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Destry Rides Again

 
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Destry Rides Again
 
 
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Destry Rides Again is a 1939
1939 in film

The year 1939 in film involved some significant events....
 western
Western (genre)

The Western is a fiction genre seen in film, television, radio, literature, painting and other visual arts. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the later half of the 19th century in what became the Western United States , but also in Western Canada, Mexico , Alaska and even Australia ....
 directed by George Marshall, starring Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich

Marlene Dietrich ; was a German-born American actress, singer and entertainer.Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself....
, James Stewart
James Stewart (actor)

James Maitland Stewart , popularly known as Jimmy Stewart, was an United States film and stage actor best known for his self-effacing persona....
, Mischa Auer
Mischa Auer

Mischa Auer was a Russian actor.He was born Mikhail Semyonovich Unskovsky in Saint Petersburg, Russia. His name is usually seen as Mischa Ounskowsky, Mischa being the German transliteration of Misha , and Ounskowsky being the French transliteration of his surname....
, Charles Winninger
Charles Winninger

Charles Winninger was an United States stage and film actor, most often cast in comedies or musicals, but equally at home in drama....
, Brian Donlevy
Brian Donlevy

Brian Donlevy was an Irish-born American actor, noted for playing tough guys from the 1930s to the 1960s. He mainly appeared in supporting roles....
, Allen Jenkins
Allen Jenkins

Allen Jenkins was an American character actor on stage, screen and television. He was born David Allen Curtis Jenkins in Staten Island, New York....
, Irene Hervey
Irene Hervey

Irene Hervey was an United Sates television and film actress....
, Billy Gilbert
Billy Gilbert

Billy Gilbert was an United States comedian and actor most known for his comic sneeze routines....
, Bill Cody, Jr.
Bill Cody, Jr.

Bill Cody, Jr. was an United States motion picture child actor.Born William Joseph Cody, Jr. in Los Angeles, California, where his father Bill Cody was a cowboy star of B-movie western film, the youngster was reportedly 7 years old when he accompanied his father on a personal appearance tour throughout the United States....
 and Una Merkel
Una Merkel

Una Merkel was an United States film actress.Merkel resembled the popular actress Lillian Gish, and her resemblance allowed her to begin her career as a stand-in for Gish in 1920's Way Down East ....
.

In 1996, Destry Rides Again was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry
National Film Registry

The National Film Registry is the registry of films selected by the United States National Film Preservation Board for preservation in the Library of Congress....
 by the Library of Congress
Library of Congress

The Library of Congress is the de facto national library of the United States and the research arm of the United States Congress. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and holds the largest number of books....
 as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

on owner Kent (Brian Donlevy
Brian Donlevy

Brian Donlevy was an Irish-born American actor, noted for playing tough guys from the 1930s to the 1960s. He mainly appeared in supporting roles....
), the unscrupulous boss of the western town of Bottleneck has Sheriff Keogh killed when he asks one too many questions about a rigged poker game.






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Encyclopedia


Destry Rides Again is a 1939
1939 in film

The year 1939 in film involved some significant events....
 western
Western (genre)

The Western is a fiction genre seen in film, television, radio, literature, painting and other visual arts. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the later half of the 19th century in what became the Western United States , but also in Western Canada, Mexico , Alaska and even Australia ....
 directed by George Marshall, starring Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich

Marlene Dietrich ; was a German-born American actress, singer and entertainer.Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself....
, James Stewart
James Stewart (actor)

James Maitland Stewart , popularly known as Jimmy Stewart, was an United States film and stage actor best known for his self-effacing persona....
, Mischa Auer
Mischa Auer

Mischa Auer was a Russian actor.He was born Mikhail Semyonovich Unskovsky in Saint Petersburg, Russia. His name is usually seen as Mischa Ounskowsky, Mischa being the German transliteration of Misha , and Ounskowsky being the French transliteration of his surname....
, Charles Winninger
Charles Winninger

Charles Winninger was an United States stage and film actor, most often cast in comedies or musicals, but equally at home in drama....
, Brian Donlevy
Brian Donlevy

Brian Donlevy was an Irish-born American actor, noted for playing tough guys from the 1930s to the 1960s. He mainly appeared in supporting roles....
, Allen Jenkins
Allen Jenkins

Allen Jenkins was an American character actor on stage, screen and television. He was born David Allen Curtis Jenkins in Staten Island, New York....
, Irene Hervey
Irene Hervey

Irene Hervey was an United Sates television and film actress....
, Billy Gilbert
Billy Gilbert

Billy Gilbert was an United States comedian and actor most known for his comic sneeze routines....
, Bill Cody, Jr.
Bill Cody, Jr.

Bill Cody, Jr. was an United States motion picture child actor.Born William Joseph Cody, Jr. in Los Angeles, California, where his father Bill Cody was a cowboy star of B-movie western film, the youngster was reportedly 7 years old when he accompanied his father on a personal appearance tour throughout the United States....
 and Una Merkel
Una Merkel

Una Merkel was an United States film actress.Merkel resembled the popular actress Lillian Gish, and her resemblance allowed her to begin her career as a stand-in for Gish in 1920's Way Down East ....
.

