You've got Marlene's character singing on stage in that German lisp, though not in the same exaggerated world-weary way of Madelin Kahn's Lily Von Shtupp (fast forward to the 16-minute mark for the an approximation of where ''I'm So Tired'' might have come from). As a bonus, in the third act Marlene's character attempts to ''seduce and abandon'' the sheh-wiff However, better yet, right after Marlene's song the town mayor, with a mouthful of chewing tobacco, a shaky head, bouncing shoulders, and speaking in ''authentic frontier gibberish,'' announces to the saloon customers the improbable appointment of the town drunk as the new sheriff. This is almost exactly like Gabby Johnson (Mel Brooks) at the town hall meeting in Blazing Saddles when the town is trying to figure out who to appoint as the new sheriff and they end up with a black guy. Since I had taped this I replayed the mayor's shtick over and over again because it made me laugh. And finally, near the end there is a bar-room brawl that involves the women in town beating the heads of the rowdy cowboys with rolled up newpapers or something. Maybe wiffle-bats, I don't know. But it's just like the end of Blazing Saddles where the cowboys get into the brouhaha with the Busby Berkely (Dom DeLuis) dancers and cafeteria patrons Other than those curiosities, however, this movie is nearly unwatchable. The plot is a mess. All the characters, including the aforementioned town drunk just yell at each other, hoot and holler and squeal, and laugh at things that aren't funny. The clincher was the obnoxious kid playing the banjo on the covered wagon as her equally obnoxious friends sing some obnoxious western song. The whole thing gave me a headache. I wouldn't watch this a second time except to show other Blazing Saddles fans that mayor's short bit.

This was very interesting and I enjoyed it significantly. It's weird watching very early James Stewart--he's not what one would consider a conventional romantic male lead--and this is a very bizarre Western/comedy/musical. Anything starring Marlene Dietrich of this vintage is priceless, no doubt. Very weird, especially considering America's ever-present right-to-bear-arms controversy, watching a film like this, too. A purely magical film that's essential to own and re-watch for any Stewart, Dietrich or Western enthusiasts--and a strong reason why 1939 was the greatest year ever for American cinema. A fine feather for director George Marshall's cap, to be sure.

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.

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...