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Don't Believe the Hype

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Blistering performances.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

With the lyrics "Let's start the evening with a bang!", this film gets off to a lively start with Mari Blanchard kicking up her heels, and I might say, all the rest of her leggy assets as well. It's interesting how she transforms her character from a conniving saloon moll to an almost decent citizen by the end of the story. I was curious how the near romantic triangle between Brandy, Destry and Martha Phillips (Lori Nelson) would play out, but villain Decker's (Lyle Bettger) bullet took care of that. It would have been interesting to see who Destry might have picked if Brandy made it to the end of the picture.I've always been a little on the fence about Audie Murphy as an actor. He's almost always a bit too laid back and laconic in his delivery, and when cast as a villain or anti-hero ("No Name On The Bullet", "Gunsmoke"), his baby face good looks generally don't fit the role. His portrayal here might be one of the better situations he found himself in, he shows up as the unassuming green horn and grows into the deputy role over a series of confrontations with Decker's henchmen. It was neat to see how ballistic science was worked into the story as well, but I wondered why Decker or the honorable mayor (Edgar Buchanan) simply didn't throw the bullets away when they had the chance.The other curious thing about the picture was the cat-fight scene between Blanchard's character and that of Mary Wickes playing the doctor's wife. It got pretty scrappy, but it would have made more sense for Destry's romantic rivals to go at it. Oh well, maybe the next remake. Speaking of which, I haven't seen the original yet with Jimmy Stewart and Marlene Deitrich, but other reviewers on this board are pointing me in that direction.All in all, not a bad little Western, certainly entertaining enough with all the musical numbers thrown in. It could have used a little more Alan Hale as long as he was on hand to begin with. A lot of other familiar faces, if not names on hand as well. But one thing that kept me scratching my head - 'Promiscuous shootin'?

This is an outstanding Audie Murphy western. Directed by George Marshall who also directed the 1939 version this film manages to be as good with a slightly different, more dramatic style. Audie is an ideal Tom Destry, with a young boy's face and stature, but with self confidence. Mari Blanchard as Brandy has the talent and looks. The film reaches its high point when Murphy is made fun of by the bad guys at the saloon and replies by showing how he can handle guns. The final shootout is excellent with Murphy and Lyle Bettger seeing each other though a mirror. Probably because Audie and George Marshall made many average films, Destry did not get the praise it deserved from the critics.

I'm a big fan of Audie Murphy, but even I willingly admit that most of his movies are mediocre at best. That being said, AMC has been running some Audie Murphy movies that I've never been able to see before...and much to my surprise, I found myself thoroughly enjoying "Destry"! Whenever the studios cared enough to surround Audie Murphy with top-quality supporting players (such as Thomas Mitchell, Edgar Buchanan, Alan Hale, Jr., and Lyle Bettger in this film), Audie's performances always rose to the level of those around him. Everyone is good in this movie, with very little of the over-acting that was the style then.I saw the Dietrich/Stewart version many years ago...I've never liked Marlene Dietrich and never understood what the big deal with her was, but Jimmy Stewart tops the list of my favorite actors, so it surprises me that I honestly can't remember a single scene from their film. The Murphy remake, however, has some really nice moments that have stuck with me. I'm sure I'll offend a lot of people by saying the following, but Mari Blanchard has more beauty and sex appeal than Dietrich ever DREAMED of having. Mari Blanchard is absolutely stunning in this film.As for the technical end, I found the directing good, the script devoid of the usual brainless dialog and plot holes that many B Westerns of the time seemed burdened with, and the score was not intrusive. People seem to think this is a comedy, but it is not...it is a Western with humor in it...there's a difference. The humor is derived from the real situations, but never descends into broad comedy with pratfalls and nonsense.Many Audie Murphy films are good for a single viewing and can be forgotten, but "Destry" is definitely worth repeat viewing. If you run across it, I highly recommend checking it out...there is good stuff throughout.

This NEEDS to be released on DVD! It has all of the content necessary to be a great western. All of the acting is good, and the dialog is good, the camera-work and sets and costumes. Everything about this movie is good. It's a solid Western as they used to be made. It gives as good as "Destry Rides Again". Sure, it doesn't have Jimmy S., but then his presence doesn't a western make.This is one of those movies that isn't even available on VHS except the rare old deteriorating copies that are floating out in the universe of crumbling static-filled fuzzy video tape. Our local library used to have a VHS copy of it about a decade ago and then something happened to it and it disappeared from the shelves. Haven't seen another copy since.A restored DVD version would also do well to complement the "Destry Rides Again" movie. I mean, there are probably a bunch of people out there saying "Destry Rides Again... hmm, he's riding again? Where did he ride originally?". That's when they'll come looking for this movie... you corporate guys should be smelling profit by now.