Arizona

"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 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.

In Arizona Jean Arthur repeats her Calamity Jane character from the earlier DeMille classic, The Plainsman. She's a tough pioneer woman, one of the founders of early Tucson.

Her dream man comes by way of a wagon train in William Holden who was making his first western with this film. Originally the part was offered to Gary Cooper who turned it down. I suspect that Cooper clearly saw that Arthur had more screen time. Holden who was under dual contract to Paramount and Columbia had no choice in the matter.

But by far the best one in this film is Warren William who is the suave villain of the piece. In The Big Country, Burl Ives describes Charles Bickford as a 'high toned skunk'. That phrase so very aptly describes what Warren William is all about here.

Previous to his arrival, the local bad guy was Porter Hall. But William with guile and cunning bullies Hall into a partnership who in turn sets him up with the local Apaches. Nobody can quite prove what's going on, but Holden says William has the odor of polecat about him.

There's a nice battle scene with the Apaches before the final showdown with Holden and William. Their final battle is a combination of the shootouts from both Stagecoach and High Noon.

Paul Harvey has a nice part as the Scottish merchant who is Arthur's business partner and Edgar Buchanan does one of his patented reprobate judge parts that he would do over and over in his career.

And we even get to hear William Holden sing I Dream of Jeannie. Nothing special and it's no accident he had no career in musicals.

Arizona is still a nice film tribute to our western pioneer spirit and it's one of Warren William's best screen characters.

The more unusual thing about this movie first of all, is that it presents a female character as the lead in a Western. You don't really see that happening too often (Oh OK, now that I think about it, Johnny Guitar, Way Down East, heck even Broken Blossoms). Jean Arthur is here playing the toughest gun slinging, hell raising Pie baker in the wild west! (well, OK, Tucson). Soon a wagon train heading to California comes into town, bringing William Holden with it. Arthur immediately gets goo-goo eyes for Holden, while Holden rather interestingly makes up an excuse about wanting to see the sun go down in California and finds a convenient reason to leave. Actually, it was quite funny watching Holden come and go all the time, making me believe that he was, excuse the expression, sowing his oats somewhere else. While Holden is who-knows where, Arthur has to put up with the advances of Warren William, playing a slimeball opportunist who, in something that really wasn't made totally clear, is clearly out to ruin Arthur's enterprise. Somewhat funny in it's sexism ways (Arthur just seems to become feminine in an instant whenever Holden is around) but a grand adventure nevertheless, Arizona is a good popcorn movie.

The story line in this film is basically fictional, but real names of people who lived in Tucson, Arizona Territory, in the late nineteenth century are given to members of the cast, and the set that was created specifically for its production still exists just over the hill from the real Tucson of today. As someone who remembers visiting that set during filming in 1940, I am still impressed by the place and by this film. Jean Arthur's character was indeed a prototype of the independent frontierswoman . But even more important from the perspective of today as I stand among the remnants of the old set (still used, together with a sound stage on the property, to produce "Westerns") and look back sixty years just as the producers looked back sixty years for their story, I think of it as a story within a story. Anyone visiting Arizona today would do well to think of the film "Arizona" as a true picture of 1880 and, in another context, of 1940, and let their imaginations wander. The social attitudes and mores of both periods stand in great contrast to those of the 21st century.