Way Out West (1930)

Truly Dreadful Film

Touches You

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

The story of William Haines and his fall from Hollywood stardom is pretty well known. Popular in the silent era where his smart aleck all American type of character did well, Haines did not survive the transition to sound well even before the gay scandal decked his career for good. Way Out West is an example of this.In Way Out West Haines is a carnival barker who rooks some cowboys out of their dough with a crooked wheel. The cowboys almost hang him, but instead are persuaded to take him back to the ranch and let him work out the $200.00 or so that cheated them out of. Of course being a city slicker he does not take to ranch life with the usual gags that follow. They are the best part of Way Out West.But for the life of me I can't see why ranch owner Leila Hyams falls for Haines, especially when she has good old reliable Ralph Bushman around with whom she has a lot more in common. The film made little sense to me in that vein. Charles Middleton is Hyams righteous brother and Cliff Edwards plays a sidekick role and even sings a forgettable ballad. Way Out West turned out to be the direction down for the career of William Haines.

WAY OUT WEST is a film designed to be a star vehicle for the controversial WILLIAM HAINES, who was during this time an outspoken gay member of the Hollywood community. He was a talented charmer, capable of natural performances rather than the standard overacting typical of many a silent screen star.While the film itself may not be a winner, it's entertaining enough to keep you watching until the happy ending. Haines plays a carnival worker whose crooked ways lead to his capture by a bunch of cowboy roughs who want him to work off his debt to them by doing chores as a farmhand. FRANCIS X. BUSHMAN is one of the guys, POLLY MORAN makes a winsome female, and CLIFF EDWARDS has an innocuous supporting role.It's strictly standard stuff but interesting to watch Haines at work, creating a character you can't help but like despite his sordid reputation (in the film). Rumor has it that his being openly gay ruined his career in up tight Hollywood when morality clauses were enforced rather harshly.Summing up: Definitely worth a look.

William Haines plays a brassy carnival barker who gets caught cheating 3 cowboys in a roulette game. His punishment is to work off the debt (after a carny girl steals his money) on a local ranch. Great concept and perfect for the Haines formula, but the film is flat in a couple places and needed a better director. The editing is also bad. But Haines is a delight as usual. His silly billy character made a smooth transition to talkies. Haines was one of the most appealing and popular stars of the late 20s and early 30s.Good cast here with pretty Leila Hyams the ranch owner, Cliff Edwards the hapless cowhand Trilby (whom Haines keeps calling Svengali), Polly Moran as Pansy the housekeeper, Ralph Bushman the lead cowboy, Charles Middleton the brother, Vera Marshe the carny girl, Jack Pennick as Pete, and Jay Wilsey and Buddy Roosevelt the other cowboys. Ann Dvorak is one of the carny dancers.Very odd but the carny girls wear the same cannibal outfits in their dance number as the dancers in the Free and Easy number from the 1930 film of the same name. And Dvorak was a dancer in THAT film as well (which starred Buster Keaton). MGM recycled the costumes! Minor Haines film and one credited as his first flop, but still interesting to see this once-major star in action.

Although he's all but forgotten now, in 1930, Hollywood's first full year of talkie films, William Haines was king of the box office. His movies - he starred in three of them - made more money than those of any other male star. WAY OUT WEST is one of those films.Haines plays a carnival shyster who cheats some cowboys out of their money with a crooked roulette wheel. They retaliate by kidnapping him, taking him back to their ranch and forcing him to work off the debt.There are some of the usual silly-billy antics you expect from a Bill Haines film. But there are also lapses into very serious areas as well. The look on Haines' bleeding face after he's been roughed-up by a big cowboy, without a word spoken, speaks volumes.Also appearing are Leila Hyams, one of MGM's pretty starlets of the early 1930's; Francis X. Bushman, Jr.; the ubiquitous Polly Moran; and little Cliff Edwards, who gets to play his ukulele & sing.