Detail view of Movies Page

Movie Detail

Name Occurs Before Title

Offscreen Credit

Print Viewed By AFI

Destry Rides Again

Alternate Title: The Man from Montana Director: George Marshall (Dir) Release Date: 29 Dec 1939 Premiere Information: New York opening: week of 30 Nov 1939 Production Date: early Sep--late Oct 1939 Duration (in mins): 94 Duration (in feet): 8,560 Duration (in reels): 10			Print this page Display Movie Summary

Cast:	Marlene Dietrich	(Frenchy)
	James Stewart	(Thomas J. Destry Jr.)
	Mischa Auer	(Boris Callahan)
	Charles Winninger	(Washington Dimsdale)
	Brian Donlevy	(Kent)
	Allen Jenkins	(Gyp Watson)
	Warren Hymer	(Bugs Watson)
	Irene Hervey	(Janice Tyndall)
	Una Merkel	(Lily Belle Callahan)
	Billy Gilbert	(Loupgerou)
	Samuel S. Hinds	(Judge Hiram J. Slade)
	Jack Carson	(Jack Tyndall)
	Tom Fadden	(Lem Claggett)
	Virginia Brissac	(Sophie Claggett)
	Edmund MacDonald	(Rockwell)
	Lillian Yarbo	(Clara)
	Joe King	(Sheriff Keogh)
	Ann Todd	(Claggett girl)
	Dickie Jones	(Claggett boy [Eli Whitney Claggett])
	Carmen D'Antonio	(Dancer)
	Harry Cording	(Rowdy)
	Dick Alexander	(Cowboy)
	Bill Steele Gettinger	(Cowboy)
	Minerva Urecal	(Mrs. DeWitt)
	Bob McKenzie	(Doctor)
	Billy Bletcher	(Pianist)
	Lloyd Ingraham	(Turner, express agent)
	Bill Cody Jr.	(Small boy)
	Loren Brown	(Juggler)
	Harold DeGarro	(Juggler)
	Harry Tenbrook	(Stage rider)
	Bud McClure	(Stage driver)
	Alex Woloshin	(Assistant bartender)
	Chief Big Tree	(Indian)
	Mary Shannon	(Woman on street)
	Dora Clement
	Florence Dudley

Summary:

Bottleneck is a wild and woolly town run by the crooked Kent, who owns the Last Chance Saloon and romances the saloon's feisty songstress, Frenchy. After Kent, in a scheme to seize ranch land and institute a toll crossing, uses a crooked card game to cheat Lem Claggett out of his ranch, Sheriff Keogh goes to question Kent and is never seen again. As a joke, Kent's mouthpiece, Mayor Hiram J. Slade, appoints the town drunk, Washington "Wash" Dimsdale, as sheriff. However, Wash fools Kent and his cronies when he sobers up and sends for Thomas J. Destry Jr., son of the celebrated sheriff and gunfighter, to be his deputy. When Destry arrives, however, he informs the amused citizenry that he does not carry a gun, and proceeds to combat lawlessness with homilies, much to the disgust of rancher Jack Tyndall and the delight of Kent. Destry then begins a probe of the sheriff's death, which ends in the arrest of Gyp Watson, one of Kent's henchmen, for murder. Seeking to stalemate Destry, Kent appoints Slade judge, but when he learns that Destry has sent for an honest judge, he and his gang break jail, shoot Wash in the back and free Watson. Furious, Destry straps on his guns and leads Tyndall and the other ranchers to a shootout with Kent. Meanwhile, Frenchy, who is attracted to the ingenious Destry, rallies the town's women to support their men and, armed with rolling pins, they storm the saloon. In the ensuing chaos, Frenchy meets her death while shielding Destry from Kent's bullet, and in retribution, Destry kills Kent, whose death ushers in an era of peace for the town of Bottleneck.

