Randolph Scott, all by himself, is enough to prop up any movie, but in "Abilene Town," he gets over-shadowed by Ann Dvorak.
She gives her best performance I have ever seen. She sings, dances, kicks, and is more feisty than in any role I have ever seen. She is wonderful.
Scott plays the town marshal, Dan Mitchell (NOT the sheriff). Mitchell is good-looking and charming enough to have two lovely ladies caring for him and wanting him to quit being marshal and find something safer.
One is Sherry Balder (Rhonda Fleming, very girl-next-door-ish in an early role), the other, Rita (wonderfully played by Ann Dvorak): Sherry is the church-going daughter of the town's chief merchant, Rita the singing and dancing, skimpily dressed attraction at the major saloon in town, which is run by Charlie Fair (very well performed by Richard Hale).
Really, there are too many superb performances to mention them all. This is a superior production from Guild Productions Inc. And Jules Levey presents. Watch for excellent camera work from the veteran Archie Stout. He also seems to have out-done himself. And director Edwin Marin has probably never done better, either.
There are at least three versions at YouTube, including a colorized version that some viewers call the best colorized, or "colourized," version they've seen. It is truly an excellent movie that I highly recommend. If only for the gorgeous and talented Ann Dvorak.
She gives her best performance I have ever seen. She sings, dances, kicks, and is more feisty than in any role I have ever seen. She is wonderful.
Scott plays the town marshal, Dan Mitchell (NOT the sheriff). Mitchell is good-looking and charming enough to have two lovely ladies caring for him and wanting him to quit being marshal and find something safer.
One is Sherry Balder (Rhonda Fleming, very girl-next-door-ish in an early role), the other, Rita (wonderfully played by Ann Dvorak): Sherry is the church-going daughter of the town's chief merchant, Rita the singing and dancing, skimpily dressed attraction at the major saloon in town, which is run by Charlie Fair (very well performed by Richard Hale).
Really, there are too many superb performances to mention them all. This is a superior production from Guild Productions Inc. And Jules Levey presents. Watch for excellent camera work from the veteran Archie Stout. He also seems to have out-done himself. And director Edwin Marin has probably never done better, either.
There are at least three versions at YouTube, including a colorized version that some viewers call the best colorized, or "colourized," version they've seen. It is truly an excellent movie that I highly recommend. If only for the gorgeous and talented Ann Dvorak.