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That was the verdict of Harry Cohn, by all accounts one of Hollywood's most charming, sensitive and civilized human beings. He kept a picture of Mussolini on his office wall. This is a truly beautiful film. I play it every now and then, when I'm feeling low and the going gets tough. It has some of the tautest, leanest, most economical dialogue ever written. Young punk Harvey: "I'm going, and I won't be back". Magnificent Katy Jurado: "Good". The Mayor: "You should leave, Kane. It'll be better for you --- and better for us". Cooper: "Thanks". Every second tells, every minute counts, every shot tells a story, every expression conveys a world in this matchless, unforgettable, piece of junk.

I'll soon be 85 years old, and I must have first seen this film when it first came out. Every time I watch it, I see something new. The gun and holster that Herb --- "Go home to your kids, Herb" --- hangs on the sheriff's coat-peg when he folds his cards: put to exemplary use an hour later. The secondary characters, written and played to perfection, creating a complete cross-section of the citizenry of anywhere. The timing, the pacing, the heat, the Tiomkin music off the steppe, the monochrome: need I continue? If this was a piece of junk, what was the rest of the Tinseltown output? A pile of horse manure?

A riddle wrapped in an enigma. Produced and directed by Howard Hughes, with alleged assistance from Howard Hawks. Wikipedia tells me this picture has achieved lifetime rental earnings of $5.075 million. Its stupefyingly senseless story is credited to Jules Furthman, who was probably Hollywood's most prolific and successful author, having scripted To Have and Have Not, The Big Sleep, and Rio Bravo, among countless other films. It is directed by Hughes, at a pace best described as glacial. One of its stars is Jack Buetel. He was contracted to Howard Hughes for 7 years; but it was 8 years before he managed to appear in another film. I have watched it several times, most recently last night in its legendary colourised version. Is it possible that Doc Holliday, Lollipop and Pat Garrett, led by Furthman, conspired together to make fun of their amateur billionaire director ? Russell and Buetel were obviously not part of this conspiracy, if it existed, but were playing their parts in good faith, no matter how weirdly. Every time I see Jack demonstrate his cinematic skill with his pistols I'm simply staggered. He aims before he draws. What I couldn't understand was why Jane began shooting at Jack's spurs, before being tackled in the hay. Can anyone explain why I have kept on watching this ? Can anyone explain why things happen they way they do in this film ? A truly remarkable production. I'm sure to watch it again. How come Rio MacDonald started as Doc Holliday's girl friend ? Does it debunk the West ? Is it a comedy ? What exactly is it ? Unique.

The court case at the end cleared things up a bit, but I still didn't understand where the bikers came from to kill the Girl's brother. Oh well. I had a similar problem with the other two stories about this badly mistreated Girl.