Highly Overrated But Still Good

Excellent adaptation.

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Formula stuff, but entertaining story of bad man RANDOLPH SCOTT and good guy JOHN WAYNE brawling in lusty western style over Yukon saloon queen MARLENE DIETRICH in the 1800s, with Dietrich looking like a glamorized queen of the 1940s era. It's a tidy western directed by Ray Enright in good Warner Bros. style.MARGARET LINDSAY is pretty but merely decorative as Dietrich's rival for Wayne and RICHARD BARTHELMESS is shockingly aged looking as Dietrich's admirer. He's the one with the boyish good looks who began films in the silent period. You have to wonder what happened to him at 47.It's a pretty thin story with a very predictable finish. As the bad guy, RANDOLPH SCOTT is stuck with a badly written role which has him assuming a wicked gleam in his eye and a sly grin--but that's about the extent of his characterization. JOHN WAYNE has much more to work with and he fills the role to a T. Both men appear to be in their physical prime, as does Miss Dietrich.At any moment, I expected saloon queen Dietrich to do either a dance hall number or belt out a song in her own inimitable style, but no such thing. She has a straight dramatic role and never looks anything less than ultra glamorous or stunning throughout with never a hair out of place. The men have the tough roles and the big brawl at the conclusion must have kept the two stunt men busy earning their pay.

The plot of this star-studded film is pretty familiar, involving crooked officials and their henchmen trying to steal the claims and gold of hardworking miners, along with a somewhat troubled romance between the hero and a dancehall queen with a heart of gold. There's even a spectacular train wreck worthy of Cecil DeMille. Marlene Detrich definitely is the queen of dancehall queens, with her penetrating aloof style. Randolf Scott makes a memorable villain, and Wayne gets to use his fists on numerous occasions, including a memorably long one with Scott, which should have resulted in a long hospital stay for both, if authentic. Harry Carey, Russell Simpson and George Cleveland add their usual "oldtimer" personas. Wayne was the hero in another film made the same year with a very similar plot involving 49ers, called "In Old California".By way of historical background, there was minimal law and order in Nome at this time, when thousands arrived each month in the summer. Claim jumping and other irregularities were rampant. A common device was to issue claims, via the power of attorney, for relatives and friends not present and probably often fictitious. There was a crooked judge, rather like the judge in the film. Many of the latecomers, frustrated that all the good creeks had been claimed, established narrow claims on the beach, after it was discovered that the beach sands contained appreciable gold.I'd like to discuss two of the secondary main characters:Helen Chester and Bronco, who are glossed over in most reviews. Helen, played by raven-haired Margaret Lindsay, is well characterized in some respects, but poorly in other respects. She is in an ambiguous situation through most of the film. What is clear is her infatuation with Roy (Wayne), with whom she seems to have had an affair on the boat from Seattle, and her recognition that she will probably remain a temporary diversion for Roy, whose main female interest will remain Cherry. Just why she came to Nome is unclear, as is the extent of her involvement in the claim jumping schemes. She is supposedly the niece of the crooked judge Stillman and comes across as a rather colorless debutante. She seems to disapprove of the claim jumping operations, especially when they involve Roy. It is unclear why the leadership of the claim jumping gang tolerates her presence during their discussions of plans, knowing her involvement with Roy and her cool attitude toward their operations. In any case, she serves as an involuntary insider for information important to Roy and the miners. Although she doesn't have the guts to do anything about a Roy assassination plot, her information saves his life. She also gives the film its title with her remark that "We're nothing but a cheap lot of spoilers". In this context, spoilers means crooks.Bronco is played by Richard Barthelmess, whose better acting days were far behind in the silent era. Bronco appears to be a rather colorless right hand man for Cherry, with a rather sinister look, who probably has had a very shady past. He has the hots for Cherry and nobody else, so he says. Thus, he has something in common with Roy. When Cherry is mad at Roy, he tries to weasel in as her number one, but gets nowhere. During the bank holdup, he tries to shoot Roy from the dark shadows, presumably to eliminate his chief rival for the affections of Cherry. Cherry then coerces him into helping save Roy from assassination, then helping the miners take back their claims by force. Clearly he is marked by the plot to die, and he does.

This filming of the oft told Rex Beach tale is a knock down, drag 'em out, shoot 'em up story of a group of your favorite players, transported from the old West to the Alaska gold rush. And it is a whole bunch of fun.You just can't beat the cast.....even to the small parts such as Russell Simpson as Flapjack and the consummate drunk Jack Norton as Skinner. Of course, the main characters, Wayne, Dietrich and Scott are the focal points which pull the story together. They are at their best with Dietrich as the sassy dance hall owner: Randolph Scott playing against type as a unapologetic scoundrel: and Margaret Lindsay,usually the sweet virginal type is also against type here as a schemer with a heart of gold (well, sort of).But there is something about Richard Barthelmess that kept my attention. Here was an Oscar winner (The Patent Leather Kid), who was as big as they got during the silent era but just couldn't seem to make the transition to talkies (with the exception of "Only Angels Have Wings"). And I'm not sure why.....it wasn't his looks, his voice or his acting style. Maybe he just didn't age well (he was only 47 when this film was made but looked older). Whatever the case, he does a good job here but you know from the beginning that he has to die somewhere along the line.....and sure enough, he does.The film includes one of the most famous fights scenes in movie history between Wayne and Scott (although the use of stunt doubles is pretty obvious). They brawl upstairs, downstairs, on the stairs, and out the door. It's a dandy. It's a rousing, good time film that is worth watching......I like it!!

The John Wayne Marathon continues into the 14th hour with a whole boatload of interesting characters in a story about the gold rush in Alaska.Wayne gets third billing in this movie to Marlene Dietrich and Randolph Scott. Dietrich plays a jealous girlfriend and Scott is the new dude in town that is muscling in.Margaret Lindsay plays the new girl in town after Wayne's heart. Harry Carey is Wayne's partner.This is at least the 4th version of this story and it won't be the last. A tale of gold mining, claim jumping, saloon, muddy streets, brawls and fancy women will always be in style.Hang on to your hat and enjoy another Wayne classic.