Salome, Where She Danced (1945)

Yvonne De Carlo plays Anna Maria, aka Salome, a dark-haired entertainer who mesmerizes men with her beauty, her voice and her dances.

In love with a Prussian officer, she allows herself to be courted by an Austrian count in order to secure military secrets that might help his cause.

When the officer is killed and her ruse discovered, she’s forced to flee Europe.

Jim Sneed (Rod Cameron), a war correspondent who was also in on the ruse, encourages her to flee all the way to San Francisco, convinced her beauty and her dance will make her a great success there.

He’s captivated with Salome too, but he’s going to have lots of competition for her affection.

Her other suitors include Cleve Blunt (David Bruce), a former Confederate officer who’s taken to banditry; and Dimitiroff, a rich Russian businessman.

In fact, Sneed encourages her to cozy up to Dimitiroff. They’re counting on his money to finance Salome’s new show.

Yvonne De Carlo as Salome turns on the charm to charm secrets out of a court in Salome Where She Danced (1945)

Rod Cameron as Jim Sneed, a war correspondent finding incriminating letters on a fallen soldier in Salome Where She Danced (1945)

Review:
The good news: De Carlo is lovely, especially when she dances. And, for a Western, the plot is definitely unique, stretching from Appomattox to the Austria-Prussian War to gold-rush era California.

But that plot is also filled with hokiness, so prepare yourself to stifle a few chuckles.

The hokiness reaches it zenith when Cleve and his gang break up Salome’s new show in Drinkman Wells, robbing her customers and stealing the show’s proceeds.

Cleve’s been so entranced by Salome’s dance, that he rides off once, returns, sweeps her right off her feet and onto his horse and heads off into the night.

But after hearing her sing “O Tannebaum” back at his camp, Cleve agrees to go straight. Whereupon he returns Salome and everything else he’s stolen to Drinkman Wells.

The folks there are so thrilled, they rename the town Salome Where She Danced.

David Bruce as Cleve Blunt, the bandit Salome tries to reform in Salome Where She Danced (1945)

Albert Dekker as Van Bohlen, the officer who falls prey to Salome’s beauty in Salome Where She Danced (1945)

Directed by:
Charles Lamont

Cast:
Yvonne De Carlo … Salome
Rod Cameron … Jim Sneed
David Bruce … Cleve Blunt
Walter Slezak … Dimitiroff
Albert Dekker … Van Bohlen
Marjorie Rambeau … Madam Europe
J. Edward Bromberg … Prof. Max
Abner Biberman … Dr. Ling
John Litel … Gen. Lee
Kurt Katch … Count Von Bismarck
Arthur Hohl … Bartender
Nestor Paiva … Panatela
Gavin Muir … Henderson
Will Wright … Sheriff
Joe Haworth … Jed

Runtime: 90 min.

Walter Slezak as Dimitiroff, the Russian businessman infatuated with Salome in Salome Where She Danced (1945)

Abner Biberman as Dr. Ling, Dimitiroff’s confidant, in Salome Where She Danced (1945)

Memorable lines:

Jim Snead: “It is a queenly thing, Salome, to do good and be well spoken of.”
Stage driver of Madam Europe: “She might welcome show folks. She was on the stage herself til her arches fell.”

Jim Snead of Drinkman Wells: “Maybe we have just what this town needs — a good rousing show. And when it comes to explosions, this little lady is dynamite.”
Madame Europe, taking a look at Salome, exhausted from the stage ride West: “Hmm, well she don’t look to me like she could explode any better than a penny firecracker right now.”

Jim to Salome: “Listen to me, when you dance, a man’s a man, in a checkered shirt with chewing tobacco or a gentleman in white tie and tails.”

Salome to Cleve: “See, you are not a bandit, really. Just someone who has lost his faith for a little time.”

Jim Snead: “Looks like it’s a case of my head ain’t hurt, but my heart’s plumb broke.”

Kurt Katch as Count Von Bismarck, Van Bohlen’s superior officer in Salome Where She Danced (1945)

J. Edward Bromberg as Professor Max and Yvonne De Carlo as Salome, shocked at an interrupted performance in Salome Where She Danced (1945)

Marjorie Rambeau as Madame Europe, the former entertainer who takes in Salome and her troupe in Salome Where She Danced (1945)

Rod Cameron as Jim Sneed, a war correspondent finding a woman worth pursuing in Salome Where She Danced (1945)

Yvonne De Carlo as Salome listens to war correspondent Jim Sneed’s devious plan in Salome Where She Danced (1945)

Yvonne De Carlo as Salome, the dark-haired beauty in Salome Where She Danced (1945)

Yvonne De Carlo mesmerizes an audience with her dance moves in Salome Where She Danced (1945)