Texas (1941)

You won't be disappointed!

Just perfect...

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

It's the late C18th and William Holden (Dan) and Glenn Ford (Tod) are buddies making it to Texas. They get into trouble in a town and flee, then rob some outlaws, then escape a sheriff's posse before splitting up and wishing each other luck. They know they will meet again. And they do. However, can they keep their friendship under the new circumstances? And who will get the girl – Claire Trevor (Mike)? First of all Claire Trevor has a ridiculous name - "Michael"! For a girl! Who writes this rubbish? Her role is confusing. She is funny and likable when we meet her in her actions and manners, but her behaviour is appalling. How can she get away with betraying Ford like that? He is clearly the "good guy" while Holden is more of a loose cannon. However, their friendship still holds till the end of the film and their loyalty to one another is to be admired. Even to the point of riding away together, just the two of them, and leaving the "loose" Claire Trevor behind. Do they go for it? Well, maybe…...maybe not…A lot of praise has been given to Edgar Buchanan (Doc) as the town dentist. Funnily enough, he was an actual dentist before he became an actor. However, I'm going against the grain on this. I couldn't stand him. From his look to his accent and voice. I found him wholly unappealing. Not the character he was playing but actually him. His voice is the same as "Droopy" in the "Droopy" cartoons, ie, annoying.The comedy is sometimes silly, the story takes a while to get going, the ending seems rushed and we needed some Indians. However, Holden and Ford are likable as the lead roles and the film is OK if a bit disappointing given the rave reviews I had previously read about it. As for Windy Miller, we all know that he lives in "Camberwick Green" these days. He owns a windmill and spends his days drinking homemade cider and falling asleep. For those who aren't in the know, Google him.

Glenn Ford and William Holden look young, sexy, lean and hungry in George Marshall's B+ oater "Texas." The story picks up with the two in cahoots to travel to Texas, for no apparent reason. Good early character development with a fight arranged by local entrepreneur Windy Miller (George Bancroft) leads nowhere in terms of plot, but hey.... we find them eventually splitting up after they almost get lynched for a stage robbery they did not commit. Claire Trevor enters the picture as a ranch-owner who they both fall for, although by this point Holden's character is on the wrong side of the law more often than not. The rest of the story follows Holden's attempts to outsmart and outshoot his cohorts, including a very weird performance by Edgar Buchanan as a disreputable dentist.The action scenes are well handled, direction is crisp and quick without feeling cheap. I wish there was a bit more to Trevor's character, to make the triangle more than just a male rivalry for her unwitting affections. It could be better, of course, but it's a plenty satisfying Western with enough good action scenes and enough decent characterization to make the time pass pleasantly.

William Holden and Glenn Ford were soon to become stars at Columbia. However, in 1941 they were still on their way towards stardom and as a result were begin given films that were okay but far from the better ones the studio was producing. So, this film is longer and with a slightly better cast than the huge crops of Bs the studio was churning out....but also not among their better films, that's for sure. The biggest problem is that the film doesn't seem to have much of a plot for almost half the film. Instead, it's played almost as a comedy or a buddy picture. It sure could have used a much tighter script and most of the first portion of the film removed or significantly trimmed. For example, there is a comic boxing sequence that went on and on and on but had absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the film! Following the unnecessary boxing scene and the first 25 minutes or so, the actual plot begins. Out of work Holden and Ford are friends headed to Texas after the end of the Civil War. They stumble upon a robbery of a stage coach and decide to then rob the crooks! But, the Sheriff and his posse incorrectly assume Ford and Holden committed the original robbery. Only due to the intervention of the Doc (Edgar Buchanan) did Holden avoid a hanging. Later, however, he would join up with the gang of robbers. As for Ford, after he made his getaway from the posse, he fell in with a female rancher (Claire Trevor) and her outfit--and becomes an upstanding citizen in the community. Now the two lifelong friends are on a collision course--as sooner or later they are bound to have a showdown. Unfortunately, this ultimate collision course is pretty much exactly as I'd anticipated. Overall, this is only an adequate western--even with the two future stars in the lead. Unless you are a HUGE fan of the genre, this one is easy to skip.

In the midst of all the wide screen, technicolor 1950s westerns, I saw this small screen B&W feature when I was ten, in 1957. Something about it just took hold.The simple but fast paced story is fun and entertaining. Glenn Ford and William Holden are in top form even at the start of their great careers. Claire Trevor is attractive and spunky. Edgar Buchanan is the consummate character actor in his usual role as a shady...fill in the blank...dentist. His constant reference to "a bad bicuspid" is typical of his almost absent minded approach to his part. His voice and facial expressions could make putting on his shoes look shady.Texas is great all around fun and has an ending with a moral. I give it 4 Stars.