The Woman of the Town

1943 "NO HEART! Her kind never had any...never needed any...to get what they wanted when the chips were down!"
6| 1h30m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 31 December 1943 Released
Producted By: Paramount
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Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
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Synopsis

Bat Masterson, who after failing to secure a job as a newspaper reporter becomes marshal of Dodge City. Preferring socializing to peacekeeping, Masterson falls in love with Dora Hand, the obligatory golden-hearted chorus girl whose concern for the welfare of her fellow citizens at time reaches Madonna-like dimensions. When Dora is shot down cattle baron King Kennedy, Masterson begins taking his job seriously. After taking care of Kennedy, Masterson determines to enshrine the memory of Dora, whose efforts to clean up Dodge City were largely ignored by the "decent" townsfolk.

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Reviews

Perry Kate Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!
Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.
Usamah Harvey The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
Fatma Suarez The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful
JohnHowardReid Albert Dekker is not really our idea of Bat Masterson but he fits easily into the role and is supported by a fine line-up including Barry Sullivan (unusually but effectively cast as a likable villain), Percy Kilbride as a meek, fire-and-thunder preacher and most vividly Porter Hall who has a major catalytic role as "Dog" and plays it superbly well. Direction and production values are many notches above the standard we expect of a Harry Sherman-George Archainbaud western. Miss Trevor is excellent in the title role and has the opportunity for some rousing songs. Arthur Hohl makes a true-blue villain and other character actors excel. Well cast and played, well written, well directed and well produced with enough action for the fans and enough style for the connoisseur, "Woman of the Town" is a winner.
s_pendergast I just finished watching this in a DVD collection of westerns. It gave a lot more of the feeling of what it must have been like in Dodge City when they were struggling to move from anarchy to civilization. "Bat Masterson" is more along the lines of Jimmy Stewarts "Six Shooter" who'd rather reason out of a problem than shoot, but will shoot when necessary. Claire Trevor and Albert Decker do a good job on the leads, and the supporting cast contribute some key bits. Barry Sullivan is an interesting Texas cowman.Unfortunately the print used was dark and punched full of holes from having been marked for TV breaks.
ma-cortes The movie is a semi-autobiography adding a love story with a standard eternal love triangle (Dekker-Claire Trevor-Sullivan), musical numbers and numerous shootouts . The movie is inspired on true events . Thus , Bartholomew ¨Bat¨ Masterson (1853-1921) spent the last twenty years of his life as a popular sports writer on New York newspaper . Previously he had taken part in the battle of Adobe Walls in 1874 in which a small party of hunters beat off a fierce attack by hundreds of Indians , events narrated in the meeting between Bat and the old man at the beginning of the film . In 1878 the marshal of Dodge City was shot by two cowboys , Bat (Albert Dekker) rushed to the scene and gunned down the killer . Bat was appointed as deputy U.S. marshal by the Mayor (Porter Hall) and shortly after captured noted outlaw (in the film King Kennedy featured by Barry Sullivan) . Along with Bat were hired to keep the peace as lawman Wyatt Earp and Bill Tilghman . In 1902 he settled in N.Y.City and became a successful sports writer on the Morning Telegraph (at the movie even appears working with Louella Parsons) , he died at his desk from a heart attack . Masterson said he has not killed as many men as was popularly supposed though he had experienced a great many difficulties . The picture is set in Dodge City , Kansas , the most celebrated of the cowboy cattle towns , became a major railhead cowtown for the cattle driven up from Texas over the long trails , during the cattle boom Dodge shipped more than 250.ooo head a year . The free-spending cowboys attracted professional gamblers , badmen , saloon and brothel keepers and became a rough town in the best traditions of the wild west . Dodge City reigned as ¨Queen of the Cowtowns¨ until final XIX century when the free range cattle industry came to an end . We also find the protagonists (Trevor and Dekker) at the town's cemetery , Boot Hill , it gained fame as the last resting place where gunmen , drifters or usually victims of gunfights or brawls were buried with their ¨boots on¨ and a little ceremony .The film is an enjoyable western narrated in flashbacks and well written by Aeneas McKenzie . Agreeable musical score nominated for Academy Award by the classic composer Miklos Rozsa . Production is in charge of Harry Sherman , an usual western producer .The motion picture was rightly directed by George Archainbaud . The flick will appeal to western moviegoers.
dougbrode An underrated western, and much disliked by people who mistakenly believe that B oaters ought to stick to the traditional pattern. Everyone involved tried to do something original and unique and, for the most part, they succeeded. Slowly paced, to be sure, but then again this was not made for the moron crowd that only wants action, action, action - this is a melancholy movie that favors characterization over plot, and needs to be seen as a one of a kind film to be appreciated. One example of the novel approach - the film begins with Bat as an elderly newspaperman in New York City, circa 1919 (he died later that year), close friends with the young gossip columnist Louella Parsons, who in real life idolized him. There's a flashback to 'the old days,' when young Bat cleaned up Dodge City as town marshal. Actually, Bat never was that - he served as Wyatt Earp's deputy (Earp was the marshal in Dodge) then ran for sheriff and won. In fact, much of what's attributed to Bat here actually happened to Wyatt, who is never seen and mentioned only once. The film collapses the killing of two different real life saloon girls into one fictional character, the title one, and likewise combines the killers of the two women - a tough army sergeant named king and a cattle baron named Kennedy - into 'King Kennedy.' In this version, Bat became a newspaper man owing to the "woman's" pleas - though historically he got the idea on his own. The point is, this is historical fiction, a drama based on reality, and the historicity of the piece is evident less in the story per se but in the remarkably accurate portrait of Dodge at that time, including things most westerns leave out - like the arrival of stage star Eddie Foy (played, incidentally, by one of his descendants), church services, etc. The underrated Albert Dekker, usually cast as villains, makes a fine Bat, cane and derby hat intact. Fans of routine westerns will want to stay away, but those who appreciate something out of the ordinary? Catch this appealingly little understated film!