Production Company:	Universal Pictures Co.
Production Text:	A Joe Pasternak Production
Distribution Company:	Universal Pictures Co.
Director:	George Marshall	(Dir)
	Vernon Keays	(Asst dir)
Producer:	Joe Pasternak	(Prod)
	Islin Auster	(Assoc prod)
Writer:	Felix Jackson	(Scr)
	Gertrude Purcell	(Scr)
	Henry Myers	(Scr)
	Felix Jackson	(Story)
Photography:	Hal Mohr	(Dir of photog)
Art Direction:	Jack Otterson	(Art dir)
	Martin Obzina	(Art dir assoc)
Film Editor:	Milton Carruth	(Film ed)
Set Decoration:	R. A. Gausman	(Set dec)
Costumes:	Vera West	(Gowns)
Music:	Charles Previn	(Mus dir)
	Frank Skinner	(Mus score)
Sound:	Bernard B. Brown	(Sd supv)
	Robert Pritchard	(Sd tech)
Country:	United States

Songs:	"Little Joe, the Wrangler," "You've Got That Look" and "See What the Boys in the Back Room Will Have," words and music by Frank Loesser and Frederick Hollander.
Composer:	Frederick Hollander
	Frank Loesser
Source Text:	Suggested by novel Destry Rides Again by Max Brand (New York, 1930).
Authors:	Max Brand

Copyright Claimant	Copyright Date	Copyright Number
Universal Pictures Co.	8/12/1939 dd/mm/yyyy	LP9298

PCA NO:	5872
Physical Properties:	b&w:
	Sd:	Western Electric Noiseless Recording


Genre:	Western
Sub-Genre:	with songs

Subjects (Major):	Land rights
	Law and order
	Murder
	Political corruption
	Transformation

Subjects (Minor):	Alcoholics
	Deputies
	Drunkenness
	Gunfights
	Jailbreaks
	Judges
	Mayors
	Ranchers
	Reputation
	Revenge
	Saloon keepers
	Sheriffs
	Singers

Note:	The working title of this film was The Man from Montana . According to a 1938 HR pre-production news item, Harold Shumate was hired as screenwriter on the picture, William K. Howard was assigned to direct and Joel McCrea, who starred in a Universal remake of the story, was assigned to play the lead. Later news items in HR add that the film's production was postponed until James Stewart finished his role in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington . Material contained in the MPAA/PCA Collection at the AMPAS Library notes the Hays Office ordered Universal to delete the line of dialogue, "There's gold in them there hills," which Marlene Dietrich said as she stuffed a handful of gold coins into her bosom. Although Universal agreed to delete the offending line, a print shown in New York escaped the censorship and caused much consternation on the part of the critics and the Hays Office. "See What the Boys in the Back Room Will Have" became Dietrich's signature song the she frequently performed in later years in UFO shows and nightclub acts. It is also repeatedly showcased in performances by Dietrich impersonators. Modern sources state that Paulette Goddard was also considered for the role of Frenchy. For information on other versions of Brand's novel, see above listing for Destry .

Bibliographic Sources:	Date	Page
Daily Variety	28 Nov 39	p. 3.
Film Daily	30 Nov 39	p. 10.
Hollywood Reporter	22 Jul 38	p. 1.
Hollywood Reporter	5 Apr 39	p. 2.
Hollywood Reporter	9 Sep 39	pp. 6-7.
Hollywood Reporter	28 Oct 39	pp. 5-6.
Hollywood Reporter	29 Nov 39	p. 3.
Motion Picture Daily	30 Nov 39	p. 1, 4
Motion Picture Herald	14 Oct 39	p. 37.
Motion Picture Herald	2 Dec 39	p. 41.
New York Times	30 Nov 39	p. 25.
Variety	6 Dec 39	p. 14.

	Display Movie Summary
The American Film Institute is grateful to Sir Paul Getty KBE and the Sir Paul Getty KBE Estate for their dedication to the art of the moving image and their support for the AFI Catalog of Feature Films and without whose support AFI would not have been able to achieve this historical landmark in this epic scholarly endeavor.



Advanced Search