Arizona

I have been a fan of Jean Arthur for many years, and the reason for this post is not so much to review the movie (which I enjoyed), but to share some trivia about the production. I have a letter from a man associated with the production, Charles Bimbo, and in his letter he describes working on the set and how Jean Arthur gave him the job of taking care of the farm animals that appeared in the film. His letter has the name of the film, and directors name on the envelope itself. On the back of the letter is a studio stamp from the picture.

It's just a nice piece of history, and I'm glad to own it. I have submitted an additional crew member to the cast and crew list, as he was not listed and I have historical proof of his role. It still is in excellent shape even after 73 years. Apparently he was a friend of my family and sent them an update of his life and times; just wanted to share.

This movie has every thing a western lover wants-shoot-out,cattle drive,Native American conflict,Calvarymen,strong leading lady character who is independent,but falls for the hero. and a hero who takes a supporting role,but grabs my attention every time he is on the screen. Different from most characters that William Holden plays, not cynical. The suspense at the end was so real; I could feel the same emotions as the character played by Jean Arthur.

"Arizona" probably marks the most unusual performance by Jean Arthur. Usually, this actress is known for comedies or romance but here she's in a western. This isn't that unusual, considering she's known for her performance in "Shane". However, here in "Arizona", she plays a completely different sort of role. She's a tough-as-nails broad--one who is the equal to any man....and don't you forget it!!

The film begins in Tucson, Arizona about 1861. It's a wild town--and not even much of a town at that. The only non-Indian or Hispanic woman there is Phoebe (Arthur) and you are introduced to her when she enters the cantina and holds all of men working for Lazarus Ward (Porter Hall) at gunpoint! It seems some of them stole from her and she's going to blow their heads off unless they return the money! Watching all this is a newcomer, Peter (William Holden) and, bizarrely, he's smitten!! She soon falls for him, too. However, there's a glitch in their romance-- he's a wandering soul and is only stopping by on his way to California. When he eventually leaves town, it leaves Phoebe to deal not only with the skunk Ward but his secret partner, Jefferson Carteret (Warren William). The two weasels plan on ruining Phoebe's budding freight business and when that attempt fails, Carteret plans on something even more devious. When Peter returns from California, he sees right through Carteret and you know by the end of the film one of them will be pushing up daisies!

This is a rather sprawling film with a little bit of everything in it. While the film isn't easy to believe, the acting is quite nice. I particularly liked William--who was magnificent in playing slimy rogues. And, here he's at his slimiest! Well worth seeing if a bit silly in places--it's the sort of western that's fun to watch but difficult to believe. Plus, too often the film relied on intertitle cards scattered throughout the film instead of actually SHOWING things they should have shown instead. Good but not great overall.

I don't normally write reviews, but this movie really caught me up watching it on TCM. Jean Arthur, though older, is such a sympathetic character, a tough old gal whose heart is captured by a younger William Holden. I watched it for a while before checking out the credits and it struck me that the young man's voice sounded so much like William Holden but his youth had me fooled. Edgar Buchanan's Judge Bogardus was a nice change from the tool of the bad guys to a simple town drunk full of himself as the 'chosen' judge passing judgment on the streets for a drink at the bar.

I just loved the plot and dialog in this movie, and the way it stuck to the actual history of Arizona through the Civil War from the goods to the weapons. After reading the Trivia section, I was surprised to see it was also later on the set for Rio Bravo, one of my favorite John Wayne westerns.

Just a wonderful and authentic treatise on the early days of Arizona, everyone in it did it justice. Nothing was wrong with it, everything was right.

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.