W.C. Fields heads west, Mae West

Petey-10

It's the American Old West of the 1880's.Miss Flower Belle Lee is an attractive and seductive singer from Chicago.She's on her way to visit relatives out west.On the stagecoach there are also three men and the gossip of the town, Mrs. Gideon.Then a masked bandit holds up the stage for its shipment of gold.He rides off with the gold- and the saucy blonde.Later she arrives in Little Bend, unharmed.The masked bandit comes to see her again, and there's some kissing involved.Mrs. Gideon witnesses his presence and departure.This gives enough reason to get her out of the town.She gets on the train and heads for Greasewood City.On the train she meets a con man called Cuthbert J. Twillie who travels with his Indian companion.She decides to marry her for "respectability.And it helps to see the big amount of money in his bag, which later turns out to be fake.And also the marriage turns out to be fake, since the minister is actually a gambler.On the train they get in the middle of an Indian attack.She keeps her cool and shoots them Indians.He doesn't show any fear either- he shoots them Indians with a child's slingshot.In the town Flower Belle and Twillie have very little to do with each other, but she has much more to do with other men.And with the masked bandit.My Little Chickadee (1940) is directed by Edward F. Cline.It was the most successful film of that year after Gone With the Wind, despite the mediocre reviews it got from the critics.I enjoyed watching the film, just like the audience of that era.W.C. Fields and Mae West make a great couple.Fields mastered at his boozing comedian act.And he had the right nose for it.West was the silent sex symbol who mastered at the talkies, too.Those two were responsible also for the screenplay.Joseph Calleia plays Jeff Badger, who turns out to be the masked bandit.The newspaper editor Wayne Carter is played by Dick Foran.Ruth Donnelly plays Aunt Lou.Margaret Hamilton gives the portrayal of Mrs. Gideon.Donald Meek plays the minister/gambler Amos Budge.Fuzzy Knight is Cousin Zeb.George Moran is Milton, Twillie's Indian confederate.Jackie Searl is Schoolboy.This is a terrific western comedy.It's a lot of fun when Fields and West first meet in the train, and he starts immediately wooing her.And when Fields takes a bath in her room, and she goes out to meet the masked bandit.When he comes out of the bath he finds a goat on her bed.And it's enjoyable to watch Fields work as a bartender and West as a schoolteacher.They sure knew how to make people laugh in the old times.

score 9/10

Petey-10 10 August 2009

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw2109232/