Jackass Mail

The repartee between Beery and Main is great, and between Beery and Naish, it's even better. Wallace is in top late-career form in this silly, but not too silly, and frantic comedy. His character will make you laugh for weeks after you see it. Tom Weeks has a nice supporting bit, and Marjorie Main is marvelous.

After Wallace Beery did The Champ with Jackie Cooper and after he did Min And Bill with Marie Dressler, MGM made a concerted effort to team him with old women and kids. In Jackass Mail he gets to work with both.

Beery is cast as his usual reprobate character an outlaw in this case with J. Carrol Naish as a sidekick. In trying to rob a mule freight line that's ramrodded by Marjorie Main he gets fooled when another pair of outlaws, Dick Curtis and William Haade pull the job. Beery keeps trying to return to his crooked ways, but circumstances and Main keep him on the straight and narrow

Substituting for Jackie Cooper is young Darryl Hickman and Beery has to live a lie the way John Wayne did with Lee Aaker in Hondo after he kills Haade who is Hickman's father.

After Marie Dressler died, Beery was teamed with a succession of character women like Marjorie Main. Jackass Mail is a great example of the chemistry the two had with each other. And his scenes with Darryl Hickman are poignant as well, probably the best in the film.

This is the second or the Beery's mule pictures in the early 1940's. I enjoyed it. Not because it's a great western - it's not. It's simple B fair. But what it is seems to transcend the normal B schlock and it's mostly due to Beery and Main. If you don't disect it - you'll love it!

It's 1851. Just Baggot (Wallace Beery) is a horse thief and general criminal. The San Antonio-San Diego Mail Line is called the Jackass Mail. It is one of the earliest stagecoach mail service. When Baggot encounters the Jackass Mail, he tries to rob it, but another gets to it first. He ends up shooting the robber who killed the driver. He joins owner Clementine 'Tiny' Tucker (Marjorie Main) as the new driver. He befriends young Tommy Gargan, son of Red Gargan who turns out to be the robber.

I expected Beery to do a road movie with the boy. The boy was always going to find out the secret sooner or later. This has a lot more with Tiny. She and Beery have a lot of ups and downs. Marjorie Main has good comedic touch. I'm just not that into the romantic pairing. This is fine.

Not a dull moment. Great chemistry between Marjorie Main and Wallace Berry AND between Wallace Berry and Darryl Hickman. I especially enjoyed little Tommy guilelessly busting Baggot when he was up to his old tricks. It was precious and refreshing.

Marjorie Main's style of dealing with men is a lesson in the direct approach made charming and irresistible.

J. Carrol Naish as a Mexican up-to-no-good tempter of Berry behind the scenes but Marjorie's entertaining buddy in front of her was also a very amusing departure from his usual roles.

It was definitely worth staying up for.