Frenchie

Although most film historians rate Frenchie as at least a partial remake of Destry Rides Again, you look on the film credits and you will see nary a mention of Max Brand and his western novel on which the famous James Stewart-Marlene Dietrich classic is based. It gives someone by the name of Oscar Brodney credit for an 'original story and screenplay. The estate of Max Brand could have sued.

But other than the name of the town of Bottleneck and the name of Shelley Winters title character a whole lot has changed. Joel McCrea is the Destry character renamed Tom Banning who cleaned up the bad elements in Bottleneck, but then left after his girlfriend Marie Windsor decided to marry John Emery the banker. He's coming back now.

But also coming to town is Shelley Winters who as a little girl saw her father murdered by his two partners, one of them Paul Kelly the other a silent partner. She's the notorious Frenchie Fairmount of New Orleans, owner and operator of the most posh gambling palace in that town and she's now come to Bottleneck to take the trade from Paul Kelly who owns a rival palace in nearby Chuck-a-luck. Winters arrives with able assistants Elsa Lanchester and John Russell.

Separate things bring McCrea and Winters back to Bottleneck, but soon they find they've a lot in common. McCrea has the Destry character down pretty good, albeit he's a little older than when Jimmy Stewart and later Audie Murphy played him.

As for Shelley Winters, she's one brassy lassie and she holds her own in the chick fight that Destry is so famous for. Her's is with Marie Windsor.

One thing Frenchie does miss is the sure comedy touch of George Marshall from the 1939 version. Still this one holds up quite nicely and McCrea and Winters and the rest of the cast do just fine.

Shelly Winters, Joel McCrea and Elsa Lanchester make for a solid and entertaining trio in this slight yet fun western/romance. Some of the scenery is beautiful, Winters looks lovely and most of the various colorful supporting characters all contribute something towards making this a generally fun and easy film to view and enjoy. The pacing is good and quick there's not a dull moment to be found. Sure, the story is slight but continually moving and the cat fight between Winters and Windsor is a hoot. Joel McCrea gives his usual understated performance and in the end loves wins out for Shelly and Elsa and all is good with the west again.

Light western has New Orleans saloon queen Shelley Winters returning to her rustic hometown of Bottleneck to find the varmints who killed her father 15 years earlier--trouble is, she doesn't know who they are, and so opens a new saloon as a cover while she solves the mystery. Friendly enough, yet awfully silly second-feature with a plot that doesn't quite hang together. Still, Winters (with a devil in her eyes) fires off some fresh lines while utilizing her feminine wiles to charm the pants off the male residents. Joel McCrea is a bit sleepy as the story-tellin', wood-whittlin' sheriff, but the supporting cast is solid, particularly Elsa Lanchester as gal-pal the Countess. The Technicolor photography is bright and handsome, but the production (a jumbled mix of studio sets and location shots) is visually insecure. Nothing at all to take seriously, but enjoyable while it lasts. **1/2 from ****

Great little film. Shelly Winters is smooth, sexy and Mae West funny.The story line is typical of all westerns of the era. Revenge and broken hearts among all. John Russel makes it all work as the protector of Frenchie. No cursing or nudity

If you (like the rest of the world) think of Shelley Winters as an overweight, frumpy, whiny old lady, rent Frenchie. I'm in the minority, I realize, but this is how I think of Shelley winters. She's cute as a button, has a fun and flirtatious personality, and believe it or not, she has a figure. Frenchie is a western with a thin plot, but it doesn't matter. Shelley is trying to find the murderer of her father, and Joel McCrea is the sheriff. Joel warns her with a story of a girl he knew who rode a wild horse for too long and got into trouble. "Don't worry about me, Sherriff. Anything I can get on. . ." she says tauntingly as she fixes his bow tie, "I can get off." How did that get past the censors? Perhaps the members of the Hays board were too distracted with Shelley's adorableness and glamorous saloon costumes to notice what was coming out of her mouth. What a figure (she used to share clothes with her roommate, Marilyn Monroe)! It's no wonder all eyes in the saloon leave the can-can dancers when she walks into the room.

Seriously, folks. I know Shelley Winters isn't a glamour queen. I realize no one remembers her as a great beauty or sex symbol. But I always think of her as she was in Frenchie. She's a bundle of fun, and I would have loved to have been her friend.