Texas Lady

Claudette Colbert is wonderful as Prudence, a woman who has to go to a little country town that's seemingly in the middle of nowhere, where she has inherited the local paper. The men about town are naturally surprised to find that she's a woman, and don't exactly welcome her spritely ways and 'interference' with 'their' paper. Luckily for Prudence, the card shark that she slayed in New Orleans comes to her rescue, which is nice of him after the beating she gave him in their game of poker - one of the film's most enjoyable scenes. Not a wonderful movie, but not bad, and pretty good for a Western.

This was Claudette Colbert's second to last theatrical feature and if this was the quality of scripts she was being offered at that time it's no wonder she stayed away six years between this and Parrish. First of all she belongs in some urbane urban setting not the Old West and try though she might she is out of place there. Additionally she and Barry Sullivan, always a dull leading man no matter his costar, go together like oil and water sharing zero romantic chemistry. The script is ordinary and the direction not terribly exciting plus the film is soft and fuzzy with over-bright color. If you like Claudette or westerns it's okay but don't expect anything above the routine.

Texas Lady marked Claudette Colbert's one and only western and I think this RKO film was probably something that they might have had Barbara Stanwyck in mind for. Colbert though she gave a decent performer really is not a western type. I suspect she wanted at least one on her film resume and took Texas Lady which was an inflated B film.

After learning the game of poker for years, Colbert takes Barry Sullivan on and beats him handily. Sullivan, a gentleman riverboat gambler had cleaned out her father who had embezzled money and then lost his ill gotten gains at the poker table and promptly killed himself. After restoring the family honor, Claudette goes to Texas where she's inherited a newspaper.

The paper is the paid for rag of the owners of the local Ponderosa, Ray Collins and Walter Sande. Claudette starts agitating for a railroad spur to come to town. But that will mean less dependency on the cattle barons and new people settling. The plot here has certain similarities to The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Claudette also gets some attention from fast draw deputy Gregory Walcott who kills a couple of small ranchers in the service Collins and Sande.

In the meantime Sullivan comes to town as his reputation is shot to all heck on the riverboat scene. Being both southerners to the manor born they find a lot in common.

Texas Lady was a decent enough western, but it looks like it was edited considerably down and a lot of the story doesn't really make sense. And Colbert is just not well cast in westerns. But her fans might like it. It sure is a far cry from the comedies she did in the Thirties and Forties.

A good film depends upon good dialogue as much as visual action, and the dialogue in this Western is certainly above average. Horace McCoy wrote the excellent novel, ' They Shoot Horses, Don't They ? ' and his expertise as a writer shows. The actual plot is functional, and conforms to the usual trope of good people winning over the bad, and the plot has been gone over several times in other reviews. Claudette Colbert is an acquired taste as an actor, and despite reservations I usually respond to her. Her delivery of lines is excellent, and she holds the film together with her strong presence. She is totally incapable of showing much depth of feeling, but her surface approach to others around her works in certain roles, especially comedy, and she knows a witty line when she sees one. Barry Sullivan was a weak foil for her, but then again it works. And there is one scene in the film which is exceptional; an elderly woman shooting down a gunman where others fail to do so. It is a total surprise and this again is thanks to the well written script. As for Colbert running a small press in a small town this is just believable, and that she depends on any man to help her is equally unlikely, but yet again she makes it work. I have seen this film quite a few times in my life and I always enjoy it. It is not a great film, but it is far better than most other reviewers suggest. All the required ingredients are there, and it is not just mindless entertainment. It shows quite clearly that people should be free of oppressors, and it has a political edge which veers more towards equality than domination.

She was 51 when she made this turkey, though she still tried the best she could to make it work. NO CLOSEUPS of her AT ALL in the film, and everything is shot from her LEFT SIDE, or straight on. A few glimpses of her right profile when she danced and the such, but 95% from her left side. Incredibly hokey film, the color is faded, Barry Sullivan looks bored to tears, Ray Collins spends half the movie sitting down. Gets interesting when the mean sheriff gets involved, and his resolution caught me off guard. But all in all, lame and dull and not up to snuff. Watch CLEOPATRA instead for a solid Claudette Colbert fix. Or better yet, catch the milk bath scene from THE SIGN OF THE CROSS or any scene from IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT for a good dose. This movie just doesn't work.