In 1996, Destry Rides Again was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry
National Film Registry

The National Film Registry is the registry of films selected by the United States National Film Preservation Board for preservation in the Library of Congress....
 by the Library of Congress
Library of Congress

The Library of Congress is the de facto national library of the United States and the research arm of the United States Congress. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and holds the largest number of books....
 as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Plot

Saloon owner Kent (Brian Donlevy
Brian Donlevy

Brian Donlevy was an Irish-born American actor, noted for playing tough guys from the 1930s to the 1960s. He mainly appeared in supporting roles....
), the unscrupulous boss of the western town of Bottleneck has Sheriff Keogh killed when he asks one too many questions about a rigged poker game. Kent, his henchmen and "Frenchy" (Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich

Marlene Dietrich ; was a German-born American actress, singer and entertainer.Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself....
), the dance hall queen now have a stranglehold over the local cattle rangers. The mayor, Hiram J Slade (Samuel S. Hinds
Samuel S. Hinds

Samuel Southey Hinds was an American actor who is perhaps best remembered for playing Peter Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life . He was also known for his roles in the Abbott & Costello films such as Buck Privates , Ride 'Em Cowboy and Pardon My Sarong ....
), who is in with Kent, appoints the town drunk, Washington Dimsdale (Charles Winninger
Charles Winninger

Charles Winninger was an United States stage and film actor, most often cast in comedies or musicals, but equally at home in drama....
), as the new sheriff, assuming that he'll be easy to control. But what the mayor doesn't know is that Dimsdale was a deputy under famous lawman, Tom Destry and is able to call upon the equally formidable Tom Destry Jr (James Stewart
James Stewart

James Stewart may refer to:...
) to be his deputy and make Bottleneck a lawful, respectable area.

Destry confounds the townsfolk by refusing to strap on a gun, but he still carries out the "letter of the law" and wins over the doubters. A final confrontation between Destry and Kent's gang is inevitable and with "Frenchy" won over, a final gunfight ensues. The rule of law eventually wins out.

Cast

As appearing in screen credits (main roles identified):
Actor Role
Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich

Marlene Dietrich ; was a German-born American actress, singer and entertainer.Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself....
 		 Frenchy, the saloon singer
James Stewart
James Stewart (actor)

James Maitland Stewart , popularly known as Jimmy Stewart, was an United States film and stage actor best known for his self-effacing persona....
 		 Thomas Jefferson "Tom" Destry, Jr., the new deputy
Mischa Auer
Mischa Auer

Mischa Auer was a Russian actor.He was born Mikhail Semyonovich Unskovsky in Saint Petersburg, Russia. His name is usually seen as Mischa Ounskowsky, Mischa being the German transliteration of Misha , and Ounskowsky being the French transliteration of his surname....
 		 Boris Callahan, the henpecked Russian
"Charlie" Winninger
Charles Winninger

Charles Winninger was an United States stage and film actor, most often cast in comedies or musicals, but equally at home in drama....
 		 "Wash" (Washington Dimsdale), the new sheriff
Brian Donlevy
Brian Donlevy

Brian Donlevy was an Irish-born American actor, noted for playing tough guys from the 1930s to the 1960s. He mainly appeared in supporting roles....
 		 Kent, the saloon owner
Allen Jenkins
Allen Jenkins

Allen Jenkins was an American character actor on stage, screen and television. He was born David Allen Curtis Jenkins in Staten Island, New York....
 		 "Gyp" Watson
Warren Hymer
Warren Hymer

Warren Hymer was an American film actor. He appeared in 129 films between 1929 in film and 1946 in film.He was born in New York, New York, and died in Los Angeles, California....
 		 "Bugs" Watson
Irene Hervey
Irene Hervey

Irene Hervey was an United Sates television and film actress....
 		Janice Tyndall
Una Merkel
Una Merkel

Una Merkel was an United States film actress.Merkel resembled the popular actress Lillian Gish, and her resemblance allowed her to begin her career as a stand-in for Gish in 1920's Way Down East ....
 		 Lily Belle - 'Mrs Callahan'
Billy Gilbert
Billy Gilbert

Billy Gilbert was an United States comedian and actor most known for his comic sneeze routines....
 		 "Loupgerou"
Samuel S. Hinds
Samuel S. Hinds

Samuel Southey Hinds was an American actor who is perhaps best remembered for playing Peter Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life . He was also known for his roles in the Abbott & Costello films such as Buck Privates , Ride 'Em Cowboy and Pardon My Sarong ....
 		 Judge Slade, the mayor
Jack Carson
Jack Carson

John Elmer "Jack" Carson was a Canadian-born U.S.-based film actor.Jack Carson was one of the most popular character actors during the golden age of Hollywood, with a film career which spanned the 1930s, '40s and '50s....
 		Jack Tyndall


A full cast and production crew list is too lengthy to include, see: IMDb profile.

