Thursday, June 21, 2012

My Favorite Jean Arthur Films - Part 2 (Dramas and Westerns)

I wrote about my favorite comedies Jean did on a recent post. As promised here are my fave dramas and westerns she did. And like I said in that post, there are tons of silents she did that I had never even heard of, much less seen. So this list focuses on all the ones I have seen and loved. Here we go...




THE PLAINSMAN (1936) Cecil DeMille is out of his usual element in this western with Jean as Calamity Jane and Gary Cooper as Wild Bill Hickok. Forget the historical inaccuracies and just enjoy this rip roaring western. Jean is pretty good as Calamity Jane..hysterical and stubborn.
B-




ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS (1939) One terrific movie. Directed by Howard Hawks and starring Jean, Cary Grant and Rita Hayworth. About a small air service ran by Grant where the pilots take lots of risks delivering their cargo over the Andes Mountains. Jean is cast as Bonnie Lee, a piano playing entertainer, which is a nice change of pace for her. Rita Hayworth plays a wife of a pilot who is a bit shaky. Top notch entertainment.
B+




ARIZONA (1940) Epic film in every sense of the word. Jean plays Phoebe Titus, a hard charging woman who faces all kinds of problems in the Arizona territory of the 1860's. Co-starring William Holden. I have only seen this film once but in that one viewing it left a big impact on me. Good stuff.
B




SHANE (1953) Jean's last film she ever did and fittingly it is a Western. This classic film co-stars Alan Ladd as the laconic gunfighter who past catches up with him as he becomes embroiled in a conflict between homesteaders and a ruthless cattle baron. Jean is the wife of Van Helfin, the Starretts, who little boy Joey (Brandon deWilde) immediately takes a liking to Shane. Shane is one of my all time favorite films. A classic tale of good vs evil. And Jean is ever so gracious in her final film
A

My love of classic movies is beyond measure

Monty

1 comment:

  1. My favorite Jean film from this list is... ONLY ANGELS HAVE WINGS.

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