Jean Arthur plays Phoebe Titus, a tougher than nails woman who has decided the Arizona Territory has a wonderful future and that she wants to be part of it. Her pies are the talk of Tucson; her shotgun keeps men in line when they try to steal from her.
Wagon guide Peter Muncie comes across Phoebe at one of her tougher moments, and starts sweet-talking her almost immediately. But Muncie wants to see California before he settles down.
As for Phoebe, she wants to start a freight line to compete with dishonest businessman Lazarus Ward, who has a monopoly in that regard.
There are a few bumps along the way — bumps Ward and cohort Jefferson Carteret are typically behind.
But the freight line is such a success, Phoebe decides it’s time to make her dream come true and set up a cattle ranch on the outskirts of Tucson.
Muncie returns to Tucson ready to settle down, but Phoebe asks him to run a little errand … all the way to Nevada to bring back a herd of cattle.
When he returns, he finds the disputes between Phoebe and Carteret have come to a head. And on their wedding day, it’s time for a final showdown.
Jean Arthur as frontierswoman and pie maker Phoebe Titus, intrigued by newcomer Peter Muncie in Arizona (1940)
WIlliam Holden as Peter Muncie, meeting Phoebe Titus and wondering if she’s the gal who can make him settle down in Arizona (1940)
Review:
Not bad, not great. The film has an epic look, gets off to a strong start — like when Phoebe orders two men who have stolen from her to whip one another — but it also drags in spots.
And for Arthur, a fine actress, it’s a forgettable role. She just isn’t that convincing as the woman holding Tucson together. Presumably, the male lead was supposed to be Gary Cooper, with whom Arthur co-starred in a pair of fine 1936 films, “The Plainsman” and “Mr. Deeds Goes to Town.”
As for the final gunfight, director Wesley Ruggles interestingly keeps the camera on Arthur as shots ring out in the background, leaving the viewer to wonder which man will walk through the door as the survivor.
The film is also notable for providing stock footage for dozens of Westerns that followed.
Warren WIlliam as Jefferson Carteret, arriving in Tucson to show Lazarus Ward how to control a town in Arizona (1940)
Porter Hall as Lazarus Ward, the freightner who uses his monopoly to cheat Tucson residents in Arizona (1940)
Directed by:
Wesley Ruggles
Cast:
Jean Arthur … Phoebe Titus
William Holden … Peter Muncie
Warren William … Jefferson Carteret
Porter Hall … Lazarus Ward
Edgar Buchanan … Judge Bogardus
Paul Harvey … Solomon Warner
George Chandler … Haley
Byron Foulger … Pete Kitchen
Regis Toomey .. Grant Oury
Paul Lopez … Estevan Ochoa
Colin Tapley … Bart Massey
Uvaldo Varela .. Hilario Callego
Earl Crawford … Joe Briggs
Griff Barnett … Sam Hughes
Ludwig Hardt … Meyer
Runtime: 121 min.
Paul Harvey as Solomon Warner, the man who agrees to be partners in a freighting business with Phoebe Titus in Arizona (1940)
Edgar Buchanan as Bogardous, a ‘judge’ especially interested in the proceeds from fines in Arizona (1940)
Memorable lines:
Wagon train scout: “Well, here you are. Sweetest little city this side of a rathole.”
Phoebe Titus to Ward: “You’ve got an idea you run this town, so I’ll set you right about one thing. I’ve got my livestock and a pie business to take care of. That don’t leave me much time for chasin’ thieves! Keep your men away from my place or I’ll double-load this gun and blow a hole in you that they could drive a team of mules through.”
Phoebe Titus: “Ward, it’s kinda horrifyin’ to know you’re gonna be killed. But it’s a heap sight worse to know it’s comin’, but not know when … Now sometime before morning, I’m gonna let off both barrels of this shotgun right at you. I don’t know exactly what time it’ll happen, whenever my finger gets to itchin’ too much. You can depend on it; you’re gonna have a double hole blown right through ya. Maybe in 10 minutes, maybe in two hours. All you have to do is sit comfortable til I think it’s the right time.”
Peter Muncie to Phoebe Titus: “Gosh almighty. I’m quittin’ the Army to settle down with you and the first thing you do is send me off for a honeymoon with 500 cows.”
Phoebe Titus to Peter Munchie: “Hold onto that money.”
Peter Muncie: “It’ll spoil my rest, but I’ll sleep on it every night.”
Peter Munchie, to the townsfolk: “There’s a herd of skunks in this town that ain’t got a right to live. And when I finish with the head one, you can do what you want with the rest.”
Phoebe Titus to Peter Munchie: “If this is what it’s like to be in love, I’m glad I’m only going to love once.”
Frank Hill as Mano, the Indian chief who negotiates a gun deal with Ward and Carteret in Arizona (1940)
William Holden as Peter Muncie and Jean Arthur as Phoebe Titus, together again after the war breaks out in Arizona (1940)
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