Arizona (1940)

Arizona
Directed by Wesley Ruggles
Written by Claude Binyon based on a story by Clarence Budington Kelland
1940/USA
Columbia Pictures Corporation
First viewing/Streaming on Amazon Instant Video

[box] Peter Muncie: I figure it sounds crazy to most people… going to California just to see it. But there’s a gallivanted bug in my blood and that’s the way I am.[/box]

I thought the story dragged a bit but otherwise this is a perfectly serviceable Western.

The story is cast as part of the history of the Arizona Territory.  As we begin, tomboy Phoebe Titus (Jean Arthur) is baking pies in the little town of Tuscon to earn enough money to buy a ranch.  She meets Peter Muncie (William Holden) and they take a liking to each other but he has the wanderlust and is soon off for California, promising to return.  While he is away, Phoebe gets the idea of establishing a freight business with a local shopkeeper.  This will put her in direct competition with the ruthless but rather stupid Lazarus Ward (Porter Hall).  Just as the business is beginning to take off, the Civil War starts and all the soldiers protecting the Territory head east.  Phoebe merely sees an opportunity to buy land cheap as the settlers leave.

At about this time, Jefferson Carteret (Warren William) arrives.  Carteret is smarter than Ward and even more evil.  While feigning friendship with Phoebe, he inserts himself into Ward’s business and negotiates a deal with the Indians to leave Ward’s wagons alone and attack Phoebe’s.  Peter returns just in time to help Phoebe fight this and every other dirty trick in the book.

At two hours, this went on a bit too long for my taste.  The whole movie rests on Jean Arthur’s shoulders and she delivers pretty well as a kind of Annie Oakley of the frontier.

Arizona was nominated for Academy Awards in the categories of Best Black-and-White Art Direction and Best Original Score (Victor Young).

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