Big Jack

Big Jack starts off in 1802, with a man (Richard Conte) about to be hanged in Maryland. Marjorie Main is Flapjack Kate. The larger than life actor Wallace Beery is "Big Jack" (Big Jack Horner... not Little Jack Horner). Jack is sick. Conte is Meade, the new doc, who heals him up, and has to decide if he will join the gang, which Jack leads. Jack even brings back a girl for Meade. Good stuff happens. Bad stuff happens. Lots of lessons learned. Beery plays it WAY over the top, while Conte plays it pretty straight. Its a strange combination of an old western, humor, with a sort of "history of medicine" story worked in. Oddly, it works out quite well. Lots of fun banter between Beery and Main. Last film Beery made. Well worth the time.

I'm surprised that it only is rated 6.5 as of today. Now that TCM shows it, I would expect more people to see and rate it. Directed by Richard Thorpe. Story by Robert Thoeren, who was born (and died) in Europe.