Angel and the Badman
Directed by James Edward Grant
Written by James Edward Grant
1947/USA
John Wayne Productions/Patnel Productions
First viewing/Netflix Rental
[box] Territorial Marshal Wistful McClintock: You know, Quirt, I always figured on using a new rope when hangin’ you… because I kind of respected ya. You never took the best of things and all your men went down looking at ya.[/box]
Sometimes a rather corny old-time Western is just what the doctor ordered.
The wonderfully named Quirt Evans (John Wayne) is a famous gunslinger. He gets wounded in a showdown and is rescued by the Worths, a Quaker family, who take him home and nurse him back to health. The Penelope (Gail Russell), the daughter of the house, instantly falls in love with her patient and frankly tells him so the minute he is back on his feet. Quirt has been a hard-drinking hard-loving rapscallion but the simple, loving ways of the family begin to win him over.
At the same time, Quirt is under threat from his long-time enemy Laredo Stevens (Bruce Cabot). The local marshall (Harry Carey) is always hanging around predicting that Laredo will end up shot dead and Quirt will end up hanged or vice versa. The local doctor keeps warning the family that Quirt is bad news. But Penelope persists. Can she reform her wild man?
This is just a nice, romantic Western to watch on a Saturday afternoon. Some of the screenwriting is a tad overdone but nothing terrible. All the performances are good. I especially liked Harry Carey as the Marshall of Doom.
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