La jungla dei temerari

Alan Dwan does a good job of directing, glorious color photography by John Alton and editing by James Leicester, and a twisty script, all further buoyed up by strong acting from Payne, Reagan, Fleming, Gray and Leo Gordon as sheriff.

The friendship between the two male leads is particularly convincing.

Certainly deserves watching - and not just once! 7/10.

Tennessee's Partner is very loosely based on a Bret Harte story. The story takes place in a gold mining town in California where gambler John Payne finds it easier to make money at the poker table than digging for gold. Payne's who's name is Tennessee is probably no better than he ought to be, but the place is full of rough characters.

One of them is Anthony Caruso, another gambler who's got a bad case of jealousy. He eggs on another poker loser to bushwhack Payne, But a stranger riding into town played by Ronald Reagan saves Payne. He's simply known as Cowpoke. And he becomes Tennessee's partner.

Reagan is in town to marry Coleen Gray who's name Goldie implies what she's really after. Payne's known her in the past and knows what Gray is all about. He romances her again and leaves her on a boat to San Francisco.

Of course that's bitter medicine for Reagan and it puts a strain on the partnership.

Payne has another partner in town, Rhonda Fleming who's the local madam. They're partners in a combination bordello/gambling establishment. Payne takes the customer's money downstairs at the poker table and Fleming's girls do the same upstairs.

This marked the fourth film during the Fifties that Ronald Reagan and Rhonda Fleming appeared together in. They were good friends professionally and politically. Ms. Fleming's politics were quite compatible with the 40th president of the United States.

Tennessee's Partner is a nicely crafted B western and good entertainment even if we never do learn the real names of both Tennessee and Cowpoke.

There's a lot of eye candy in Tennessee's Partner, with John Payne, Rhonda Fleming, and Ronald Reagan. John is well cast as the tall, powerful, cowboy who rules the roost. No one dares to cross him, until someone does. Up against a barrel, his life is only spared by a visitor in town, Ronnie. There's an understandably instant friendship, but they do disagree on one thing: romance. John has kept Rhonda at bay for years, and Ronnie is anxious to marry his sweetheart as soon as he can. Ronnie suggests to John that he get also married, to which John balks: "You'd have to marry a woman!" It's very funny and has a totally different meaning today; but in 1955, all he meant was that he liked his bachelor lifestyle and didn't want to have to alter it for a woman's habits and tastes.

This is not a very spectacular western, but if you like the cast you can try it. Rhonda's character is pretty funny; instead of being a madam of a group of saloon girls, she's the "mother" to a group of virtuous girls who are looking for husbands. It's the height of the gold rush, and the women hope to stake their claims on men who have staked theirs. Will Rhonda wear John down and get a ring on her finger? Will someone finally topple John from his pedestal? Will anything destroy the friendship and loyalty Ronnie feels for his hero? All mediocre questions, and you can find all the answers in this mediocre movie.

John Payne plays Tennessee, a very successful gambler in the old west. It seems he's made some enemies and one of them tries to have him shot in the back. Fortunately for Tennessee, 'Cowpoke' (Ronal Reagan) is in town and sees the murder about to occur...and he intervenes. The two soon become friends. However, Tennessee can't believe Cowpoke is going to marry Goldie, as she's a cold-hearted money grubber and prostitute. But his new friend will hear none of it, so Tennessee decides to expose her for what she is by offering to marry her instead and take her to San Francisco...where he promptly dumps her. Naturally Cowpoke is angry. What will this do to their friendship? And how does Duchess (Rhonda Fleming) fit into all this? And why is there a lynch mob trying to hang them later in the movie?

Overall, this is a modest little western. Not great by any standard but it's different enough to make it worth your time.

"Tennessee's Partner" has a considerably different plot and variety of characters than a typical Western film. I don't recall having seen it as a youngster in the theater, or ever seeing it on late night TV movie broadcasts. It has a good cast of actors for the day. John Payne ("Miracle on 34th Street") had top billing with Ronald Reagan and Rhonda Fleming in major roles and a cast of well-known supporting actors of the day - Anthony Caruso, Morris Ankrum, Leo Gordon and Coleen Gray.

The story is set in the gold rush foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in northern California. But the plot varies from the usual frontier town with bawdy bars and wild goings on. The area already has taken on a start of respectability, even with the ladies' establishment with its hostesses, drinks and fine eats, as well as gambling tables. Indeed, one wonders how many places in those days had poker games with $5,000 bets and raises.

But the film has a fair share of fighting and shooting as well. It's something of a strange film about friendship. Here are some favorite lines from the movie.

Tennessee, "I don't have any friends." Cowpoke, "Well, that's somethin' you don't know until the time comes. Then you find out."

Cowpoke, "What's wrong with women?" Tennessee, "They act like women." Cowpoke, "Now, that's one thing I've always liked about 'em."

Cowpoke, "A man can take about anything. Except being made a bigger fool than he already is."