There's a lot packed into this film, and it's all top quality. "High, Wide and Handsome" is a musical with some light humor. It's a love story and drama. It's a pioneering story with adventure, intrigue and crime. It's historical for the time and subjects covered, and the authenticity of the costume and sets. About the only thing it's not, but which it is billed as, is a Western. Perhaps any movie that has horses in it, or that's set before the advent of the automobile, is considered Western by Hollywood. But I doubt if many movie fans or anyone would consider a setting in Pennsylvania to constitute a Western movie.
This is a superb and entertaining movie. Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein collaborated for the music and lyrics, and Hammerstein helped write the story. It has a complex plot with a few subplots, but the screenplay is excellent and the direction, shooting and film editing enable one to follow the story well. Add an excellent cast and first-rate performances by all, and "High, Wide and Handsome" is a wonderful, interesting, and satisfying film. The title comes from a song that Irene Dunne sings in an early scene.
The very talented Dunne has top billing as the female lead, Sally Watterson. She plays the young daughter of a medicine show shyster, Doc Watterson, played by Raymond Walburn. Dunne was nearly 40 years old when this film was made, but appears to be in her young 20s. She didn't get started in Hollywood until she was 32 in 1930, but quickly rose to stardom. Her tremendous talent ranged from drama to comedy, and included a great singing voice, which she used in this film.
Randolph Scott also was 39 years old when this film was made, and he seems to be in his youthful early 20s. Within a couple of years, Scott's appearance would change so that in most of his films he comes across as more his real middle age. Both Dunne and Scott give wonderful performances in this film – running the gamut from light humor, to seriousness with very dramatic and intense scenes, and then to tender moments.
The supporting cast all excel as well. Alan Hale is out of his usual character and plays the tyrant in this film, but still with a jovial nature. He is Walt Brennan, a railroad tycoon who wants to take over the thriving oil discoveries around Titusville. I think it's interesting that the name of the railroad doesn't appear anywhere in the film. Perhaps Hollywood was getting too close to the truth, where fiction might begin to resemble real history. Charles Bickford is very good as the bitter, mean-spirited Red Scanlon who has been feuding all his life with Cortlandt.
Other superb performances are given by most of the supporting cast. Walburn is very good as Doc, and William Frawley is very good as his assistant, Mac. Dorothy Lamour is Molly Fuller, who sings a couple of very good songs. Elizabeth Patterson is superb as Grandma Cortlandt, and Akim Tamiroff was very good in a minor role as Joe Varese. The neighbors and friends of Peter, and some of the circus and carnival players are very good.
Much of the historical and pioneering aspects of the film may have been lost on the audiences of 1937, but in the 21st century, those help make this movie a classic to be preserved for posterity. The story takes place in 1858 and one of the main plots of the film concerns the drilling of the first oil wells. In fact, the first producing oil well in North America was established that year (1858) at Oil Springs in Ontario, Canada. And the first well to be drilled successfully in the U.S. was in 1859 at Titusville, PA. That's where this story takes place, only the well driller isn't the historical Col. Edwin Drake, but Peter Cortlandt, played by Randolph Scott.
Beside the costumes, and pioneer period sets, the movie has some wonderful scenes of props that were the true items of the period. This is one of only a couple of movies I can recall that showed lighting of public places with huge chandeliers of candles. In a late scene, this film has two such chandeliers with many dozens of candles on each. They are in a circus tent when Sally comes out to sing a song. Men in Indian costumes first set up a small circle stage for her to stand on in the middle of ring. Then, they surround the small stage, and crouch down holding torches to illuminate the stage. Of course, the movie doesn't need the torches for the light in the film, but Paramount gets credit for showing this and other aspects about the time realistically.
Here are some other things that the film showed authentically. A wedding portrait took 115 seconds to shoot -- with the photographer counting. Its no wonder that very old photos don't appear clear and sharp before the use of flash photography. When the oil well comes in and oil shoots through the derrick, the wedding party is drenched with oil. And, the building of the pipeline above ground is a touch of reality from the past.
The oil discovery and drilling near Titusville, PA, was the birth of the oil industry in America. Here's my favorite lines from the film. For more dialog samples, see the Quotes section under this IMDb Web page for the movie.
