The only other times I've seen Claire Trevor in a movie she was portraying a fallen woman; as Humphrey Bogart's ex-girl friend turned hooker in 1937's "Dead End", and as Edward G. Robinson's moll in "Key Largo" from 1948. Her occupation of choice in "The Woman of the Town" is a 'dance hall belle', in an attempt to separate herself from a common saloon singer. Actually she does a fine job of winning over the citizens of Dodge City, Kansas with her professional manner and charitable works, even helping to fund the town's first hospital.
The conflict in the film arises from her sharing feelings for the town's Marshal, Bat Masterson (Albert Dekker), and the leader of a rowdy cattle gang named King Kennedy (Barry Sullivan). I hadn't been aware of Masterson's real life newspaper career, so was caught off guard with the film's opening. The book-ends of Masterson's flashback occur in New York City of 1919, while he recalls his wild west days in Dodge of 1869.
I got a kick out of Clem Bevans' portrayal of Bat's friend and former frontier partner Buffalo Burns. When members of the congregation at church get stingy, Burns takes up the collection at gun point, praise the Lord.
I don't think I've ever seen a goofier outfit on a bad guy as the one worn by Sullivan's King Kennedy. He hardly had the demeanor or temperament of a villain, and often came across as comical. When he slapped Masterson near the end of the flashback portion of the story, I felt myself wincing from embarrassment.
Though Masterson is never conflicted about his profession as a lawman, Dora Hand (Trevor) certainly is, and she spends a good deal of time trying to talk him out of it. She even strikes a deal with her uncle, the publisher of the Kansas City Clarion, to woo Bat away from Dodge with a job offer on the strength of his editorial for the Dodge newspaper. One thing must have led to another, as Masterson finished his career as a writer for New York's 'The Morning Telegraph', the way we're introduced to him as the film opens.
"The Woman of the Town" probably won't appeal to fans expecting shoot outs, bar room brawls and stampedes. There's some of that, but by and large, it's a more thoughtful character study of a woman who helped build her community and how she impacted those around her. Every now and then, that's not such a bad story to see.
The conflict in the film arises from her sharing feelings for the town's Marshal, Bat Masterson (Albert Dekker), and the leader of a rowdy cattle gang named King Kennedy (Barry Sullivan). I hadn't been aware of Masterson's real life newspaper career, so was caught off guard with the film's opening. The book-ends of Masterson's flashback occur in New York City of 1919, while he recalls his wild west days in Dodge of 1869.
I got a kick out of Clem Bevans' portrayal of Bat's friend and former frontier partner Buffalo Burns. When members of the congregation at church get stingy, Burns takes up the collection at gun point, praise the Lord.
I don't think I've ever seen a goofier outfit on a bad guy as the one worn by Sullivan's King Kennedy. He hardly had the demeanor or temperament of a villain, and often came across as comical. When he slapped Masterson near the end of the flashback portion of the story, I felt myself wincing from embarrassment.
Though Masterson is never conflicted about his profession as a lawman, Dora Hand (Trevor) certainly is, and she spends a good deal of time trying to talk him out of it. She even strikes a deal with her uncle, the publisher of the Kansas City Clarion, to woo Bat away from Dodge with a job offer on the strength of his editorial for the Dodge newspaper. One thing must have led to another, as Masterson finished his career as a writer for New York's 'The Morning Telegraph', the way we're introduced to him as the film opens.
"The Woman of the Town" probably won't appeal to fans expecting shoot outs, bar room brawls and stampedes. There's some of that, but by and large, it's a more thoughtful character study of a woman who helped build her community and how she impacted those around her. Every now and then, that's not such a bad story to see.