Debbie Reynolds is Lucretia Rogers, the mother of two young children who’s suddenly faced with the prospect of raising them alone when her husband dies. She has the promise of a position out West, and heads to Arizona alone, promising to send for her children as soon as she has saved enough money.
But once she reaches the town of Charleyville, she discovers the man who offered her the job has been killed by outlaws. With little choice left, she convinces an older woman (Thelma Ritter as Aggie) to give her a job helping out on a ranch.
In the process, she meets two men taken by her beauty: Don Jones (Steve Forrest), a silver-tongued gambler; and Pat Collins (Andy Griffith), a neighboring rancher with a very over-protective mother. Aggie tries to play matchmaker between Lucretia and Pat; she tries to steer Lucretia clear of Dan Jones.
Then there’s Sheriff John Yoss, who spends more time being rude and bullying the residents of Charleyville than he does looking for the outlaws who killed Lucretia’s prospective employee. So she launches a petition drive to have him recalled and eventually runs for his seat.
In his eyes, that makes Lucretia enemy #1, even if she is a woman. Suddenly, she might need the help of the two men she’s been trying to fend off.
Review:
Charming little comedy Western. Oh, things get a bit far-fetched with the way Debbie Reynolds becomes the first female sheriff in the West, but then this isn’t a film to be taken very seriously.
Among the best scenes: Debbie trying to load a large sack of grain onto a wagon, a brawl in an ice cream shop, and Debbie spending hours searching for gold in a creek after she’s already found the three nuggets Dan Jones hid there for her to find.
Thelma Ritter turns in a fine performance as the older rancher who helps Lucretia out and tries to push her toward matrimony; Juliet Prowse is the dancehall girl who’s jealous of Jones’ interest in Lucretia.
Directed by:
Vincent Sherman
Cast:
Debbie Reynolds … Lucretia Rogers
Steve Forrest … Dan Jones
Andy Griffith … Pat Collins
Juliet Prowse … Rena
Thelma Ritter … Aggie
Ken Scott … Sheriff John Yoss
Isobel Elsom … Mrs. Rogers
Rodolfo Acosta … Rodriguez
Timothy Carey … Bonner
Tom Greenway … Deputy Shack
Eleanor Audley … Mrs. Trask
Maire Blake … Mrs. Vera Collins
Runtime: 99 min.
Memorable lines:
Aggie: “Did you ever think of looking for a husband?”
Lucretia: “A husband?”
Aggie: “You know, one of those tall critters who’s supposed to take care of us women.”
Old man, watching a brawl in the ice cream parlor: “Whataya know? They moved the saloon.”
Lucretia: “Do you realize you’re talking to the sheriff of Charleyville County?”
Dan Jones: “I realize more than that. You’ve got enough courage to be sheriff, but not enough to be a woman.”
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