Such a frustrating disappointment

Simply A Masterpiece

How sad is this?

Fresh and Exciting

I saw Destry Rides Again when I was 10 years old and Destry 4 years later. I thought the 1st was great but that the remake was even better and both versions lived in my memory over the years. Am I able to still say that 40 years later?Gunless and seemingly chinless man is called upon to clean up lawless wild west town much to the gang of baddies initial amusement and eventual regret. Audie Murphy was called upon to re-enact for Technicolor audiences James Stewart's pre-War original after a mere 15 years. It's a straightforward almost frame for frame remake, yet with some subtle yet utterly pointless differences, almost as if deliberately to stamp a minute independence from the original. From now having seen the original about 30 times more than the remake: the remake's colour is OK but the original b&w, lighting and therefore atmosphere was way better; characterisation and acting in the original was topnotch, believable and trod a fine comedic line perfectly, acting was OK in the remake but characterisation was almost non-existent; the original script was slavishly followed except the remake didn't want to trash the expensive sets and props for the final fight scene; the songs sung by Marlene Dietrich became world famous classics, in the remake the songs were brash and instantly forgotten.I still enjoyed this version, only it's a colourful pale imitation of the classic original, imho one of the best films ever made. To Western fans who can't cope with black and white films made in prehistory the remake version will do for you, indeed it will have to do for you.

World War II hero Audie Murphy assumes the role that western icon Tom Mix created in the 1932 black & white version of Universal Studios' "Destry Rides Again" and that James Stewart recreated later for director George Marshall in the black & white 1939 remake "Destry Rides Again" as an easy-going lawman that prefers to ask questions first and sling lead second in the Technicolored rehash retitled "Destroy," ostensibly based on Max Brand's novel "Twelve Peers." There is a mite more irony in the casting of Murphy as a deputy sheriff who guzzles milk rather than liquor and shuns shooting irons than either Mix or Stewart. Basically, Murphy earned more medals during World War II on the battlefield for killing German soldiers as a U.S. Army infantryman than anybody else. Murphy squares off in this flavorful comic remake with actor Lyle Bettger, the epitome of 1950s' western villainy who went on to lock horns with the likes of Burt Lancaster in "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" (1957) and Clayton Moore in "The Lone Ranger." Bettger fares even better as the smiling but slimy varmint that mustached Brian Donlevy played in "Destry Rides Again." The same cannot be said for raven-haired beauty Mari Blanchard who cannot hold a candle to the volatile Marlene Dietrich from the 1939 version. Interestingly, Donlevy's owl hoot went by the handle of Kent, while Bettger was named Decker, and Dietrich was called Frenchy whereas Blanchard was named Brandy.As the infamous Phil Decker, Bettger establishes is villainous credentials early on when he swindles a rough-hewn homesteader, Henry Skinner (Walter Baldwin, the original Floyd the Barber on "The Andy Griffith Show") out of the deed to his ranch in a rigged poker game. Decker does this with the help of saloon siren Brandy who splashes steamy hold coffee on Skinner so he is distracted long enough to have his ace-in-the-hole card switched for a lesser card. When the outraged Skinner tries to reclaim his IOU from Decker, Sheriff Joe Bailey (Trevor Bardette) intervenes. However, Bailey gets gunned down for his noble efforts when he turns his back on Decker's henchmen. Once the sheriff is dead and cold, the Honorable Hiram J. Sellers, Mayor (Edgar Buchanan of "Texas") follows Decker's wishes and swears in the town drunk Rags (Oscar winner Tomas Mitchell of "Stagecoach") as the new sheriff. Determined to clean up the crooked town of Restless, Rags recruits the son of legendary lawman, Tom Destry (Audie Murphy) to help him. Rags expects Destry to behave like the pistol packing image of his father, but Tom disappoints him when he arrives in town with no guns. Surprises galore ensue once Tom pins on the badge and appears to be aiding and abetting the greedy Decker.Although he never displayed a broad range of diverse roles as an actor, Audie Murphy acquits himself more than adequately with a personable performance. Director George Marshall doesn't let the momentum lag in this cheerful, upbeat oater for a minute. The finale in the saloon with Murphy swapping lead with multiple villains maintains the best western tradition in this clean-cut, freshly laundered 1950s sage-brusher. Lori Nelson as the good girl plays second fiddle to Blanchard's bad girl in this formula western, but she manages to rope the hero into her amorous embrace by fadeout. Alan Hale, Jr., who made a name for himself on CBS as the Skipper in "Gilligan's Island" lends solid support as a trigger-happy cattleman. "Destry" gives remakes a good reputation.

Remakes are sometimes necessary. At least Audie Murphy was the perfect casting choice for a continuation of the Destry line. At least this new Destry line is modernized in that he engages the other cast members with a little knowledge of forensics, which came as a (nice) surprise.Lyle Bettger is every bit as devilish as the bad guy of the original work (Brian Donlevy), and will do anything to make a buck and maintain his hold over a small western town. The town drunk is made sheriff after the former sheriff is murdered when he attempts to stop the bad guy from a land-grabbing deal via a bad hand of poker.The new sheriff (again, the town drunk) pulls a surprise on the bad guys by sending for Tom Destry's son as his deputy. When Audie Murphy joins his boss (as little Destry), he comes without benefit of a firearm, and bearing a bird cage and a parasol! However, his mild demeanor does achieve some surprising results, and when he is pushed, the firearms come to bear.Mari Blanchard can't hold a candle to Marlene Dietrich (of the original), but who could? And while Audie Murphy isn't Jimmy Stewart, the final gun battle is a good bit more tense and somber than the original, which I highly enjoyed.This is one of the best of the B western line put out by Audie Murphy, and in my opinion proves that remakes CAN be done well, with the proper casting and direction. I HOPE modern film makers can find that groove.This is one of my favorite old westerns, and rates an 8.7/10 on the B Scale. That's about a 5.4/10 on the A Scale from...the Fiend :.

This NEEDS to be released on DVD! It has all of the content necessary to be a great western. All of the acting is good, and the dialog is good, the camera-work and sets and costumes. Everything about this movie is good. It's a solid Western as they used to be made. It gives as good as "Destry Rides Again". Sure, it doesn't have Jimmy S., but then his presence doesn't a western make.This is one of those movies that isn't even available on VHS except the rare old deteriorating copies that are floating out in the universe of crumbling static-filled fuzzy video tape. Our local library used to have a VHS copy of it about a decade ago and then something happened to it and it disappeared from the shelves. Haven't seen another copy since.A restored DVD version would also do well to complement the "Destry Rides Again" movie. I mean, there are probably a bunch of people out there saying "Destry Rides Again... hmm, he's riding again? Where did he ride originally?". That's when they'll come looking for this movie... you corporate guys should be smelling profit by now.