When a Man's a Man

I have seen a number of George O'Brien movies and one thing I have always noticed: He never stands out. Look at Last of the Duanes it is clearly Myrna Loy's film ( ok, ok I admit to being a major Myrna fan, but that is just one example). Here he plays Larry Knight a New Yorker who is bankrupt and ends up out west and falls for Kitty Baldwin ( Dorothy Wilson) the daughter of a landowner who is being harmed over water rights. Dorothy is beautiful with a great figure but is dressed in man's clothes. The highlight of the film is a horse scene with O'Brien ( or stunt double) roping a horse and tying its legs like a steer. There is another scene of O'Brien riding a horse and getting thrown off and a poster comparing that and a fight with O'Brien and Paul Kelly to Gregory Peck on the horse and Peck fighting with Paul Ford to Peck fighting Charlton Heston in The Big Country. Maybe Director William Wyler saw this film and those scenes ( and the water rights issue) inspired him, but they were nothing like the Peck scenes ( Peck was astronomically better). Anyway this is a B Western not a classic like The Big Country. I give it 5 of 10 stars ( mostly for the horse scene and Dorothy Wilson)

I ordered this film because I am a big fan of George O'Brien. I loved his silent films, especially "Sunrise" with Janet Gaynor. After silents, he became a western star. Not alot of his western films are available.

The story is about a man named Larry who is a drifter. He is traveling by train and at a stop goes to a Rodeo. He sees these guys riding a wild horse and he wants to see if he can do it. Well he falls off and to top it all off, misses his train. So he decides to stay behind and work on ranch.

Life on the old ranch is never boring. Case in point, Phil(the forehand) and Kitty(the rancher's daughter) were madly in love, that is until she got back from college. Now she is unsure. Enters new meat Larry who has also been to college. Kitty likes his looks and style. Phil doesn't like this one bit. Add to this Kitty's father is about to lose his ranch to the neighbouring cad. He has control of all the water in those parts and doesn't plan to share it with anyone. Cattle are dying and Kitty's father's money is going down the drain. Should he sell or hold out for hope. Hope comes in the way of a man named Larry.

Loved this movie. Just like the movies I saw on Saturday afternoon at the theatre when I was a young boy. Who could resist the charms of George O'Brien. What a man!!

Happy-go-lucky easterner George O'Brien steps off a train to stretch his legs and ends up stranded in the middle of nowhere. On a whim, he takes a job at a local ranch and winds up in the middle of a water-rights dispute, as well as a love-triangle involving the foreman and the the ranch-owner's pretty daughter.

A very laid back B-western, When A Man's A Man features the often repeated theme of the eastern tenderfoot, who goes west, becomes a man, and gets the girl.

There's more melodrama and romance than action this time around. However, the characters are so appealing, with likable performances by O'Brien and leading lady Dorothy Wilson (who's quite charming), that it makes the film pretty compelling and well worth watching. Fans of shoot-em-up action-adventures might be disappointed though.

Things heat up considerably, making for a tense climax and a satisfying conclusion.

"When a Man's a Man" is perhaps a heavy-handed title for this film, although apt in that hero Larry (George O'Brien) does blossom well in response to the challenges he takes on in the world of the West where he suddenly finds himself. There are also in evidence characters who demonstrate what it is NOT to be a man. This is a sturdy western from 1935, one that noticeably takes itself more seriously than the B-westerns of the era... it might better be called a B+ western. The film has a more mature and adult air, including the acting, which is of a higher calling, including by those in support. The direction, editing, and cinematography are more considered... for example, camera placement and settings are just better and actually seem planned. The final scene is stunning and poetic in its composition and execution. Of course, Harold Bell Wright is the author of the story from which the program comes, and one would expect anything based on the work of this acclaimed writer would be given a boost on results. Furthermore, this western stands apart from its B-western cousins in that it has a strongly romantic aura, especially as it gives due attention to the developing romantic relationship between Larry and rancher's daughter Kitty (Dorothy Wilson). There are even some markedly passionate romantic moments in evidence that one won't see in a standard B-western. And one more thing... although the men in the film are of a breed accustomed to the rigors of life in the West, there is a kind of gentle purr to this film and you won't need a long piece of paper to tally up all those shot during the film. George O'Brien's warmth and controlled, properly-channeled (and therefore admirable and defining) masculinity is well on display here. So all in all, viewing "When a Man's a Man" likely will be rewarding for fans of American western movies.

Larry Knight (George O'Brien) arrives in town in time to see the rodeo. Phil Acton (Paul Kelly) is the star of the show...and soon both men end up working together for a rancher who is in trouble. It seems that the nearby ranch has dammed up their water supply...and as a result the nice rancher's cattle are all dying. Larry comes up with a couple schemes to alleviate the problem...during which time the rancher's nice daughter falls for him. Unfortunately, Phil has been in love with the girl for years and this might just bust up the friendship between Larry and Phil. What's to come of all this?

While George O'Brien made quite a few westerns, I was surprised to see Paul Kelly in this one. He mostly played in contemporary settings and while it was odd to see him here, he was just fine. Good writing and better than usual production values make this a B- western worth your time.