Tweekums When a man claims that he has been cheated out of his ranch in a game of poker by saloon owner Phil Decker the Sheriff goes to investigate; at first Decker seems reasonable even saying that he will return the man's ranch but as the sheriff turns to leave he is shot in the back. The town is clearly in Decker's pocket or terrified of him as the doctor certifies that the sheriff died of a heart attack and the mayor appoints Reginald T. 'Rags' Barnaby, the town drunk, as his replacement. What they didn't suspect was that Rags would take the job seriously; swearing to stop drinking and appointing Tom Destry, son of a legendary no nonsense lawman, to be his deputy. Rags is in for a disappointment when Destry arrives though...he emerges from the stagecoach unarmed and carrying a birdcage and a parasol! Decker's heavies have a good laugh when they see him; clearly he has made a poor first impression. He isn't quite the joke everybody things though and when he hears rumours about the old sheriff he starts to investigate; asking the right questions and even collecting bullets for a forensic examination. Inevitably though he will eventually have to strap on a gun and face Decker the old fashioned way... a western can't just end with an arrest! As well as having villains to deal with a western needs some potential love interest and here it is provided by Brandy; the saloon singer who helped Decker cheat at cards and Martha Phillips the nice girl he is clearly 'meant to be with'.As I've yet to see 'Destry Rides Again' I can't say how this compares but I did find this to be an enjoyable western; Audie Murphy is ideal in the role of the soft spoken Destry as he doesn't look like a traditional Hollywood tough guy despite an actual war record that proves he was more heroic than better known western stars. It helps that he was supported by s fine cast Lyle Bettger is suitably unpleasant as Decker, Thomas Mitchell was entertaining as Rags and Mari Blanchard was just right as Brandy; the bad girl who might just come good. There isn't a huge amount of action but what there is is pretty good and there is plenty of tension as we know our hero is unarmed most of the time.. there is also a rather entertaining fight between Brandy and another woman that ends with both of them getting soaked when Destry pours a bucket of water over them. With a good story, solid action and a surprising number of laughs I'd say this is well worth watching if you are a fan of the genre and a must see for fans of Audie Murphy.

zardoz-13 World War II hero Audie Murphy assumes the role that western icon Tom Mix created in the 1932 black & white version of Universal Studios' "Destry Rides Again" and that James Stewart recreated later for director George Marshall in the black & white 1939 remake "Destry Rides Again" as an easy-going lawman that prefers to ask questions first and sling lead second in the Technicolored rehash retitled "Destroy," ostensibly based on Max Brand's novel "Twelve Peers." There is a mite more irony in the casting of Murphy as a deputy sheriff who guzzles milk rather than liquor and shuns shooting irons than either Mix or Stewart. Basically, Murphy earned more medals during World War II on the battlefield for killing German soldiers as a U.S. Army infantryman than anybody else. Murphy squares off in this flavorful comic remake with actor Lyle Bettger, the epitome of 1950s' western villainy who went on to lock horns with the likes of Burt Lancaster in "Gunfight at the O.K. Corral" (1957) and Clayton Moore in "The Lone Ranger." Bettger fares even better as the smiling but slimy varmint that mustached Brian Donlevy played in "Destry Rides Again." The same cannot be said for raven-haired beauty Mari Blanchard who cannot hold a candle to the volatile Marlene Dietrich from the 1939 version. Interestingly, Donlevy's owl hoot went by the handle of Kent, while Bettger was named Decker, and Dietrich was called Frenchy whereas Blanchard was named Brandy.As the infamous Phil Decker, Bettger establishes is villainous credentials early on when he swindles a rough-hewn homesteader, Henry Skinner (Walter Baldwin, the original Floyd the Barber on "The Andy Griffith Show") out of the deed to his ranch in a rigged poker game. Decker does this with the help of saloon siren Brandy who splashes steamy hold coffee on Skinner so he is distracted long enough to have his ace-in-the-hole card switched for a lesser card. When the outraged Skinner tries to reclaim his IOU from Decker, Sheriff Joe Bailey (Trevor Bardette) intervenes. However, Bailey gets gunned down for his noble efforts when he turns his back on Decker's henchmen. Once the sheriff is dead and cold, the Honorable Hiram J. Sellers, Mayor (Edgar Buchanan of "Texas") follows Decker's wishes and swears in the town drunk Rags (Oscar winner Tomas Mitchell of "Stagecoach") as the new sheriff. Determined to clean up the crooked town of Restless, Rags recruits the son of legendary lawman, Tom Destry (Audie Murphy) to help him. Rags expects Destry to behave like the pistol packing image of his father, but Tom disappoints him when he arrives in town with no guns. Surprises galore ensue once Tom pins on the badge and appears to be aiding and abetting the greedy Decker.Although he never displayed a broad range of diverse roles as an actor, Audie Murphy acquits himself more than adequately with a personable performance. Director George Marshall doesn't let the momentum lag in this cheerful, upbeat oater for a minute. The finale in the saloon with Murphy swapping lead with multiple villains maintains the best western tradition in this clean-cut, freshly laundered 1950s sage-brusher. Lori Nelson as the good girl plays second fiddle to Blanchard's bad girl in this formula western, but she manages to rope the hero into her amorous embrace by fadeout. Alan Hale, Jr., who made a name for himself on CBS as the Skipper in "Gilligan's Island" lends solid support as a trigger-happy cattleman. "Destry" gives remakes a good reputation.

lowkus This NEEDS to be released on DVD! It has all of the content necessary to be a great western. All of the acting is good, and the dialog is good, the camera-work and sets and costumes. Everything about this movie is good. It's a solid Western as they used to be made. It gives as good as "Destry Rides Again". Sure, it doesn't have Jimmy S., but then his presence doesn't a western make.This is one of those movies that isn't even available on VHS except the rare old deteriorating copies that are floating out in the universe of crumbling static-filled fuzzy video tape. Our local library used to have a VHS copy of it about a decade ago and then something happened to it and it disappeared from the shelves. Haven't seen another copy since.A restored DVD version would also do well to complement the "Destry Rides Again" movie. I mean, there are probably a bunch of people out there saying "Destry Rides Again... hmm, he's riding again? Where did he ride originally?". That's when they'll come looking for this movie... you corporate guys should be smelling profit by now.

tedphx Destry Rides Again was very good, and Jimmy Stewart certainly has a cowboy persona, but that's not the first image that comes to mind when we think of this great actor.Audie Murphy, on the other hand couldn't be more cowboy - Texas born and a super-hero FOR REAL, not the phony John Wayne type, and what's even better is that he's not a strapping hulk, he's an unassuming, charming, perpetual kid with a quiet inner strength. We think of Gene Autry and Roy Rogers, but Audie Murphy tops them all. If he only could sing, everyone would know that.And Destry is his shining star. He's so good in the role, you watch almost the way you watch Casablanca. In fact, there seems to be a lot of similarity between Rick and Tom - they do what they need to do in unconventional ways, with a minimal amount of violence that they are forced to initiate against their wills.I love westerns, I love Destry, and I love Audie. If only all Americans were like him.