Evening star., 1941-10-10

unrndSkeQ tuT- jay Ai"i""'.
bulence usually is its own box Office
reward; a rich reward
1t is so frankly. unabashedly, un-
apologetically itself that "Honky
Tonk" earns your admiration, makes
you forget that it is another lusty,
lavish Western. 1t was directed by
John Conway. whose way with such
items last was demonstrated in
Boom Town swift and noisy
affair that created box Office
stampede.
Gable is introduced in "Honky
Tonk' as guSty, Qulck-talklng
confidence man who will steal your
purse or your girl with equal readi-
ness and somehow make the ges-
ture seem altogether an agreeable
experience. AS glib with a gun as he
is with his vocal chords, he is even
more glib and successful with a leer
which turns frontier females into
simpering idiots, He is doing right
well for himself VS.. society until he
sentS a Snag, a beautiful blond Snag
whose every curve bellies (and be-
wilders Mr.. Gable a certain frigid-
ity of manner which derives from a
New England upbringing The con-
fiict is set right there and it is deS-
tined to rage furiouSly for reel after
reel.
That it should not end too soon,
the authors of the script provided
Gable with what might be called an
avocation, that of trying to wrest
control of the town from the petty
racketeers who are running it.
He is motivated in this enterprise
by no moral sense. On the con-
trary, he desires to turn the rascals
out on the theory that when it comes
to exploiting a community, they are
fellows with cheap and weasel
imaginations. He wants to show
them how the thing should be done.
He does, of course.
The emphasis of "Honky Tonk"
naturally is laid upon the romance.
1t deals chiefly with Gables wretch
edness-which becomes violent at
times---that Miss Turner came from
New England and brought with her
reverence for matrimony which
strikes him as acutely provincial.
He has met no one so proud and
stubborn since Scarlett O'Hara and
the spectacle is quite as arresting
as the script writers thought it
would be.
In spite of his Illustration on the
matrimonial point, "Honky Tonk" is
Gables picture. He stalks through
1t with an unfailing bravado, Shoot
ing villains, breaking hearts, charm
Ing the widow of the towns late
pastor, building a mission house as
mask for his unregenerate conduct
and practicing boSSiSm with an in
gratiating deSpotism that completely
deceives the people. They are the
things he has done a dozen times
before, but he goes about them with
q zest that is altogether impressive.
X
Miss Turner is type cast-smoul-
dering fire type-in "Honky Tonk"
and her success in the part is such
as to leave the impression that she
will take care of that department
for M-G-M regularly hereafter. Her
reading of lines may not create the
impression Of professional develop
ment of a high degree, but that is
only one kind of development. More
over her dialogue never is likely to
be the kind that requires subtlety
Of infection.
OF the others in the cast. words
are due Albert Decker as the unloved
villain, Claire Trevor, who trips
through black lace stocking ver-
sion Of other woman; Marjorie Main
as blunt-Spoke comic female, who
can call spade spade without a
tremor, and Frank Morgan, who
plays besotted old judicial tool of
any outfit which will pay his price.
Big and fast it is,