The Gal Who Took the West

When Charles Coburn builds an opera house, vaudeville singer Yvonne De Carlo grabs the gig, so she can sing "Frankie and Johnny". Meanwhile, Coburn's grandsons -- Scott Brady and John Russell -- wrangle over her in this silly but entertaining Technicolor western from Universal.

I first encountered Miss De Carlo in TV's THE MUNSTERS. She was born Margaret Yvonne Middleton in British Columbia in 1922. She first appeared in the movies in tiny unbilled roles like "Showgirl" or "Handmaiden", occasionally arising to the dignity of being credited as "Princess Wah-Tah". She shot to stardom in ens of SALOME, WHERE SHE DANCED. She spent the next decade playing the mildly astonished vamp in dozens of B pictures. She died in 2007.

I have always been deeply in love with actress Yvonne De Carlo, she was so beautiful, magnificent, flaming, and what a shame, a disgrace, that the Academy Awards did not even noticed her death during the 2007 ceremony. But beware this is not a true authentic western, but rather a light hearted vaudeville adventure yarn taking place in the olfd west. Universal Studios used us to tougher, grittier than this one, that looks more like a Republic Pictures western, those taking mostly place in cabarets or gambling house. It is however agreeable, fun, not boring and Yvonne De Carlo justifies any plot, any script, the most important is that she was the most gorgeous woman on screen in the movies where she played. And director Frederic De Cordova was a comedy specialist, who was also able to deliver real westerns and adventures too. I prefered SALOME WHERE SHE DANCED, also starring the great De Carlo, and also a "false" western but totally crazy, incredible.

Other than THE MAN WHO SHOT LIBERTY VALANCE, I do not know of another Western that as accurately captures the true nature of the West - and the men and women who settled it. The plot is that of a romantic comedy, but the characters are wonderfully written and acted - far better than in most 'serious' films.

The two brothers battling each other for the affection of one women is both funny - and dramatically believable. And the telling of the story from three different points of view is superbly done.

In my opinion, this is one of the most under-rated films ever made in Hollywood.

Don't miss it!

The film starts well as it is told in a Rashomon-style flashback, with three local old-timers in the town recounting slightly different versions of the events surrounding the female protagonist's [Lily's], arrival and her manipulation in the feud between two cousins, for her own gain.

De Carlo, Coburn. Brady, Bevans, Stevenson, Simpson, and, Litel are excellent actors. However, the film's theme ruins their performance as this is a feminist-based western which achieves its goal of emasculating the three male protagonists.

Conclusively, the film is a lightweight, campy Western comedy. The plot is not particularly deep or coherent. The resolution left too many plot holes. Don't waste your time on this one.

The fun of this film is telling the story from three different viewpoints -- each version diametrically opposed to the others -- what is the truth? probably a mixture of all of them -- it's a fun film with DeCarlo in fine form and the feuding brothers fighting it out for her affections is half the fun.