Flowing Gold

This small box office hit stars two likeable actors and one of the most beautiful women to ever star in the movies in Frances Farmer. She had a tragic life which was properly portrayed by Frances look-alike Jessica Lange. John Garfield at this point in time was churning out the same character over and over again; id est, the hard-boiled rugged type who has more than his share of hard knocks in life. Thus, he is suspiscious of everyone, out for himself and on the run from the cops. That is how the movie begins in our search to find the flowing gold, oil. This movie is essentially a poor man's Boom Town, that box office Smash that starred Gable and Tracy, Colbert and Lamarr. That said, it has its own originalities and a truly exciting finale where Garfield drives a truck across a land slide. Never boring but it never amounts to much either.

This movie reminds you of Boom Town, with Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy fighting each other sometimes and then being friends again. That was an "A" picture and this one is a "B" picture. This one stars John Garfield and Pat O'Brien as two oil workers, who both fall in love with Francis Farmer. Garfield is wanted for murder and running from the cops but O'Brien won't turn him in. Garfield and Farmer are always fighting with each other but it's pretty obvious that their in love. O'Brien is also in love with Farmer but he's too late. Their isn't too much else to the plot and this was one of Garfield's lesser films. Pat O'Brien is his usual self and Farmer's career went downhill after this film.

It is difficult to believe that, even in 1940, this story was thought original enough to support an "A" picture. Many Westerns have utilized it, with slight variations; sometimes its characters are involved with coal mining; here they are oilfield roughnecks, but that's about as different as it gets. As for the casting, John Garfield is a bit softer than usual, Pat O'Brien a bit tougher, Frances Farmer unremarkable. There is some decent comic relief by Cliff Edwards and Tom Kennedy: good thing, because this conventional melodrama needs all the help it can get.

Another reviewer was right, this film seems a lot like the Gable-Tracy film BOOM TOWN, but instead stars Pat O'Brien and John Garfield. Like BOOM TOWN, this one is about the oil business and guys who love to gamble on whether or not they can make a strike. Ironically, this movie debuted only one week before BOOM TOWN and I assume both films, while similar, were created completely separately and didn't influence the other--but it sure looks like they are the same general plot.

The film begins with Garfield looking for a job in the oil fields. However, he has a secret--he's a wanted man. Despite this, O'Brien is impressed with Garfield and feels he's an honest man, so he decides to give Garfield a break.

Later, Frances Langford comes along and takes an instant dislike for Garfield. If you are familiar with films of this era, this can only mean one thing--they'll be head over heels in love by the end of the movie! The problem is that O'Brien as well is interested in Langford--creating a dilemma. Will Garfield stab his buddy in the back to get the girl or will O'Brien be a regular guy and step aside? It's all predictable but fun--the sort of film which Warner Brothers did so well. Light fluff, of course, but enjoyable fluff.

So of the two films, which is worth seeing? Well, I'd say it was a toss-up--both are about equally good (but far from great), though BOOM TOWN might be a tiny bit better. Of course, I might just feel this way because Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert were in this film--two of my all-time favorites.

Frances Farmer never looked lovelier in this adventure/drama about wildcat oilmen trying to beat the lease deadline and bring in an oil well. John Garfield once again is on the lam for a self-defense murder, hooking up with Pat O'Brien and Farmer's father (Raymond Walburn), and constantly apprehensive about the police looking to find him. You can guess what happens - a love triangle between Garfield and O'Brien for Farmer is inevitable. Some minimal comedy is provided by Walburn, Tom Kennedy, Cliff Edwards, and Edwards' fiancée, Jody Gilbert, but I greatly enjoyed some of the special effects, particularly the very exciting oil fire sequence near the end. At one point there's also a most impressive shot of a gusher coming in with the oil rushing towards the camera mounted on top of the derrick. I wondered how that was done without ruining the camera. Still, the stars make the movie worth looking into.