Dodge City [Import]

In 1872, cattleman Wade Hatton (Flynn) leads a wagon train in Dodge City, Kansas a lawless mecca of gambling, liquor and murder. During the trek, he becomes infatuated with Abbie Irving (De Havilland), but she wrongly blames him for the death of her careless kid brother......DODGE CITY is a colourful and action-packed Western that put much of the Warners stock company to good use and contains the definitive barroom brawl scene. Flynn felt somewhat miscast in Westerns (and perhaps rightfully so), but this was one of the best. What the film lacks in story, it more than made up for with beautiful Technicolor, a memorable score by Max Steiner and the ultimate barroom brawl scene - plus Alan Hale and Ann Sheridan in support. Flynn and the notoriously tyrannical Hungarian director Michael Curtiz made 10 movies together; but Flynn felt that Curtiz demanded much too much of him (he also blamed him for the death of a close friend during the shooting of THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE in 1936). Flynn was in love with the lady-like DeHavilland but he was married at the time and was unwilling to court her in anything vaguely resembling a traditional manner - which made any conceivable consummation between the two a frustrating matter!

The first time I watched this movie I didn't have a clue what the plot was about because I was laughing so hard all the way through it. The movie's "special effects" are about as corny as it gets. But any movie starring Errol Flynn & Olivia de Havilland together has some merit. The two engage in their usual witty bantering with de Havilland getting the upper hand most of the time. Once you get past old western lingo, you'll find the movie full of fun, action, and sweetness. Just don't forget that you may have to watch it more than once to appreciate it!

For those who may not know, Mel Blanc's inspiration for Blazing Saddles was Dodge City. It's the kind of western I enjoyed seeing at the Saturday matinees back in the 1950s when admission was $25.
While Errol Flynn's acting is typically wooden (very little depth to his character) Olivia de Haviland provides classy acting, which is why she was in Gone with the Wind, among other top-rated movies.