High, Wide and Handsome [Blu-ray]

Director: Rouben Mamoulian

Overview

High, Wide and Handsome almost defies classification: Perhaps it's best referred to as a historical musical western comedy melodrama. Irene Dunne plays an itinerant circus performer who marries oilman Randolph Scott. The couple heads to Titusville, Pennsylvania in 1859, where Scott is among the lucky prospectors who strikes oil. With no train service to the refineries, the townsfolk are obliged to build a pipeline, which is accomplished to the accompaniment of several rousing musical numbers by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein. The villainous element is represented by Alan Hale, who does his best to block the project to serve his own evil ends. Dunne's old circus friends come to the rescue with a herd of trained elephants! High Wide and Handsome confused too many filmgoers to make money in 1937; today it's regarded in some circles as a classic.

Product Details

Release Date:	04/18/2023
UPC:	0738329262419
Original Release:	1937
Rating:	NR
Source:	Kl Studio Classics
Language:	English
Time:	1:44:00
Sales rank:	4,107

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Irene Dunne	Sally Watterson
Randolph Scott	Peter Cortlandt
Dorothy Lamour	Molly Fuller
Charles Bickford	Red Scanlon
Oscar Hammerstein II	Musician
Jerome Kern	Musician
Elizabeth Patterson	Grandma Cortlandt
Raymond Walburn	Doc Watterson
Akim Tamiroff	Joe Varese
Ben Blue	Zeke,Actor
William Frawley	Mac
Irving Pichel	Mr. Stark
Stanley Andrews	Lem Moulton
James Burke	Stackpole
Roger Imhof	Pop Bowers
Lucien Littlefield	Mr. Lippincott
Purnell Pratt	Colonel Blake
Edward Gargan	Foreman
Helen Lowell	Mrs. Lippincott
Jack Clifford	Wash Miller
Russell Hopton	John Thompson Civil Engineer
Ivan Miller	Marble
Raymond Brown	P.T. Barnum
Constance Bergen	Singer
Tommy Bupp	Boy
Billy Bletcher	Shorty
Paul Kruger	Man
Claire McDowell	Seamstress
Fred Warren	Piano Player
Rolfe Sedan	Photographer
Marjorie Cameron	Blonde Singer
John T. Murray	Mr. Green
Sherry Hall	Piano Player
Edward Keane	Jones
Pat West	Razorback
John Maurice Sullivan	Old Gentleman
Ernest Wood	Hotel Clerk
Lew Kelly	Carpenter
Dell Henderson	Bank President
Philip Morris	Teamster
Alan Hale Jr.	Walt Brennan
Harry Semels	Bartender
Frank Sully	Gabby Johnson
John Marshall	Teller

Technical Credits

Rouben Mamoulian	Director
Arthur Hornblow Jr.	Producer
Gordon Jennings	Special Effects

Editorial Reviews

High, Wide and Handsome is one of the finest "unknown" film musicals ever created, and is especially a triumph for director Rouben Mamoulian and screenwriters Oscar Hammerstein II and George O'Neil. The setting and subject matter alone -- Pennsylvania during the "oil wars" of the 19th century -- are unusual for a musical, and they're used for more than just window dressing. This is a musical that interweaves serious subject matter with a traditional musical romance plot, without giving short shrift to either. It's a richly textured film that uses rituals, both those of special occasion and of every day, as the framework in which it tells its tale. While its stringent use of opposites (male vs. female, morality vs. immorality, etc.) may be too schematic, it's still quite effective. And Mamoulian's visual sense is in full bloom here, clearly differentiating the look of the "action" sequences from those of the "romance" sequences, and using metaphor to add underlying strength to many sequences; the wedding sequence and the pipeline sequence in particular are especially effective. Randolph Scott is a bit stiff at times, but Irene Dunne makes her character ring 100% true. The Jerome Kern-Hammerstein score is a delight, highlighted by the beautiful "The Folks Who Live on the Hill." At times Handsome strains credulity for some people -- as in the use of the elephants in the finale -- but overall it's a rare gem and unique among the film musicals of the 1930s.

All Movie Guide - Craig Butler