Twentieth Century-Fox
Directed by Preston Sturges
My rating: 3 stars out of 4
IMDb
(Fox Movie Channel)
Writer, director and producer Preston Sturges turns what looks like a standard Betty Grable vehicle into a western farce. Betty is a saloon hall girl who goes on the lam after accidentally shooting a judge instead of her cheating boyfriend. She ends up in a small western town as a schoolteacher, lusted after by the local hicks but properly romanced by the outgoing teacher. It's all a set up for some wild slapstick, including the pairing of deviant brothers Sterling Holloway and Dan Jackson as grown men posing as school kids just to get close to her. I particularly liked the final shootout, where Sturges takes western cliches and exaggerates them for comic effect. Betty never looks completely comfortable in her role, but otherwise this is a neglected Sturges gem.
No comments:
Post a Comment