Mit Volldampf voraus

Minor Ford at his most homespun and with Will Rogers in the lead they don't come much more homespun than this piece of Americana. Of course, minor Ford is still pretty good when set beside some of his rivals. This one is almost a companion piece to "Judge Priest" with Rogers' steamboat captain racing his boat against a rival while trying to clear his nephew from a charge of murder. Rogers is excellent and there's a fine supporting cast of Ford regulars but as the young lovers Anne Shirley and John McGuire are terrible. Still, it's richly atmospheric, at times verging on the poetic and if you think the scenes with Stepin Fetchit are more than a little racist try to remember when it was made and the period in which it is set and put it into some kind of historical perspective and be thankful we are living in more enlightened times. The race itself, (and it's a long time coming), is superb.

This film debuted just after Will Rogers was tragically killed in a plane crash. Because of this, "Steamboat Round The Bend" is one of the last chances anyone had to see him in film. While it's not among his best films, it's pretty good and well worth seeing.

Rogers plays a 'snake oil' salesman (a guy who sells fake cure-all medicines) has been saving for some time to buy a dilapidated old steamboat. His plan is to run it with his nephew, Duke. However, when Duke arrives, he tells his Uncle that he's just killed a man in self-defense and has brought a woman from the swamps with him. Uncharacteristically, Rogers' character is nasty and voices a strong prejudice against swamp people (no, not the comic book character but people who live in the swamplands). Considering what a nice guy he was in his other films AND his famous quote ("I never met a man I didn't like"), this prejudiced attitude DID seem pretty strange--as did his playing a bit of a swindler.

Fortunately, his character DID improve as the film progressed. Later, instead of hating this girl (Anne Shirley), he felt sorry for her and cared for her when her beloved was jailed for this killing. However, what is Rogers to do--as the Nephew is due to be hung AND he's made a bet to beat a rival captain in the big race? tune in and see for yourself in this gentle slice of Americana.

As I said above, Rogers' character wasn't nearly as sweet as he'd been in other movies. But he was likable enough AND the rest of the cast did a good job--as too often in the past the film was all on Rogers' shoulders--here it's a nice ensemble cast. Berton Churchill (in the weirdest role of his career), Eugene Palette and Steppin Fetchit are on hand to provide some nice support--and Fetchit's a little easier to take as his horrible stereotypical act isn't as obvious and offensive as usual. Overall, well worth seeing.

It's funny to think that when this film was made, it was about a time in the early 1890's, only 35 years earlier than it's production. Now we are looking back almost 75 years at the film itself. I expected a light wacky comedy, but there is definitely a well-rounded plot here revolving around murder in self-defense. Will Rogers gives a very skilled and sympathetic performance, but some of the more hilarious gags in this are gifts from the writers.

The sheriff/preacher's wedding speech goes right up there with Donald Sutherland's in "Little Murders" for sheer comic value.

A great throwaway gag involves the search for the New Moses, when they accidentally run into the New Elijah instead!

Steppin Fetchit, while no great symbol for African Americans, actually plays against his lazy type in this, and his hard work and quick thinking actually save the day on a couple occasions.

A great (and uncommon) saw-playing musical interlude!

To me, the only major weakness was Ms. Shirley as the ingenue. She was quite likable, but did not seem to have lived as hard as her character was supposed to have.

All told, a winner of a film for fans of the 1930's view of the 1890's.

The actual last film that Will Rogers shot was this one, Steamboat Round The Bend. Doubting Thomas and In Old Kentucky which were released afterward were actually shot earlier. This is also the third and last film in which John Ford directed Will Rogers.

In this film Rogers is pure and simple a medicine show conman who has a floating museum on the Mississippi. That's just to lure the customers in, his money is made selling his particular brand of snake oil guaranteed to cure everything under the sun and where it doesn't shine.

Rogers has a nephew however whom he loves dearly and said nephew John McGuire loves a mountain girl Anne Shirley. In fact he killed a man who tried to take her away and there's only one witness, a crazy old revivalist Berton Churchill.

John Ford loved using Berton Churchill when he could and his most famous use of him was in Stagecoach as the banker Gatewood skipping town with the bank's assets. He's so different here decked out in a bedsheet with a long beard and calling himself 'the New Moses'. But this guy is the only one who can get McGuire off as he's the only witness to the homicide and the only one who can swear it was self defense. So Rogers is hunting up and down the river for him.

Which brings him into a steamboat race with a bunch of other captains and particularly a rival of Rogers, Irvin S. Cobb. Ford indulges in a little inside joke with Cobb who was a country humorist like Rogers himself. Will's steamboat is the Claremore Queen and Cobb has the Pride Of Paducah. Claremore, Oklahoma and Paducah, Kentucky were where both men hailed from respectively.

The Rogers films and also films like Young Mr. Lincoln are John Ford at his best. Early Americana was a period Ford loved and a lot of loving care went into Steamboat Round The Bend.

By the way that snake oil that Rogers peddles proves to have some real value after all. More I can't say.

Rogers is at his folksy best, but I did love Berton Churchill as the 'New Moses' who's also running his own con game. Steamboat Round The Bend is a wonderful introduction to Will Rogers. We've never seen his like again and who knows if we ever will.

Snake oil salesman Doctor John Pearly (Will Rogers) makes a bet with Captain Eli to race steamboats. He has to fix up an old steamboat. He hopes to have his nephew Duke as the pilot. Duke brings along swamp gal Fleety Belle who was abused by her family. He had killed a man. It's self-defense but the only witness is preacher The New Moses who has since gone away. Following John's advice, Duke turns himself in. He is set to hang unless the preacher is found.

There is a basic structural issue with the premise and the movie. The movie wants to be a fun, light-weight, silly steamboat race. On the other hand, nephew Duke is threatened with hanging and there is supposed to be danger. These two things often do not mix well together. For example, they need to find The New Moses who is often found on the river. One would expect John to be piloting his steamboat up and down the river spreading the word and looking for the preacher. Instead, he ends up spending his time racing and by happenstance run into the preacher. The race is plenty fun and then we're reminded that Duke is about to be hanged. It's a wacky hanging party.