Greenes Please don't spend money on this.

Beanbioca As Good As It Gets

Numerootno A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Michael Morrison Albert Dekker was one excellent actor, and in this movie shows he was an excellent action star as well.He and the Duke have one of the fiercest fight scenes ever, yet the Dekker character is still ultimately likable even though he is a pretty rotten scoundrel.Siding Duke is his frequent co-star, another excellent actor, George "Gabby" Hayes.Also siding him, as the oil field manager, is a terribly unheralded actor, Grant Withers, as one of the strongest characters on the screen.Martha Scott was one gorgeous and incredibly talented woman, to repeat, incredibly talented and apparently so recognized by her fellow actors. But, for some strange reason, she did not become that proverbial household name.Watch her in this movie and you too will wonder why. She is adorable, and has a beautiful and extremely expressive face.Speaking of adorable: Dale Evans became The Queen Of The Cowgirls, and as co-star and later wife of Roy Rogers, that is how we know her -- mostly. But in this movie she is also the sexy and delightful singer and dancer in the saloon-night club. And what a talent! That she became a major star later is a, these days, surprising and gratifying example of justice. Dale Evans had it all, beauty and talent and our hearts.John Wayne gives one of his best performances, playing light comedy in much of the first half of the movie, and then his expected action hero thereafter.And there is plenty of action, beautifully photographed by Jack Marta and beautifully directed by Albert S. Rogell. They make a good team and make this a wonderful film to watch.And to listen to? Well, it has both Gabby Hayes and John Wayne singing -- not so pleasant, but funny.The rest of the listening is very pleasant as two women script-writers, Ethel Hill and Eleanor Griffin, produce a superlative script from the original story by Thomson Burtis. Those three writers have created likable and believable characters who speak delightful and also believable dialogue.Everything works together to produce for us an excellent motion picture experience, and you can see it at YouTube. I hope you do. This is a great movie.

Leofwine_draca WAR OF THE WILDCATS is another black-and-white western of the early 1940s, starring the ever-likable John Wayne. This one's about land-grabbing and oil rights, featuring Wayne romancing a woman who is torn between his poor cowboy and a wealthy businessman who'll do anything to make a profit. The notable thing about this film is that it has a real lightness of touch that turns it into an out-and-out comedy in places.Wayne shares plenty of repartee with the amusing and sparky Martha Scott and seems really comfortable with this fun and funny material. Albert Dekker's villain is better written than usual, being a fully-rounded character who is quite respectable and even engaging at times. The film has a fast pace and plenty of action, including an exciting large-scale chase and some good fights. It all feels very smooth and effortless.

MartinHafer This film is also very commonly known as "War of the Wildcats". As you watch it, the movie sure looks like a B--but with just a bit more polish, a bit longer running time and a bit more in the way of budget. This is because the film is sort of like a transitional film for Wayne. While he played in a ton of Bs during the 1930s, around 1939 (with "Stagecoach") he began playing in better and better films. But many of them looked a lot like Bs and felt a lot like Bs. His bigger budget studio projects were still a few years ahead.The film begins with a feminist author (Martha Scott) leaving her tiny town. Apparently the local prudes were angry at her writing such a scandalous romance novel--and you get the impression that it really isn't THAT bad. In fact, it really can't be because Scott is a school teacher and never really lived a worldly life in this town. So, at the urging of the women, she is determined to see the world--and be more like one of her characters. But, she is conflicted and isn't quite sure where to go or what to do. Her dull old aunt wants her to live with her in Kansas City--but when she meets a big-time oil man (Albert Dekker), he convinces her to follow him to the oil fields and promises her wealth and excitement. There are two problems with this. First, Dekker is a bit of a pig and an ego-maniac. Second, John Wayne pops into her life--and back then he was a major hunk. And, since he was the star, it's not especially surprising where it all ends. In the middle portion of the film, Wayne and Dekker vie for power and fight over oil land that the Indians are willing to lease. But Dekker is determined not to play nicely--and seems willing to use some dirty tricks to make sure he alone gets these leases.Overall, this is not an especially deep film nor is it very realistic. However, it is fun--and that is very important. Gabby Hayes and especially Marjorie Rambeau provide some fun support and color.

JoeytheBrit One of Poverty Row studio Republic's intermittent big-budget efforts, War of the Wildcats is a lively, if fairly routine, western notable for its early 20th-century setting. Wayne plays Daniel F. Somers, formerly one of Teddy Roosevelt's rough riders, who finds himself entangled in a love-and-oil battle with Albert Dekker. Wayne is fairly amiable here, representing the old west and the little man forced to adapt in the face of modern technology and the dawn of big business. Dekker, of course, represents this future. He drives one of them new-fangled auto-mobeels and is erecting oil wells just as fast as he can. He is also dismissive of the native population – he even has one, a Cherokee, scrub his back as he takes a bath – while Wayne shows them respect and receives it in return. I'm not quite sure how that stacks up today, given our knowledge that the treatment of the native American by the old west fell somewhat short of what can be considered fair.Anyway, possibly the best aspect of this film is that Dekker's character isn't portrayed as an out-and-out villain, driven only by greed. He is smart and relatively sophisticated, and also brave. Anyone who has ever had the experience of working with or for a 'captain of industry' (for want of a better term) or a self-made man, will probably recognise oilman Gardner's characteristics exactly as those that account for the success of these people. They aren't necessarily bad people, just ruthless enough to do whatever is necessary in pursuit of their goals.Martha Scott is a fairly bland heroine – it's difficult to see why such rugged individuals as Somers and Gardner would both be so keen to bed her. Gardner's frankness in this matter is also refreshing given the times in which this film was made. He makes no secret of what he desires from Catherine and doesn't resort to any particular underhand tactics to make his desires come true. Of course, he doesn't succeed – it would be another quarter of a century before Hollywood would allow a character like Jim Gardiner to win the girl (and the oil).