Une fille à bagarres

Rock Hudson and Yvonne DeCarlo star in Scarlet Angel where Rock plays a hell raising former blockade runner for the Confederacy trying to put his life back together in the sea trade. Yvonne is a saloon girl who was an orphan and has made her living in various dives.

Both Rock and Yvonne come across sickly Bodil Miller and her baby. She is a Civil War widow who Yvonne runs off with Miller and the infant and with $1100.00 of Rock's profits from a sea voyage. Then Miller dies and DeCarlo assumes her identity and goes to San Francisco and moves in with her 'in-laws' Henry O'Neill and Maude Wallace. Seems like the family was high toned San Francisco society and she might have hit the jackpot.

Rock however hasn't forgotten who robbed him and there area brother and sister Richard Denning and Amanda Blake who don't want to part with a cent of possible inheritance money.

Blake steals the film in all the scenes she's in. Seeing her and DeCarlo eye each other the way Crystal and Alexis used to do on Dynasty.

In the meantime there is an innocent kid who is a real actual heir to the fortune. That fact determines what course DeCarlo takes.

Scarlet Angel shows both stars to good advantage. It's a potboiler of a picture but a good one.

Roxy McClanahan (Yvonne de Carlo) works as a saloon girl making men drink to steal them afterwards. One day she meets Frank Truscott, alias captain Panama (Rock Hudson) and after stealing him, she runs away with his money and the baby of a Linda Caldwell, a war widow she befriends and who tells her about his husband's family. She pretends to be Linda Caldwell and enter this family to began the wealthy life she has always desired. But unexpectedly capt. Panama appears and things do not happen as she figured out. This is an excellent adventure movie full of action, colorful, with beautiful costumes and set designs and a well written script. All the actors give wonderful performances, De Carlo and Hudson match perfectly and the story itself is interesting and flows by. Cast includes Richard Denning as Malcom Bradley and Amanda Blake as his sister Susan. A must for classical adventure fans and an entertaining movie to watch. It's a pity they don't do it like this anymore.

After saloon queen Roxy McClanahan (De Carlo) swipes money from the handsome Captain Frank Truscott (Hudson), she quickly leaves town with a Civil War widow, Linda Caldwell (Bodil Miller). When the fragile Caldwell dies, Roxy seizes her chance at a new life by taking on the dead woman's identity. She journeys to Caldwell's family's lavish San Francisco estate and soon finds herself juggling two wealthy suitors along with Truscott, who has pursued her across the country. Determined to secure her fortune, Roxy pursues society life... but cannot stop thinking about the charming, bar-brawling sea captain whom she spurned.

DeCarlo and Hudson's chemistry, grand technicolor and photography, a good story and a couple of saloon brawls can be found in this 1952 Film by Universal Studios. It's quite a fun and engaging romp, a mix of adventure, romance and comedy- It's really the Yvonne DeCarlo show and she's charming and she can act.

I've seen a few of Yvonne De Carlo's films, and with the exception of 'Criss Cross' with Burt Lancaster, she is the same in all her films. There is no range or depth in her voice. She sounds the same whether she's happy or sad. She's not particularly good looking even with make-up. She was at her best in 'The Ten Commandments', but she did have a good script and direction by Cecil B. DeMille to guide her. The point is that the films she's appeared in are not well written nor do they have good directors. 'Criss Cross' had a good script which lifted her performance.

The film is beautifully shot by Russell Metty who would go on to shoot 'Spartacus'.

By the time Universal made this one, they had the formula down pat -- rough, tough man meets rough, tough gal, they wrangle; she cheats him and runs off with his bankroll. She changes identities and he finds her by accident -- then, blackmail, or love?

I won't spoil the ending for you.

DeCarlo was gorgeous in this one (as she always was) but the big surprise was her new leading man, one Rock Hudson -- brash and boy-next-door handsome -- he all but steals the movie from her. It's a fun romp in handsome costumes and the supporting cast is top notch -- yes, the jealous "cousin" in San Francisco is Amanda Blake who made a splash as Miss Kitty on Gunsmoke.