Tudo por Uma Mulher

A good premise runs out of ideas and becomes a talkfest, even getting a little mean spirited near the end. Cooper is good as Melody Jones, an amiable but inept cowpoke mistaken for a surly killer named Monte Jarrad played suitably well by one of the greatest movie villains of all-time, Dan Duryea. The first 20 minutes of the story has real promise but this is one of those movies which somehow didn't get developed beyond its first draft. Some good dialogue and a great cast get kind of squandered as the muddled plot thickens. Would have succeeded better with less talk and characters and more gags and action. A miss but worthy of a look. Not Cooper's worst by any means.

I liked it a lot. A movie that didn't get the recognition it deserves. Typical Gary Cooper, terse and insightful in the fashion of the times. I will never forget the song he sang that goes on and on. I was a kid when I saw this and memorized about 20 verses of "Old Joe Clark" back then. Loretta played a good part and her role should be emulated by the fairer gender today. Dan Durey played his usual tough guy role, but did a credible job. I would like to see it come out again or perhaps a remake, however, I don't know anyone in Hollywood that can imitate Cooper. Just for grins this was the movie we watched in Denver when we were inducted in the Army. Black and white is a medium that should live forever.

Has anyone considered that the cheesy "back projection" in the riding scenes may have been on purpose ? And another thing... could it be that Cooper's melodious "Melody Jones" (who sang his own songs) was a jab at John Wayne's "Singing Sandy" (all dubbed, all the time, and badly too). I liked the inclusion of a top-break revolver, also... there was lots of interesting weaponry back then, not all of it made by Colt. The graphic gore was unusual for a time when the newly departed would either throw their hands up, or clutch their clean shirts, and flop over. Did you notice that when Cherry aimed and fired at Melody's hat, she had such control that the bullet went in the front and STAYED IN THE HAT ! An intelligent side-kick, a powerful woman, and a humorous script. I liked it.

Right off the bat, you have to accept that Gary Cooper and Dan Duryea look alike, which of course they don't, but supposedly almost everyone in the film who knows the bad guy (Duryea) hasn't seen him in several years, and they mistake Cooper for him. I might have given the film a rating of 8 or even 9, had it not been for that. But, okay, get past that, and you have an entertaining and very different western...and I say that as a person who has grown so tired of westerns. But this plot is very different than most any western you've seen before, and it will hold your attention. Cooper and Loretta Young are very engaging in this film...downright delightful. But I kept thinking what a wonderful character actor William Demarest was; I've often underrated his versatility. The other notable thing about this film is the quality of the cinematography. Stunning -- or as they sometimes say -- glorious in black and white. However, the few scenes where they are filming with a backdrop screen sort of ruin that effect...the one aspect that was done on the cheap. I highly recommend this film if you like westerns, or Gary Cooper, or Loretta Young, or William Demarest, or quirky plots. Hey, I guess you can't go wrong here!

It's hard to see Gary Cooper as a singing cowboy, but that's exactly what he is in this film. He plays a cowboy who is mistaken for a bandit (played by Dan Duryea). Cooper is accompanied by his sidekick (William Demarest).

Pretty soon, almost everyone is after them, including the bandit. Loretta Young saves Cooper's hide more than once in this mildly funny and rather slow-moving film.

Loretta Young gives a strong performance as a woman torn between the bandit and the cowboy. Cooper is not really believable as the amiable but clutzy cowpoke.

The plot for this movie is better than average, and I enjoyed the laughs. The worst thing about it is the amount of time spent on horseback. Most of these scenes were obviously filmed indoors and technically were quite funny.

The movie is worth watching for its script and Loretta Young.