Arizona

At the risk of sounding jingoistic, this film shows in microcosm how the greatest nation the world has ever known, the United States of America, came into being. It was literally carved from the wilderness by brave frontier men and women who are played as archetypes of those heroes and heroines by screen legends William Holden (one of my favorites) and Jean Arthur (Mr. Deeds, Only Angels Have Wings, The Talk of the Town). The very precarious existence of America's pioneers is presented with stark realism in this entirely plausible film. For those who only celebrate the Fourth of July by enjoying the fireworks, let them understand the hardships (and triumphs) their ancestors faced . Terrific period drama. 7/10.

In Arizona Jean Arthur repeats her Calamity Jane character from the earlier DeMille classic, The Plainsman. She's a tough pioneer woman, one of the founders of early Tucson.

Her dream man comes by way of a wagon train in William Holden who was making his first western with this film. Originally the part was offered to Gary Cooper who turned it down. I suspect that Cooper clearly saw that Arthur had more screen time. Holden who was under dual contract to Paramount and Columbia had no choice in the matter.

But by far the best one in this film is Warren William who is the suave villain of the piece. In The Big Country, Burl Ives describes Charles Bickford as a 'high toned skunk'. That phrase so very aptly describes what Warren William is all about here.

Previous to his arrival, the local bad guy was Porter Hall. But William with guile and cunning bullies Hall into a partnership who in turn sets him up with the local Apaches. Nobody can quite prove what's going on, but Holden says William has the odor of polecat about him.

There's a nice battle scene with the Apaches before the final showdown with Holden and William. Their final battle is a combination of the shootouts from both Stagecoach and High Noon.

Paul Harvey has a nice part as the Scottish merchant who is Arthur's business partner and Edgar Buchanan does one of his patented reprobate judge parts that he would do over and over in his career.

And we even get to hear William Holden sing I Dream of Jeannie. Nothing special and it's no accident he had no career in musicals.

Arizona is still a nice film tribute to our western pioneer spirit and it's one of Warren William's best screen characters.

The more unusual thing about this movie first of all, is that it presents a female character as the lead in a Western. You don't really see that happening too often (Oh OK, now that I think about it, Johnny Guitar, Way Down East, heck even Broken Blossoms). Jean Arthur is here playing the toughest gun slinging, hell raising Pie baker in the wild west! (well, OK, Tucson). Soon a wagon train heading to California comes into town, bringing William Holden with it. Arthur immediately gets goo-goo eyes for Holden, while Holden rather interestingly makes up an excuse about wanting to see the sun go down in California and finds a convenient reason to leave. Actually, it was quite funny watching Holden come and go all the time, making me believe that he was, excuse the expression, sowing his oats somewhere else. While Holden is who-knows where, Arthur has to put up with the advances of Warren William, playing a slimeball opportunist who, in something that really wasn't made totally clear, is clearly out to ruin Arthur's enterprise. Somewhat funny in it's sexism ways (Arthur just seems to become feminine in an instant whenever Holden is around) but a grand adventure nevertheless, Arizona is a good popcorn movie.

The story line in this film is basically fictional, but real names of people who lived in Tucson, Arizona Territory, in the late nineteenth century are given to members of the cast, and the set that was created specifically for its production still exists just over the hill from the real Tucson of today. As someone who remembers visiting that set during filming in 1940, I am still impressed by the place and by this film. Jean Arthur's character was indeed a prototype of the independent frontierswoman . But even more important from the perspective of today as I stand among the remnants of the old set (still used, together with a sound stage on the property, to produce "Westerns") and look back sixty years just as the producers looked back sixty years for their story, I think of it as a story within a story. Anyone visiting Arizona today would do well to think of the film "Arizona" as a true picture of 1880 and, in another context, of 1940, and let their imaginations wander. The social attitudes and mores of both periods stand in great contrast to those of the 21st century.

This is a refreshing western saga with well-defined performances of some unique characters. Adding to the overall quality, there is a strong current of authenticity in the staging, with both the gritty desert west (the scene is 1860's Tucson) and the settlers of that land making a strong showing. William Holden plays against type as an aw-shucks, boyish adventurer who is smitten with a bold, outspoken pioneer businesswoman played with gusto by Jean Arthur. Both characters have clearly-defined development arcs. While the plot is generally typical western fare, the narrative tends to bounce out of those well-worn ruts, including being mostly true to the period depicted and in the motivations of characters and groups. The video I watched was crystal-clear black & white. This is a western tale with a rich flavor.