Mac, "I'll bet Sally will be glad to get away from here." Doc Watterson, "You think so, Mac?" Mac, "Sure. She's always fightin' with that Cortlandt fella. She hates the sight of him." Doc Watterson, "You know human nature, don't you Mac?" Mac, "From A to Z." Doc Watterson, "You must have skipped W. The women come under W."
This is a superb and entertaining movie. Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein collaborated for the music and lyrics, and Hammerstein helped write the story. It has a complex plot with a few subplots, but the screenplay is excellent and the direction, shooting and film editing enable one to follow the story well. Add an excellent cast and first-rate performances by all, and "High, Wide and Handsome" is a wonderful, interesting, and satisfying film. The title comes from a song that Irene Dunne sings in an early scene.
The very talented Dunne has top billing as the female lead, Sally Watterson. She plays the young daughter of a medicine show shyster, Doc Watterson, played by Raymond Walburn. Dunne was nearly 40 years old when this film was made, but appears to be in her young 20s. She didn't get started in Hollywood until she was 32 in 1930, but quickly rose to stardom. Her tremendous talent ranged from drama to comedy, and included a great singing voice, which she used in this film.
Randolph Scott also was 39 years old when this film was made, and he seems to be in his youthful early 20s. Within a couple of years, Scott's appearance would change so that in most of his films he comes across as more his real middle age. Both Dunne and Scott give wonderful performances in this film – running the gamut from light humor, to seriousness with very dramatic and intense scenes, and then to tender moments.
The supporting cast all excel as well. Alan Hale is out of his usual character and plays the tyrant in this film, but still with a jovial nature. He is Walt Brennan, a railroad tycoon who wants to take over the thriving oil discoveries around Titusville. I think it's interesting that the name of the railroad doesn't appear anywhere in the film. Perhaps Hollywood was getting too close to the truth, where fiction might begin to resemble real history. Charles Bickford is very good as the bitter, mean-spirited Red Scanlon who has been feuding all his life with Cortlandt.
Other superb performances are given by most of the supporting cast. Walburn is very good as Doc, and William Frawley is very good as his assistant, Mac. Dorothy Lamour is Molly Fuller, who sings a couple of very good songs. Elizabeth Patterson is superb as Grandma Cortlandt, and Akim Tamiroff was very good in a minor role as Joe Varese. The neighbors and friends of Peter, and some of the circus and carnival players are very good.
Much of the historical and pioneering aspects of the film may have been lost on the audiences of 1937, but in the 21st century, those help make this movie a classic to be preserved for posterity. The story takes place in 1858 and one of the main plots of the film concerns the drilling of the first oil wells. In fact, the first producing oil well in North America was established that year (1858) at Oil Springs in Ontario, Canada. And the first well to be drilled successfully in the U.S. was in 1859 at Titusville, PA. That's where this story takes place, only the well driller isn't the historical Col. Edwin Drake, but Peter Cortlandt, played by Randolph Scott.
Beside the costumes, and pioneer period sets, the movie has some wonderful scenes of props that were the true items of the period. This is one of only a couple of movies I can recall that showed lighting of public places with huge chandeliers of candles. In a late scene, this film has two such chandeliers with many dozens of candles on each. They are in a circus tent when Sally comes out to sing a song. Men in Indian costumes first set up a small circle stage for her to stand on in the middle of ring. Then, they surround the small stage, and crouch down holding torches to illuminate the stage. Of course, the movie doesn't need the torches for the light in the film, but Paramount gets credit for showing this and other aspects about the time realistically.
Here are some other things that the film showed authentically. A wedding portrait took 115 seconds to shoot -- with the photographer counting. Its no wonder that very old photos don't appear clear and sharp before the use of flash photography. When the oil well comes in and oil shoots through the derrick, the wedding party is drenched with oil. And, the building of the pipeline above ground is a touch of reality from the past.
The oil discovery and drilling near Titusville, PA, was the birth of the oil industry in America. Here's my favorite lines from the film. For more dialog samples, see the Quotes section under this IMDb Web page for the movie.
Mac, "I'll bet Sally will be glad to get away from here." Doc Watterson, "You think so, Mac?" Mac, "Sure. She's always fightin' with that Cortlandt fella. She hates the sight of him." Doc Watterson, "You know human nature, don't you Mac?" Mac, "From A to Z." Doc Watterson, "You must have skipped W. The women come under W."