Henry Goes Arizona

ANY opportunity to see Frank Morgan (The WIZARD !) is going to be an adventure. This came out the same year as Wizard of Oz, but which one do we remember ?? anyway... Henry inherits a property out west, and the local farm-hands are up to some no-good shenanigans. Character actor Guy Kibbee is the Judge, who helps figure out what's going on. At about 17:25 minutes, they dub out whatever Henry says after throwing the knife. The silence is deafening. Weird dubbing. Henry walks around trying to run the ranch while they are plotting around him. Virginia Weidler is in here as Molly. She was the extra precious little daughter in "The Women". She croaked quite young at 41... heart issues. The actor playing "Danny" (Owen Davis) also died age 41... drowning. Film has only 150 votes as of today.. Turner Classics must not show this one very often. Directed by Ed Marin..... who ALSO died young at 52. Marin had directed a bunch of the "Maisie" films, as well as a slew of westerns. It's pretty good. Plot is kind of jumpy, but any film with Morgan and Kibbee can't be all bad. Check it out if you can catch it!

Frank Morgan leads a likable cast in this pleasant comedy about a kindly but unsuccessful New York actor who inherits a ranch out west and needs help saving it from a gang of outlaws.

Virginia Weidler is tops as the 12-year-old niece who has high expectations for her Uncle Henry; she helps Morgan develop his better self and eventually finds in him a kind of father figure.

Among Morgan's other new western friends are Slim Summerville as the mild-mannered local sheriff; Guy Kibbee, a lawyer of dubious morals who turns out to be an ally as well; and Owen Davis, Jr., handsome young cowboy who is falsely jailed for murder but lends assistance to the cause when Weidler charms the sheriff into letting him "escape." Douglas Fowley plays the lead baddie—and very nasty and snippy he is when his wicked plans are thwarted! But even he looks like he knows it's all in fun.

Morgan is very good at the center of it all. Hesitant, nervous, indecisive, well-intentioned but occasionally blustery—he is easy to root for.

Very lightweight but lots of fun….Charming characters and a cute if simple story make this one enjoyable.

While Frank Morgan is most known for his appearance in "The Wizard of Oz", his forte was making nice B-movies for MGM. His affable personality shone through in these pictures and most are well worth seeing--and the quality of the films make them seem like A- pictures--short enough to be a B but higher quality.

Despite the weird title, "Henry Goes Arizona" is one of Morgan's better films. He is lovely in the lead and it helps that he had able support from Guy Kibbee, Slim Summerville and, especially, Virginia Weidler.

Then the story begins, Henry (Morgan) learns that his step-brother has died and left him his ranch out west. Considering Henry is broke, he eagerly jumps at the chance to take control of the place. However, when he arrives in Tonto City (tonto is the Spanish word for 'idiot'), he learns that his step-brother had been murdered and Henry is not about to stick around and be killed himself. But his sweet nice, Molly (Weidler) believes in him and so he belatedly decides to stay. But being a total wimp, you wonder just how long Henry will stick around Tonto City.

An enjoyable script and some enjoyable acting make this worth seeing. By the way, notice Morgan on a horse...he really did know what he was doing despite acting out of his element!

This film is just pure delight. If you want a serious flick on the world's problems, this isn't one of them. Half of it doesn't even make sense, which is a great part of its easy charm. Is this really Arizona in 1939, or did the director even bother checking out the place? It really doesn't matter. If Frank Morgan was half as nice a man in real life as he is in this picture, then I wish I had known him. Young Virginia Weidler is a delight. Morgan's comedic timing ought to be studied in film schools. He can move from yes to no and back to yes on a dime. The first scenes in the film when, as an out of work actor, he's offered a vaudeville job as the target of a drunken sharpshooter, is a masterpiece of fast dialog and twisting body language. Nobody ever dithered like Frank Morgan. Thanks to TCM for showing it and don't miss it the next time.

Terrific B-western/comedy starring Frank Morgan (THE WIZARD OF OZ) as a cowardly vaudeville performer who inherits a ranch in Tonto City, Arizona. HENRY GOES ARIZONA offers up plenty of the old B-western formulas and clichés, but with a comedic twist. This, along with excellent performances by Morgan, Virginia Weidler (the kid from THE PHILADELPHIA STORY) and veteran character actor Guy Kibbee, raise this one far above the ordinary run of mediocre B-oaters.

8/10

(Addendum, 10/21/05: I'm glad to see that more people are seeing this great little movie. It deserves the exposure.)