Arizona (1940)

Set in 1860 in the territory of Arizona, a drifter (William Holden) on his way to California takes a fancy to a whip wielding, pie baking hellcat (Jean Arthur). But he's not ready to settle down yet and when he moseys off to California, she begins to build her empire while awaiting his return. Based on the novel by Clarence Budington Kelland and directed by Wesley Ruggles. Running slightly over two hours, this large scale "epic" western covers a lot of territory. There are Indian attacks, stampedes, the Civil War, cattle drives, murder and robbery with some romance squeezed in. But it's just different enough to keep you glued to the screen. Most interesting are the role reversals. It's Holden who's romantic and marriage minded while Arthur is bossy and career driven. It's not until the very end of the movie where Holden's male dominance takes over. Another surprising twist is that the film's climactic gunfight between Holden and Warren William as a thieving dandy is done off screen whereas a traditional western would have milked it. The Oscar nominated score is by Victor Young. With Edgar Buchanan, Porter Hall, Regis Toomey and George Chandler.