Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Laughed at when he announces his intention to clean up a corrupt town without using firearms, the mild-mannered son of a famous sheriff soon proves his worth in this western comedy starring James Stewart. While Gary Cooper was reportedly the first choice for the role, the part seems tailor-made for Stewart with his trademark soft manner of talking and milquetoast vocal mannerisms. There is a lot to like about the way he uses his brains rather than brawn to solve problems and the film has several genuinely funny moments along the way. The movie takes a very long time to warm up though; Stewart does not appear until around twenty minutes in and even then he does not dominate the film with a lot of time also dedicated to Marlene Dietrich's pub singer. Dietrich provides at least a couple of memorable tunes, but for the most part, she is nowhere near as interesting as Stewart and the romantic sparks between the pair are less enticing than the problems that he manages to resolve without drawing a gun. Dietrich's final scene is great though, and in fact the overall film manages to fit in a dramatic edge near the end with amazing finesse. Then again, every dramatic note that the film hits works; it is the only the comedy (with lots of messy brawling) that is rather hit and miss. Hal Mohr (who shot 'Underworld U.S.A.' for Sam Fuller) does a very good job shooting Stewart in close-up towards the end and Stewart's silent, solemn looks nicely convey more than words ever possibly could. This may be far from Stewart's best film, but he is as good as ever here.

It's a FUN film from start to finish. Jimmy Stewart - Marlene Dietrich - Brian Donlevey - Charles Winniger - Micha Auer and a gaggle of classic character actors hanging out in the Last Chance Saloon in the rough, tough town of Bottleneck. Who could ask for anything more ? Well, if you insist on more, there is the classic cat fight with Marlene and Una Merkel that left them both bruised for weeks. There's a mighty large fight at the end with all of the townsfolk, the bad guys and the women folk of the town involved. The town has a awful large population at this point. It looks like Times Square on New Years eve only with broom and mops.Dietrich SINGS a couple of songs including "See What the Boys in the Back Room Will Have" and she square dances with Stewart. this alone is worth a peek. If you somehow have not seen this one ... make an effort to find it. It's worth the search.

Kent, the unscrupulous boss of Bottleneck has Sheriff Keogh killed when he asks one too many questions about a rigged poker game that gives Kent a stranglehold over the local cattle rangers. The mayor, who is in cahoots with Kent appoints the town drunk, Washington Dimsdale, as the new sheriff assuming that he'll be easy to control.The film was James Stewart's first western (he would not return to the genre until 1950, with "Broken Arrow" and "Winchester 73"), and was also notable for a ferocious cat-fight between Marlene Dietrich and Una Merkel, which apparently caused a mild censorship problem at the time of release. Stewart is strong here, and while good in any genre, he really seems at home in westerns.According to writer/director Peter Bogdanovich, Marlene Dietrich told him during an aircraft flight that she and James Stewart had an affair during shooting and that she became pregnant and had the baby surreptitiously aborted without telling Stewart. (This has nothing to do with the film itself, but what a juicy tidbit.) This is a great film in general, even if it has not aged as well as it maybe could have. I could not help but wonder while watching it if it was the inspirational for the "Andy Griffith Show" episode about the sheriff without a gun...

George Marshall directs this popular western comedy as Jimmy Stewart plays Tom Destry Jr., son of a famous lawman whose former deputy(now town drunk) is made Sheriff of the corrupt western town of Bottleneck, run by a ruthless man named Kent(played by Brian Donlevy)and aided by saloon singer Frenchy(played by Marlene Dietrich) who just murdered the most recent sheriff, who had been asking too many questions about Kent's corrupt gambling house. When Destry Jr. arrives, people are shocked at the mild-mannered man they see, who doesn't like to use guns, but instead his wit! They then dismiss him as a threat, but that turns out to be a mistake...OK western spoof(of sorts) is amusing but hardly a comedic gem, and not very credible either, with an all-too predictable romance between Frenchy and Destry. Still, it's amiable enough, and Stewart is quite good.