Production

Famed Western writer, Max Brand
Max Brand

Frederick Schiller Faust was an United States author known primarily for his thoughtful and literary Westerns. Faust wrote mostly under pen names, but today is primarily known by only one, Max Brand....
 contributed the original novel, Destry Rides Again but the story soon became a typical "oater" with the town of Bottleneck set on a Hollywood sound stage.

Other versions

  • Universal Pictures
    Universal Pictures

    This is a partial listing of films produced and/or distributed by Universal Pictures, the main film production company/distribution company arm of Universal Studios, a subsidiary of NBC Universal.List of films...
     released an earlier version, also titled Destry Rides Again (1932), directed by Benjamin Stoloff
    Benjamin Stoloff

    Benjamin Stoloff , best known as Ben Stoloff, was an United States film director and producer. He began his career as a short film comedy director and gradually moved into feature film directing and production later in his career....
     and starring Tom Mix
    Tom Mix

    Thomas Edwin Mix was an United States film actor and the star of many early Western movies. He made a reported 336 films between 1910 in film and 1935 in film, all but nine of which were silent features....
    ..
  • A remake, Destry (1954), also was directed by George Marshall
    George Marshall (director)

    George E. Marshall was a prolific United States actor, screenwriter, Film producer, Film director and television director, active through the first six decades of movie history....
     and starred Audie Murphy
    Audie Murphy

    Audie Leon Murphy was a much-decorated American soldier who served in the European Theater during World War II. He later became an actor, appearing in 44 American films, and also found some success as a country music composer....
     and Thomas Mitchell
    Thomas Mitchell (actor)

    Thomas Mitchell was an United States actor, playwright and screenwriter. Among his most famous roles in a long career are those of the father of Scarlet O'Hara in Gone with the Wind and Uncle Billy in It's a Wonderful Life....
    .
  • A Broadway
    Broadway theatre

    Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 39 large professional theaters with 500 seats or more located in the Theatre District, New York in Manhattan, New York City....
     musical version of the story, Destry Rides Again
    Destry Rides Again (musical)

    Destry Rides Again is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by Harold Rome and a book by Leonard Gershe. It is based on the 1939 classic film of the Destry Rides Again....
    , opened in New York
    New York

    The State of New York is a U.S. state in the Mid-Atlantic States and Northeastern United States regions of the United States and is the nation's List of U.S....
     at the Imperial Theater on April 23, 1959, and played 472 performances. Produced by David Merrick
    David Merrick

    David Merrick was a prolific Tony Award-winning United States theatrical producer.Born David Lee Margulois to Jewish parents in St. Louis, Missouri, Merrick graduated from Washington University, then studied law at the Jesuit-run Saint Louis University School of Law....
    , the show had a book by Leonard Gershe
    Leonard Gershe

    Leonard Gershe was an United States playwright, screenwriter, and lyricist.Born in New York City, Gershe made his Broadway theatre debut as a lyricist for the 1950 revue Alive and Kicking ....
     and music and lyrics by Harold Rome and starred Andy Griffith
    Andy Griffith

    'Andy Samuel Griffith' is an United States actor, television producer, writer, television director and southern gospel singer. He gained prominence in the starring role of Elia Kazan's epic film A Face in the Crowd before he was better known for his television roles, playing the title characters in the 1960s sitcom, The Andy Griffith Sh...
     as Destry and Dolores Gray
    Dolores Gray

    Dolores Gray was an American stage and film actress. During her successful music career, she sang Marilyn Monroe's part on the Decca records soundtrack album of There's No Business Like Show Business ...
     as Frenchy.


Bibliography

  • Beaver, Jim
    Jim Beaver

    James Norman Beaver, Jr. is an United States stage, film, and television actor, a playwright, screenwriter, and film historian, who uses the professional name Jim Beaver....
    . "James Stewart." Films in Review, October 1980.
  • Coe, Jonathan. James Stewart: Leading Man. London: Bloomsbury, 1994. ISBN 0-7475-1574-3.
  • Eliot, Mark. Jimmy Stewart: A Biography. New York: Random House, 2006. ISBN 1-4000-5221-1.
  • The Jimmy Stewart Museum Home Page. , Access date: 18 February 2007.
  • Jones, Ken D., McClure, Arthur F. and Twomey, Alfred E. The Films of James Stewart. New York: Castle Books, 1970.
  • Pickard, Roy. Jimmy Stewart: A Life in Film. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1992. ISBN 0-312-08828-0.
  • Prendergast, Tom and Sara, eds. "Stewart, James". International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, 4th edition. London: St. James Press, 2000. ISBN 1-55862-450-3.
  • Prendergast, Tom and Sara, eds. "Stewart, James". St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, 5th edition. London: St. James Press, 2000. ISBN 1-55862-529-1.
  • Robbins, Jhan. Everybody's Man: A Biography of Jimmy Stewart. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1985. ISBN 0-399-12973-1.
  • Thomas, Tony. A Wonderful Life: The Films and Career of James Stewart. Secaucus, New Jersey: Citadel Press, 1988. ISBN 0-8065-1081-1.


External links