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Simply Perfect

Fantastic!

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Marj Main had been in the biz about ten years when this part rolled around. (My favorite role for her is "The Women", not to mention all the Ma Kettles.) Of course, Beery had been in silents for YEARS, and made the transition to talkies. In "Mail", Baggot (Beery) tries to rob a wagon with Tucker (Main) on board. He interrupts another robber who also thought there was gold to be had. Darryl Hickman is Tommy, who gets a delivery, the center of all the trouble. Tucker seem to have a myriad of occupations... she drives a mail coach, and dances and sings on the saloon stage. Not really much of a plot here...or maybe too many sub plots. When Tommy's dad is knocked off, he goes to live with Baggot, which appears to be out in the woods. Kind of feels like they they had Main and Beery sitting around, so they wrote a story around em. Not the best work for either of them. Tucker decides they want the railroad to come to town, so halfway through, we go with that storyline. This film seems to have several sub stories, which come to an end when another begins. Written by Gardner Sullivan, who had started in the silents, like Beery, and had worked with him waaay back in 1924. Sullivan was also involved with "All Quiet on the Western Front", two Oscars, so that one had a much tighter storyline. It's OK, but I think they tried to work in too many stories. They should have tightened up the script and gone with less sub stories. It's still fun to see two greats like Main and Beery at work.

Wallace Beery played the same basic role in countless movies from the 1930s through much of the 1940s. In each, he was a somewhat amoral galoot who had a soft spot for kids--and ultimately gains redemption by the end of the movie. Back in the 30s, he made quite a few successful films of this sort with Jackie Cooper (such as "Treasure Island") and in the 40s with Margaret O'Brien ("Bad Bascomb") and in this film with young Darryl Hickman. From what I have read (such as Cooper's autobiography), Beery actually hated kids and was a hard-drinking guy with a temper like a badger with a toothache! But the public didn't know this and adored this formula. Because of this, "Jackass Mail" certainly is NOT original, but it still is pleasant viewing.The film begins with Beery playing a horse thief with a strong desire to steal gold shipments. He soon meets up with another crooked guy (J. Carrol Naish) and together both of them try to be dishonest, but their better natures and luck conspire to keep them honest. Along the way, Beery (naturally) inherits a kid and soon begins a weird relationship with Marjorie Main--one where he initially wants to use her to get to the gold shipments but he eventually ends up falling for her. It's all a lot of fluff--but very enjoyable fluff. Well done but formula all the way. with no surprises...none.

After Wallace Beery did The Champ with Jackie Cooper and after he did Min And Bill with Marie Dressler, MGM made a concerted effort to team him with old women and kids. In Jackass Mail he gets to work with both. Beery is cast as his usual reprobate character an outlaw in this case with J. Carrol Naish as a sidekick. In trying to rob a mule freight line that's ramrodded by Marjorie Main he gets fooled when another pair of outlaws, Dick Curtis and William Haade pull the job. Beery keeps trying to return to his crooked ways, but circumstances and Main keep him on the straight and narrowSubstituting for Jackie Cooper is young Darryl Hickman and Beery has to live a lie the way John Wayne did with Lee Aaker in Hondo after he kills Haade who is Hickman's father.After Marie Dressler died, Beery was teamed with a succession of character women like Marjorie Main. Jackass Mail is a great example of the chemistry the two had with each other. And his scenes with Darryl Hickman are poignant as well, probably the best in the film.

The repartee between Beery and Main is great, and between Beery and Naish, it's even better. Wallace is in top late-career form in this silly, but not too silly, and frantic comedy. His character will make you laugh for weeks after you see it. Tom Weeks has a nice supporting bit, and Marjorie Main is marvelous.