Overrated

A lot of fun.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

Ray Enright could be described as a 1938 equivalent of the director of a TV variety show. In fact, when I tuned in, this excuse for a movie had already started and that was precisely what I thought I was watching – thanks to the heavy humor, the inexpert dubbing, the exaggerated reaction shots, the routine and/or uninspired camera-work with its distinctly TV-oriented dependence on close-ups, and last, but not least, the nondescript music score (plus the fact that the music played on the soundtrack by a band with a heavy brass section has about as much relationship to the hillbilly jugs and washboards actually seen on the screen as a pumpkin to pumpernickel bread). In all, a most disappointing effort all around and one that will have Humphrey Bogart's legion of fans scratching their heads in either righteous anger or at least total wonderment!

Quite a few reviewers used the word "cute" and that's the first word that came to my mind, too. The Turner folks on TV only gave it 1 1/2 stars and I think that's unfair. It definitely deserves more than that. There are some snappy songs from Penny Singleton of Blondie fame, there is some acting from Humphrey Bogart in a very unusual role (and that's the humor, seeing him out of character and saying silly stuff when thrown on the ground by a female Blacksmith). and the rest of the cast hold their own. No, it's not the funniest movie you'll ever see. But this isn't brain surgery we're talking about here (though some of the characters seem to have had brain surgery or to be in need of it!)The leads manage to actually make you interested in what happens to them, even though you know it will all come out right in the end. You're still rooting for the good guys and for love to conquer all, perhaps in a half-nelson.A fast, funny film with some snappy though dated tunes and even some "rug cutting" here and there. It's not an Oscar contender, but for what it is, it's funny and, well...cute.

When some of these old films bob up on Late night TV, there is often a great sense of nostalgia as you get to see stars in their very early days, mostly serving their apprenticeships in B movies - well I am here to tell you this one was not a B, more likely an X or a Z. It is hard to understand how Warners would be throwing someone like Bogart into this rubbish when they have already seen him perform in movies as outstanding as "The Petrified Forest". He was certainly made to do lots of poor stuff playing second fiddle to James Cagney and Edward G. Robinson in his early days, but this must have really hurt (even more than "The Return of Dr.X). It is hard to find anything redeeming in this, but I gave it a 2 just for Penny Singleton, who was not quite as bad as the rest of the cast.

There are a few laughs here and some nice old-time country music. The wrestling match is great, thanks to Daniel Boone Savage. Ronald Reagan has a short part. For Bogart fans, this film is a must because he didn't act in very many comedies.