry Rides Again (1939)

Silverscreen standards: Destry rides again (1939)

The western was new territory for leading man James Stewart in 1939 when he starred in director George Marshall’s star-studded, action-packed version of The Oater. Destry rides again, but the film would propel Stewart into a genre in which he clearly felt at home. He would star in iconic westerns over the next few decades, including Winchester ’73 (1950), The man who shot Liberty Valance (1962), How the West was won (1962) and The shooter (1976), but his first foray into the genre remains a defining moment in his career. Destry rides again stars as our hero, the pre-war Stewart, a mild-mannered milk drinker with an unassuming manner that makes him an unlikely lawman for a wild frontier town. It’s a fun, wild comedy with dramatic moments; Today we’d call it a “dramedy” and we know what to expect, but the mix gives the film a modern feel despite its confident, old-fashioned western tropes. A delightful cast of Marlene Dietrich, Charles Winninger, Una Merkel, Mischa Auer, Jack Carson and Brian Donlevy makes this a must-see for classic movie buffs too, even if westerns aren’t their usual fare.

Stewart plays Tom Destry, Jr., the son of a famous attorney who is summoned to the crime bottleneck by his father’s old deputy, Washington “Wash” Dimsdale (Charles Winninger). Wash was made sheriff by the gang of crooks who run the town because he’s an elderly alcoholic who the bad guys take as a joke, but Wash is disappointed when Tom turns out to be a good-humoured young man who doesn’t even carry guns. Saloon boss Kent (Brian Donlevy) and corrupt judge Slade (Samuel S. Hinds) initially smirk at Tom’s seeming inadequacy, but everyone in Bottleneck soon learns that Tom is far more capable than they had anticipated. Kent’s star attraction and friend Frenchy (Marlene Dietrich) is also impressed by Tom, but her interest in the young deputy is at odds with her involvement in Kent’s criminal activities.

In his pre-WWII paintings, Stewart is often a gentle, lovable character, tall and handsome, but by no means as masculine as Western stars like John Wayne or even Joel McCrea. Young James Stewart doesn’t look like he belongs on a horse, and it certainly wasn’t the kind of film he’d done before. His other large picture from 1939, Mr. Smith goes to Washingtonearned him his first Oscar nomination for Best Actor, and it’s easier to see the connections between that role and his Oscar-winning performance in The Philadelphia Story in 1940. Still, Stewart as Destry has an unexpected accuracy that foreshadows the many Western roles to come, some of which, notably the 1950s pictures starring Anthony Mann, explore the darker side of his post-war personality as provocatively as Stewart’s Alfred Hitchcock thriller . Stewart’s collaborations with legendary Western director John Ford are also memorable The man who shot Liberty Valance (1962), in which Stewart and John Wayne share the lead roles. It’s also worth noting that Stewart’s final screen credit is for his voice work An American Cock: Fievel Goes West (1991), a western, is a final arc more than fifty years after his first western role. Destry rides again serves as the starting point for a significant part of Stewart’s career, although it’s not the genre he’s most associated with today.

Stewart is definitely the star of the film, though Destry rides again also relies on its excellent supporting actors, giving them plenty of memorable scenes to shine in and play with the traditional genre types their characters embody. Dietrich, also new to the genre, has a particularly delicious role as Frenchy; Their musical numbers liven up the mood, while their wavering loyalties leave audiences in the dark as to their motives. Dietrich’s fight scene with Una Merkel, who plays the more socially acceptable Lily Belle, is an absolute riot and an opportunity to unleash the women of a western. Merkel also has great comic chemistry with Mischa Auer as her chicken-pecked Russian husband, whom Lily Belle insists on calling by her former husband’s last name. Charles Winninger nails the comedy and pathos of his role as a former deputy immersed in alcoholic buffoons but still able to turn around, and Brian Donlevy grins with malicious glee as the crime lord who runs the city. The only weak spot in the lineup might be Irene Hervey as newcomer and lover Janice Tyndall, who is completely overshadowed by Dietrich’s Frenchy and doesn’t have enough scenes or intentions to establish her character’s attraction to Tom. Hervey might have done more with the role if the role itself had been better, but she has to share her few scenes with the powerful presence of a young Jack Carson as Janice’s brother. Character actor fans will appreciate even minor players like Samuel S. Hinds, Billy Gilbert and Virginia Brissac who, like Carson, are making the most of their screen time.

If you like lively westerns, Destry rides again ticks all the right boxes, but it’s also a good introductory Western for those who may have stayed away from the genre in the past. Lanky, friendly and quick-witted with a funny story, Stewart’s hero is an antidote to the armed machismo that sometimes repels viewers, and the energetic comedy keeps the heavier scenes from becoming too somber. Dietrich’s performance is parodied by Madeline Kahn in hilarious Flaming Saddles (1974), which is a good follow-up function for a weekend double calculation. George Marshall directed a remake To destroy (1954) starring Audie Murphy in the title role, and the story also inspired a Broadway musical in 1959 and a television series in 1964. For more James Stewart Westerns, try it bend of the river (1952), The man from Laramie (1955), resp The Cheyenne Social Club (1970), in which Stewart teams up with Western star and real-life best friend Henry Fonda to create an amusing comedy about two aging cowboys who end up running a brothel.

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— Jennifer Garlen for Classic Movie Hub

Jennifer Garlen writes our monthly silver screen standards column. You can read all of Jennifer’s Silver Screen Standards articles here.

Jennifer is a former college professor with a PhD in English Literature and a lifelong obsession with film. She writes about classic films on her blog, Virtual Virago, and presents classic film programs for lifelong learning groups and senior communities. She is the author of Beyond Casablanca: 100 Classic Movies Worth Watching and its continuation Beyond Casablanca II: 101 Classic Movies Worth Watchingand she is also co-editor of two books on the works of Jim Henson.