1944's "Barbary Coast Gent" was an MGM 'B' vehicle for faded star Wallace Beery, which also features his lesser known older brother, Noah Beery Sr. (father of Noah Jr. of THE ROCKFORD FILES), in their last appearance together. Wallace spent the silent era in Hollywood playing villains, suddenly becoming popular in talkies doing lovable rogues, as he does here, only six final films before his 1949 death (three years after the passing of brother Noah, both at age 64). Honest Plush Brannon belies his name, a San Francisco con artist who stays one step ahead of the law; former partner and card cheat Duke Cleat (John Carradine) tries to avenge himself for a two year prison term, and winds up with a bad left arm for his troubles. Hightailing it east from the Barbary Coast toward Denver, Brannon pulls off a successful con in the growing Nevada community of Gold Town before discovering real gold present, deciding to try his hand at being a legitimate financier. Duke Cleat unexpectedly reappears, gleefully making off with the town's money, forcing Brannon to replace the cash the old fashioned way by robbing Wells Fargo stages. For his impressive third billing, John Carradine enjoys only 5 1/2 minutes screen time out of the lengthy 87 (he had a busy year, appearing in a baker's dozen titles overall). His only previous experience with Wallace Beery was voicing actor Dell Henderson's President William McKinley in 1936's "A Message to Garcia," while the older Noah was a major player in three of Carradine's earliest titles, "Bright Lights," "Tol'able David," and "To the Last Man," always as a villain.
Review of Barbary Coast Gent
