Lyle Bettger is one of those stalwarts whose names probably mean nothing to most average filmgoers but who enjoy instant recognition on the screen...
Bettger's film debut was 'Union Station' in 1950, but is now far better knows (and better off) as a blond, blue-eyed villain given to exuding pathological hated... His good looks worked for him in every endeavor, even as a menacing villain with a snickering charm... His credits include 'Drums Across the River; 'Showdown at Abilene'; 'Gunfight at the OK Corral'; 'Guns of the Timberland'; and of course 'Destry'.
Audie Murphy entered movies on the strength of his record as the most decorated American soldier of the Second World War... He later re-enacted his own wartime exploits in 'To Hell and Back.' Murphy's slight build and eternally boyish looks typecast him as the quiet, innocent-looking youth who packed a fast, lethal six-gun when roused... His first Western role, in fact, was a credible interpretation of Billy the Kid in 'The Kid from Texas', following which he stuck almost exclusively to the genre... Occasionally he rose above second features, notably in Huston's 'The Red Badge of Courage'; Boetticher's 'A Time for Dying;' and the third version of George Marshall's 'Destry Rides Again', called simply 'Destry'.
Murphy is the peace-loving son of a fighting father, sent for by the new sheriff, Thomas Mitchell, after the murder of a former lawman shot in the back...
Mitchell is the hopeless drunk Rags Barnaby ("A man's got to choose between th' bottle and th' badge!"), put in his post by a corrupt Mayor (Edgar Buchanan), so that the ruthless saloonkeeper Lyle Bettger can run the small town as he pleases...
When the Murphy no-gun Destry character arrives in town, he is taken for a soft, gun-shy deputy... The townspeople's first sight of him is as he emerges from a stagecoach with a parasol and a birdcage in his hands... The polite young man was only trying to help an attractive young lady, but his move was taken a wicked first impression for... The bad guys' concerns were further alleviated when Murphy informs one and all that he 'don't believes in guns...'
Destry manages to keep the bad guys at bay, but matters shift when his best friend Rags is killed by Bettger's henchmen...
Destry shows his true colors by strapping on his father's gun to seek vengeance, abandoning his principles of passive resistance..
Such is the plot, but it is George Marshall's well-paced direction, and the solid acting of the principals and supporting players, which turned this updated version into a very entertaining comedy Western..
The beautiful Mari Blanchard essays the Marlene Dietrich role as the delightfully dance-hall girl, while Lori Nelson is the good girl with whom Murphy ultimately settles down...
Bettger's film debut was 'Union Station' in 1950, but is now far better knows (and better off) as a blond, blue-eyed villain given to exuding pathological hated... His good looks worked for him in every endeavor, even as a menacing villain with a snickering charm... His credits include 'Drums Across the River; 'Showdown at Abilene'; 'Gunfight at the OK Corral'; 'Guns of the Timberland'; and of course 'Destry'.
Audie Murphy entered movies on the strength of his record as the most decorated American soldier of the Second World War... He later re-enacted his own wartime exploits in 'To Hell and Back.' Murphy's slight build and eternally boyish looks typecast him as the quiet, innocent-looking youth who packed a fast, lethal six-gun when roused... His first Western role, in fact, was a credible interpretation of Billy the Kid in 'The Kid from Texas', following which he stuck almost exclusively to the genre... Occasionally he rose above second features, notably in Huston's 'The Red Badge of Courage'; Boetticher's 'A Time for Dying;' and the third version of George Marshall's 'Destry Rides Again', called simply 'Destry'.
Murphy is the peace-loving son of a fighting father, sent for by the new sheriff, Thomas Mitchell, after the murder of a former lawman shot in the back...
Mitchell is the hopeless drunk Rags Barnaby ("A man's got to choose between th' bottle and th' badge!"), put in his post by a corrupt Mayor (Edgar Buchanan), so that the ruthless saloonkeeper Lyle Bettger can run the small town as he pleases...
When the Murphy no-gun Destry character arrives in town, he is taken for a soft, gun-shy deputy... The townspeople's first sight of him is as he emerges from a stagecoach with a parasol and a birdcage in his hands... The polite young man was only trying to help an attractive young lady, but his move was taken a wicked first impression for... The bad guys' concerns were further alleviated when Murphy informs one and all that he 'don't believes in guns...'
Destry manages to keep the bad guys at bay, but matters shift when his best friend Rags is killed by Bettger's henchmen...
Destry shows his true colors by strapping on his father's gun to seek vengeance, abandoning his principles of passive resistance..
Such is the plot, but it is George Marshall's well-paced direction, and the solid acting of the principals and supporting players, which turned this updated version into a very entertaining comedy Western..
The beautiful Mari Blanchard essays the Marlene Dietrich role as the delightfully dance-hall girl, while Lori Nelson is the good girl with whom Murphy ultimately settles down...