The Girl of the Golden West (1938)
Mary Robbins is a moderately educated, beautiful, young woman who owns the saloon called "The Poker". She is the only woman in the town of Couldee - making her the fancy of all the men there, especially to Sheriff Jack Rance. On the way to Monterey to sing at a mass officiated by Father Sienna, her stagecoach is held up by the infamous masked bandit, Ramerez. He too takes a fancy to Mary, and decides to secretly follow her, taking on the identity of an officer named, Lieutenant Johnson. While in Monterey, he dances, sings and courts Mary, who has now fallen in love with him. He then has to make a quick getaway. In the mean-time, Sheriff Jack has set up a trap to catch Ramerez at "The Poker". When Ramerez does arrive he soon discovers that Mary is the owner, and quickly changes to the identity of Lieutenant Johnson. How long can this charade last?
Watch Trailer
Cast
Similar titles
Reviews
A lot of fun.
This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.
Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.
It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
Closer to Belasco's play than to Puccini's opera(though there are elements of it), The Girl of the Golden West is not going to get awards for originality- though actually still one of the better stories of the Nelson Eddy/Jeanette MacDonald collaborations- and Nelson Eddy's Ramirez accent is very unconvincing. The Girl of the Golden West even with those flaws taken into account is still really good fun, and one of the better Eddy-MacDonald collaborations. The two stars are fine, MacDonald is the much better actress and does sassy, beautiful and charming wonderfully, but Eddy is a likable partner. Both are in fine voice too, especially Eddy who even when his acting is not up to par always captivates by the strength and beauty of his voice. MacDonald sounds great too, and blends very nicely with Eddy. Walter Pidgeon is handsome and authoritative, managing some menace as well as a sympathetic side as Rance. Buddy Ebsen is very sweet and funny, and comes close sometimes to stealing the film. The Girl of the Golden West looks good, it's photographed with care and the Old West sets are evoked really beautifully and convincingly. The songs and score are rich in orchestration and carry the film very well, the best of them Who are We to Say, Mariache, Shadows on the Moon and Winds in the Trees are wonderful. The dialogue is true to the period the film is set in and has moments of great wit. The story is told briskly and with great charm, the romantic elements are appropriately tender and you are convinced by Eddy and MacDonald as lovers. The characters are not original either but are still interesting, especially Mary and Rance. The ending is true in spirit to that of Puccini's opera, it may be very Hollywood-ish and unbelievable- with Rance giving up so easily- to some, but it was nice to see a somewhat different side to Rance in this scene. Overall, very easy to like and does a great job charming and entertaining. 8/10 Bethany Cox
The story in this movie is a popular one. A play, an opera, and at least two movies. La fanciulla del West (The Girl of the Golden West) is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Guelfo Civinini and Carlo Zangarini, based on the play The Girl of the Golden West by David Belasco. Its highly-publicized premiere occurred in New York City in 1910 Imagine a western soap opera being sung in Italian! The movie is based on the same play, adapted by the playwright, as was the 1915 version filmed by Cecil B. DeMille. The singing in the movie is great, Nelson Eddy and Jeannette McDonald are a great pair as usual. Worth a watch.
"Girl of the Golden West," starring Nelson Eddy and Jeannette MacDonald, is based on the play by David Belasco. This play was also used for Puccini's opera of the same name, "La Fanciulla del West" where the chorus sings, "Vells Fargo! Vells Fargo!" One change - the heroine in the opera is named Minnie; in the movie, she's Mary. Good move.The film deals with one of those double identity villain/good guys - Eddy plays the crook Ramirez, but as Gringo is giving gold to the Indians through the mission of Father Sienna, who knew him and comforted him as a child when his guardian died. When he robs a stagecoach, he meets the beautiful Mary. She owns the Poker Saloon (which sounds with the heavy western accents like Polka). He's wearing a bandanna that covers most of his face. She's en route to visit Father Sienna, whom she also knew as a child. Determined to meet her as a gentleman, Gringo steals a uniform and introduces himself as Lt. Dick Johnson. He sweeps her off her feet, but he has competition in the local Sheriff, Jack Rance, played by Walter Pidgeon. Pidgeon wants Ramirez caught and Johnson out of Mary's life.There's lots of singing from a Romberg score here, as well as "Ave Maria" and "Liebestraum" and a big mariachi dance number. MacDonald is excellent as the uneducated, somewhat awkward Mary who can also be a real spitfire. MacDonald was a good actress as well as a beauty, and her middle voice sounds especially rich in the songs. Like many sopranos of that era, she sang her high notes in a way that is no longer taught today, but she produces some lovely soft tones in that range. Eddy was a magnificent singer but never was anywhere near MacDonald in acting. He's very likable, but his accent as Ramirez is an absolute scream. In fact, all of the accents, from Buddy Ebsen on up, are laid on with a spatula. H.B. Warner gives a beautiful performance as the gentle Father Sienna, and Leo J. Carrillo is on hand in his usual type of role. Pidgeon is an effective and handsome Jack Rance.Entertaining, and fans of Nelson and Jeannette will love it.
Just a perfectly charming film that reveals its wonderful qualities more and more with repeated viewings. Jeanette really pulls it off as a "western gal" and her singing is, as usual, superb. "Shadows on the Moon" and "The Wind in the Trees" are just two highlights of many for me. A very lovely, fun and special film.