Leonard Maltin calls this one "Cecil B. DeMille hokum." It's true! Totally historically inaccurate and implausible, but great fun to watch. I doubt very much if Wild Bill Hickok, Buffalo Bill Cody, George Custer and President Lincoln ever met or even had lunch together, but it sure makes for a good yarn! A Saturday-afternoon "Western" in every respect. Lots of Indians and a very contrived battle scene with plenty of action. "Gabby" Hayes is there to complete the all-star cast. Look for a young Anthony Quinn playing an Indian. Garry Cooper and Jean Arthur play Wild Bill and Calamity Jane, the star-crossed lovers. The Indians speak in typical bad English. The plot is totally ridiculous and involves capture by Indians, betrayal, and "The Code of the West." Which, in this case, means it's o.k. to shoot soulless Indians but not horse soldiers; as Wild Bill finds out. Great fun until the sad ending when our hero "bites the dust." But he appears in the very last scene, a-shootin' and a-fightin', his way into the sunset. A great transfer by Deluxe Video (Fox). Sharp and crisp with very few scratches or dust.(Look at how awful the trailer looks by comparison.) A typical early Western. Barely a drop of blood is shown on the screen except for a busted skull! Don't be fooled by the color cover--It's in glorious black and white. Once again, thank you TCM for running black and white movies.
Review of The Plainsman
