''Destry'' is a 1954 American

western film The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...

directed by

George Marshall George Catlett Marshall Jr. (December 31, 1880 – October 16, 1959) was an American army officer and statesman. He rose through the United States Army to become Chief of Staff of the United States Army, Chief of Staff of the US Army under Pre ...

and starring

Audie Murphy Audie Leon Murphy (20 June 1925 – 28 May 1971) was an American soldier, actor and songwriter. He was one of the most decorated American combat soldiers of World War II. He received every military combat award for valor available from t ...

, Mari Blanchard, Lyle Bettger and Thomas Mitchell. This, the third film to utilise the title character of

Max Brand Frederick Schiller Faust (May 29, 1892 – May 12, 1944) was an American writer known primarily for his Western stories using the pseudonym Max Brand. He (as Max Brand) also created the popular fictional character of young medical intern D ...

's novel ''

Destry Rides Again ''Destry Rides Again'' is a 1939 American Western comedy film directed by George Marshall and starring Marlene Dietrich and James Stewart. The supporting cast includes Mischa Auer, Charles Winninger, Brian Donlevy, Allen Jenkins, Irene Hervey ...

'', is a color remake of the black-&-white 1939

Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...

and

James Stewart James Maitland Stewart (May 20, 1908 – July 2, 1997) was an American actor and military pilot. Known for his distinctive drawl and everyman screen persona, Stewart's film career spanned 80 films from 1935 to 1991. With the strong morality ...

film version. Indeed, ''Halliwell's Film Guide'' calls it an "almost scene-for-scene remake." Both films were directed by

and have a plot bearing no resemblance to Brand's novel or the original 1932 film adaptation.

Plot

The sheriff (

Trevor Bardette Trevor Bardette (born Terva Gaston Hubbard; November 19, 1902 – November 28, 1977) was an American film and television actor. Among many other roles in his long and prolific career, Bardette appeared in several episodes of '' Adventures of S ...

) of a small western town dies of a 'heart attack' and the crooked mayor, The Honorable Hiram J. Sellers (

Edgar Buchanan William Edgar Buchanan II (March 20, 1903 – April 4, 1979) was an American actor with a long career in both film and television. He is most familiar today as Uncle Joe Carson from the ''Petticoat Junction'', ''Green Acres'', and ''The ...

), and leading crook Phil Decker ( Lyle Bettger) appoint the town drunk, Reginald T. "Rags" Barnaby ( Thomas Mitchell), as the new sheriff, believing that he will be easily controlled by them. Rags, however, immediately announces he is giving up drinking and refuses to accept Decker as his new deputy, telling them that he has someone else in mind: Tom Destry, the son of a famed two-fisted lawman. Destry (

) arrives on the stagecoach with great fanfare, but Rags is disappointed to find out that unlike his father the son is a young man who refuses to carry a gun. Destry prefers friendly persuasion and use of the law over violence. Destry finds out that the previous sheriff may not have died of a heart attack as had been claimed; he suspects that the sheriff was murdered while trying to resolve a land dispute, and he sets about finding out how the sheriff actually died. After Decker orchestrates a public display of humiliation, with the help of his girlfriend Brandy ( Mari Blanchard), against the new deputy, Destry tricks them into unloading their weapons and then surprises them all: while he prefers non-violence, he is expertly proficient with a gun, turning the tables on the perceived sentiment against him with an impressive sharp-shooting display. All the while his public bravado was merely a cover to collect evidence for analysis. Eventually it becomes clear that Decker shot & killed the sheriff in order to further his plans to obtain all the land necessary to control and exploit the transit of cattle over those properties. With the help of gunfighter Jack Larson (

Alan Hale Jr. Alan Hale Jr. (born Alan Hale MacKahan; (March 8, 1921 - January 2, 1990) was an American actor and restaurateur. He was the son of actor Alan Hale Sr. His television career spanned four decades, but he was best known for his secondary lead role ...

), who had earlier come to blows with Destry but ultimately comes to a respectful accord with the new deputy, arrests from Decker's gang are made and it seems evident that Decker will be arrested for the murder. However a jailbreak is committed, on Decker's orders, and Barnaby is killed in the jail. Destry finally abandons his resolve to seek orderly resolution and heads to the saloon with gun in hand. A shootout follows, in which Decker, his gang, the mayor and even Brandy (who sacrifices herself to save Destry) are killed. With law and order restored, Destry is appointed the new sheriff.

Cast

as Tom Destry * Mari Blanchard as Brandy * Lyle Bettger as Decker * Thomas Mitchell as Rags Barnaby *

as Mayor Sellers *

Lori Nelson Dixie Kay Nelson (August 15, 1933August 23, 2020), known professionally as Lori Nelson, was an American actress and model mostly active in the 1950s and early 1960s. She had roles in the TV series ''How to Marry a Millionaire (TV series), How to ...

as Martha Phillips *

Wallace Ford Wallace Ford (born Samuel Grundy Jones; 12 February 1898 – 11 June 1966) was an English-born naturalized American vaudevillian, stage performer and screen actor. Usually playing wise-cracking characters, he combined a tough but friendly-fac ...

as Doc Curtis *

Mary Wickes Mary Wickes (born Mary Isabella Wickenhauser; June 13, 1910 – October 22, 1995) was an American actress. She often played supporting roles as prim, professional women, secretaries, nurses, nuns, therapists, teachers and housekeepers, who made ...

as Bessie Mae Curtis *

as Jack Larson *

George Wallace George Corley Wallace Jr. (August 25, 1919 – September 13, 1998) was an American politician who served as the 45th governor of Alabama for four terms. A member of the Democratic Party, he is best remembered for his staunch segregationist a ...

as Curly * Richard Reeves as Mac *

Walter Baldwin Walter Smith Baldwin Jr. (January 2, 1889 − January 27, 1977) was an American character actor whose career spanned five decades and 150 film and television roles, and numerous stage performances. Baldwin was born in Lima, Ohio, into a theatr ...

as Henry Skinner *

Lee Aaker Lee William Aaker (September 25, 1943 – April 1, 2021)Goldrup, Tom & Goldrup, Jim (2002) Growing Up on the Set: Interviews with 39 Former Child Actors of Classic Film and Television', McFarland & Co Inc, , pp. 5–12 was an American child actor ...

as Eil Skinner * Anthony Lawrence as Professor (as Mitchell Lawrence) * Frank Richards as Dummy *

as Sheriff Bailey * Ralph Peters as Bartender * John Doucette as Coward

References

External links

* *
''Destry''
at Audie Murphy Memorial Site {{DEFAULTSORT:Destry (Film) 1954 films 1954 Western (genre) films Audie Murphy American Western (genre) comedy films 1950s Western (genre) comedy films Films scored by Henry Mancini Films scored by Frank Skinner Films scored by Herman Stein 1954 comedy films Shot-for-shot remakes Universal Pictures films Films based on American novels 1950s English-language films 1950s American films