Frenchie (1950)

Shelley Winters plays Frenchie Fontaine, who grows up to be a gambling house queen after watching her father get shot in the back by his partners as a young girl.

Years later, she heads back to the town of Bottleneck, determined to make her father’s two ex-partners pay for killing him.

Bottleneck is a sleepy little town, quieted by former Sheriff Tom Banning (Joel McCrea).

But that will change once Frenchie buys a saloon called the Scarlet Angel and summons her former colleagues from New Orleans.

She quickly learns the name of one of the men she’s after — Pete Lambert, who runs a gambling hall in the neighboring town of Chuck-a-Luck.

She sets about stealing his customers, hoping she’ll learn the name of his silent partner in the process.

Meanwhile, not everyone in Bottleneck is thrilled to see Frenchie, or the undesirables her gambling house attracts to town.

Guess who they summon to make sure Bottleneck remains a decent place to live?

That’s right: Tom Banning.

Shelley Winters as Frenchie Fontaine, opening a gambling house in Bottleneck in her effort to avenge her father’s death in Frenchie (1950)

Joel McCrea as Tom Banning, returning to his job as sheriff of Bottleneck in Frenchie (1950)

Review:

Given a bigger role than usual in a Western setting, Shelley Winters is a delight as a woman who knows she can win men over with a flash of her legs or a swish of her hips.

And just watch the expression on her face when McCrea, with no advance notice, reaches under her dress to borrow the derringer she carries in her garter.

McCrea’s Banning, meanwhile, is a philosophizing lawman, inclined to study a situation long and hard before charging in, guns blazing. Fact is, he doesn’t like to use a gun. Unless absolutely necessary.

The result is a fun little Western with a nice combination of snappy dialogue, action and comedic touches.

And, yep, it’s likely to remind you of “Destry Rides Again,” the 1939 film starring James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich.

Heck, there’s even a raucous catfight between Frenchie and Diane Gorman (Marie Windsor), the lawman’s former girlfriend. Except Banning breaks it up with the pin on a lawman’s badge, not a pitcher of water.

Yet another nice touch.

Paul Kelly as Pete Lambert, one of the men with whom Frenchie has a score to settle in Frenchie (1950)

John Russell as Lance Cole, Frenchie’s protector and admirer in Frenchie (1950)

Directed by:
Louis King

Cast:
Joel McCrea … Sheriff Tom Banning
Shelley Winters … Frenchie Fontaine
Paul Kelly … Pete Lambert
Elsa Lanchester … Countess
Marie Windsor … Diane Gorman
John Russell … Lance Cole
John Emery … Clyde Gorman (Banker)
George Cleveland … Mayor Harding
Frank Ferguson … Jim Dobbs
Regis Toomey … Carter
Paul E. Burns … Rednose
Vincent Renno … Tony
Lawrence Dobkin … Bartender
Lucille Barkley … Dealer

Runtime: 81 min.

John Emory as banker Clyde Gorman, spotting his wife with Sheriff Tom Banning in Frenchie (1950)

Marie Windsor as Diane Gorman, trying to convince Frenchie to leave town in Frenchie (1950)

Memorable lines:

John Russell, greeting Frenchie: “Hey, Frenchie, you’re the best looking hunk of scenery I’ve seen around here.”
Frenchie, trying to wriggle from his grasp: “Oh, well, take it easy. Scenery’s
supposed to be enjoyed from a distance.”

Tom Banning, having watched Frenchie pull a derringer from her garter: “Knowing folks in this parts, I’d say they’re not exactly going to be terror stricken at the sight of that shooting iron.”
Frenchie: “Mister, don’t you sell this little gun short.”
Banning: “I don’t cotton to guns, ma’am. But I sure do admire that holster you carry yours in.”

George Cleveland as Mayor Harding, on the run with Tom Banning after a jailbreak in Frenchie (1950)

Frank Ferguson as Jim Dobbs, former owner of the Scarlet Angel in Frenchie (1950)

Pete Lambert: “We’ll be meetin’ up again, Miss Fontaine.”
Frenchie Fontaine: “Good. I’ll be sure to listen for your rattles.”

Gambler, of Frenchie: “What’s holding her up.”
Countess: “A pair of the best looking legs you’ve ever seen.”?

Tom Banning: “I never wear a badge. Not since I misplaced one and accidentally sat down on it.”
(The badge later comes to good use as a way to end a catfight)

Tom Banning, to Frenchie: “A lot of things have been corrupted in this town since you came here. I guess I’m one of them.”

Shelley Winters as Frenchie Fontaine, getting to know Sheriff Tom Banning better in Frenchie (1950)

Shelley Winters as Frenchie Fontaine, in an exchange with Diane Gorman (Marie Windsor) that eventually turns into a catfight in Frenchie (1950)

Elsa Lancaster as The Countess, Frenchie’s constant companion in Frenchie (1950)

Regis Toomey as Jim Carter, a Bottleneck town leader who wants the Scarlet Angel shut down in Frenchie (1950)

Paul E. Burns as town drunk Red Nose, making a shocking discovery in Frenchie (1950)

John Russell as Lance Cole and Joel McCrea as Sheriff Tom Banning, wondering what Frenchie’s likely to do next in Frenchie (1950)

Shelley Winters as Frenchie Fontaine, showing the effects of a catfight in Frenchie (1950)

Joel McCrea as Sheriff Tom Banning trying to keep feisty Frenchie Fontaine (Shelley Winters) in check in Frenchie (1950)