BEFORE: Marilyn Monroe carries over as glamour-girl week continues.
THE PLOT: A naive but stubborn cowboy falls in love with a saloon singer and tries to take her away against her will to get married and live on his ranch in Montana.
FOLLOW-UP TO: "The Misfits" (Movie #952)
AFTER: An appropriate follow-up to last night's film as well, because again I'm confounded by the sexual politics of the 1950's. In this film a cowboy acts more like a caveman - long on survival skills, but short on social skills. The first time he ever leaves his Montana ranch to travel to a rodeo in Arizona, he sees a girl that he likes, and immediately wants to call her his "angel", club her over the head and drag her back to his cave. Er, ranch.
In a way, I'm reminded of my first year of dating women, back in college, when I had no success and got more and more frustrated. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't form a close bond, or even get a second date, and that's when I realized I was trying too hard. I had much greater success by NOT trying, not trying to force anything, and by just relaxing and letting things be. That's the lesson our cowboy learns - eventually - but after a great deal of reprehensible behavior. This includes everything from being clueless and obnoxious, to actions which seem on the verge of kidnapping and sexual harassment.
Oh, you didn't KNOW any better? You didn't KNOW that you're not supposed to kidnap a woman, hogtie her and force her onto a bus back to Montana? Oh, well that's OK, then as long as you're sorry. Huh?
About the only thing worse than the antiquated (even for the 1950's) battle of the sexes was being forced to listen to Marilyn Monroe's horrific attempt at a Southern accent.
NITPICK POINT: Don't they have rodeos up in Montana? Why did he have to go all the way to Phoenix?
Also starring Don Murray, Robert Bray, Arthur O'Connell (last seen in "Anatomy of a Murder"), Eileen Heckart (last seen in "Butterflies Are Free"), Hope Lange (last seen in "Clear and Present Danger"), with cameos from Max Showalter (last seen in "Elmer Gantry") and Hans Conried (last seen in "Saboteur").
RATING: 4 out of 10 raw hamburgers
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