`Howdy, Stranger! Let me show you around the town of Bottleneck. Folks here can be plumb rowdy on occasion. Over there's the saloon - it's run by a right pretty gal named Frenchy (Marlene Dietrich). She's a real spitfire - don't get her riled. We like to say she runs the town, but we all know the real boss is her lover, Kent (Brian Donlevy),a mean, slick hombre who's buying -or stealing- all the land straight across the valley; he means to charge for each head of cattle run through here. Our last sheriff (Joe King) disappeared real mysterious like, and the mayor (Samuel S. Hinds),who's in cahoots with Kent, appointed the town drunk (Charles Winninger) as the new sheriff. He's surprised us all by bringing in as his deputy Tom Destry (James Stewart),son of the famous lawman who was shot in the back a few years ago. The boy looks kind of sheepish, but I'll bet he's got some backbone to him, just like his old man. Yes, sir, if Kent gives him any trouble we just might get to watch while DESTRY RIDES AGAIN.'

This is one of the great Western films, with all the pieces falling into place. It's got a sense of humor & does not take itself too seriously. And the women are as strong as the men, unusual in a Western: Dietrich & Una Merkel have the best fight in the film and it's the entire body of townswomen, lead by Merkel & Dietrich, who take matters into their own hands at the conclusion to thrash the bad guys.

All of the above named cast is excellent (this was considered a comeback of sorts for Dietrich, after her parade of elaborate, but not terribly popular, costume epics; Stewart is a delight as his usual laconic self.) Jack Carson is also on hand as a tough cattleman. Lighter moments are handled by Mischa Auer, as a Russian émigré who wants to be a cowboy, and Billy Gilbert, as a temperamental barkeep.

Dietrich gets to sing three splashy, dance hall numbers: `Little Joe', `You've Got That Look' and, most famously, `See What The Boys In The Back Room Will Have'.

I don't know what it was about James Stewart. Was it his slow drawl? Was it his introspective kind of analyzing of situations. When his Destry arrives in Bottleneck, he becomes the laughing stock of the community. Of course, nothing phases him, and he is willing to take care of business on his own terms. The bad guys have had their way with the community, including the committing of cowardly murders. Destry's father was a great lawman, but he ended up with a bullet in his back. There is a lot of comedy in this film, much of it involving Stewart and the irrepressible Marlene Dietrich, who has left the confines of Berlin and headed for the Old West. She is no shrinking violet and has her own agenda, but we know that our soft spoken guy is going to make a point.

This movie has a lot going for it and it also has not aged as well as the rest of Jimmy Stewart's westerns. Stewart is absolutely great at Destry--funny, occasionally tough and well-acted. He's the obvious star of the film. Marlena Dietrich, though very famous for her role in this film, is overrated in my opinion. She appears much like you would expect Harpo Marx to look in drag (just look at her hair and tell me I'm wrong) and her character seems pretty silly and clichéd. You know, the "bad girl" who meets the hero and changes her wicked ways. The only thing that sets her apart from countless similar roles by other actresses in westerns is the fight scene with Una Merkle--this is really unusual and a highlight of the film. As for her singing, it may appeal to some but it just reminds me of the parody of this role in BLAZING SADDLES (with Madeline Kahn). Brian Donley plays an excellent villain and Charles Winninger and Mischa Auer are wonderful sidekicks. The writing is very clichéd but the dialog is excellent and the story exciting. Not a bad film at all once you wade through all the clichés and look past Ms. Dietrich's character.