Episode #28 -- Destry Rides Again

(or: "What is the Sound of One Man Sadly High-Fiving the Air?")

(or: "What is the Sound of One Man Sadly High-Fiving the Air?")

Destry Rides Again is a 1939 western-comedy starring Marlene Dietrich and what was then a still up-and-coming James Stewart. It's named after a movie from 1932 which was itself based on a book written by Max Brand, a Seattle-born author, and was the basis for a nearly scene-for-scene remake that was made in 1954 for some godforsaken reason. This movie bares shocking little resemblance to the book that it's named after, and the filmmakers try to skirt around this by claiming that James Stewart's character is the son of the original Destry, but honestly, who cares?

Both of us were cautiously optimistic, having had a good experience with the previous James Stewart-starring western, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence. Our optimism generally tends to be cautious in our everyday lives, but it's proven to be a necessity for the purposes of this podcast-- the more enthusiastic we are about a movie going in, the more disappointed we've usually ended up feeling. Is Destry Rides Again an exception, or does it further prove the rule? Who can say? You can, if you listen to this episode! What an exciting adventure you have in front of you!