Warner Bro. Pictures
Director: Michael Curtiz
I don't want to focus too hard on our early study of talkie westerns so I will try to get in a few "just for fun" films. Dodge City is a truly great western that will hold its own against anything (well maybe not the Duke but you get it). Not only that, Errol Flynn comes out of his swashbuckling tradition to really take you by surprise as to how good he is at being the western hero. Did I mention Olivia de Havilland?
Having just seen Cimarron, Dodge City really stands out. Whereas the settling of Osage, OK in the former film takes away all excitement, the settling of Dodge City still keeps the viewer engaged. I don't want to give too much away but this is truly classic western stuff, despite the foreign leading role(new for the time in westerns)! There is a great romantic development between Wade Hatton (Errol Flynn) and Abbie Irving (Olivia de Havilland) and the antagonist Jeff Surrett is played by the future western film great Bruce Cabot. In fact, that same year Cabot was up against John Wayne for the lead in John Ford's Stagecoach. Flynn and de Havilland would continue starring together though unfortunately not in the western genre. An amazing script (Robert Buckner) and direction (Michael Curtiz also directed Casablanca!) makes this one of those particularly amazing moments in the history of film.
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