Lone Star (1952)
Former President Andrew Jackson (Lionel Barrymore) recruits a cattleman (Clark Gable) to aid him in his plans for the annexation of Texas to the United States. Standing in his way is an ardent supporter (Broderick Crawford) of an independent Texas republic who will stop at nothing to prevent the annexation of Texas. Directed by veteran Vincent Sherman (MR. SKEFFINGTON)), this is a mediocre western with only some star power to (barely) hold your attention. It's a testament to Gable and Ava Gardner (as a newspaperwoman) that they're able to keep us from falling asleep. Other than that, there's not much of interest here unless you're passionate about Texas getting statehood. There is one sequence that does stand out, however. When a mob of anti-statehood rebels storm the Texas congress to prevent an annexation vote from taking place. It can't help but stir up images of the January 6th 2021 insurrection. With Beulah Bondi, Ed Begley, William Conrad and Moroni Olsen.
Great review of an average movie. For some reason, I've never liked Gable's Westerns. I supppose MGM made some great Westerns, but they never seemed to star Gable. They always seem mediocre and paint by the numbers. They lack soul and zing. Which is too bad, because Gable's a natural in the Saddle (unlike Spencer Tracy). Too bad Gable and John Ford never hooked up.
ReplyDeleteMGM made some good westerns: The Naked Spur, The Last Hunt, The Fastest Gun Alive, The Law And Jake Wade come to mind off the top of my head. Of Gable's westerns, I enjoyed The Tall Men but that was 20th Century Fox, not MGM.
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