Wed 11 Aug 2021
A Western Movie Review by Jonathan Lewis THE STREETS OF LAREDO (1949).
Posted by Steve under Reviews , Western movies[6] Comments
THE STREETS OF LAREDO. Paramount Pictures, 1949. William Holden, Macdonald Carey, Mona Freeman, William Bendix, Stanley Ridges, Alfonso Bedoya, Ray Teal, Clem Bevans. Directed by Leslie Fenton.
I was no more than fifteen minutes into The Streets of Laredo when I began to have the distinct impression that I had seen the movie before. The thing is: I was nearly certain I hadn’t. I’m pretty good at remembering which movies I’ve seen and which I haven’t. I also was pretty sure I would have remembered William Holden portraying an outlaw turned Texas lawman.
As it turns out, this late 1940s Technicolor western was a remake of The Texas Rangers (1936), which I reviewed here some seven years ago. Turns out that I liked the movie well enough, although it doesn’t seem like I felt like it was anything exceptional.
In many ways, the same good equally be said for The Streets of Laredo. The film strives to be something of an epic tale about friendship, love, and good vs. evil, but ends up being something less than that. It’s just a solidly made western, albeit one that is assuredly better than many of the clumsy westerns from the late 1940s. Notably, it doesn’t include a single Native American character or a notably goofy sidekick.
William Holden portrays Jim Hawkins, who along with friends Lorn Reming (Macdonald Carey) and Wahoo Jones (William Bendix) is in the stagecoach holdup business. After the trio gets separated, Lorn (Carey) continues to pursue a life of crime, while Hawkins and Wahoo sign up with the Texas Rangers. Two men, former amigos, end up on the opposite side of the law.
But that’s not all. Both Jim and Lorn have similar romantic intentions toward Rannie Carter (Mona Freeman), a young woman they had rescued years ago. Add in a devious extortionist by the name of Charley Calico (a scenery chewing Alfonso Bedoya) and you’ve got yourself a solid ninety minutes of cinematic entertainment.
Although it’s been a while since I’ve seen The Texas Rangers, I somehow have the impression that the original was better than the remake. There’s nothing remotely memorable or artistic about the direction or cinematography in The Streets of Laredo. Aesthetically, it’s about as average as you can get. And from what I can tell from my review of King Vidor’s 1936 film, that one was “worth viewing for its good direction, plot twists, and some rugged, well choreographed, frontier action. There’s an especially harrowing sequence involved Indians rolling boulders down a hill in order to maim and murder some Rangers that is really something to behold.†I can’t think of any such equivalent action sequence in Leslie Fenton’s film.
August 11th, 2021 at 3:09 pm
This is secretly, one of my favorite oaters; and I’m glad to find it reviewed this thoroughly. Good job!
I don’t have a strong, decisive reason behind my affection, other than I like all the actors starring in it; and I felt Holden and Bendix had solid chemistry.
MacDonald Carey is always fun as a rotter, or a ne’er-do-well. I enjoyed learning about the Texas Rangers; and Mona Freeman (in this role) was perfectly feisty (she and Holden would also co-star in ‘Dear Wife’, ‘Dear Ruth’, etc with Joan Caulfield –charming 1940s domestic comedies).
Cinematography: although I haven’t seen a large number of earlier, 1930s westerns, (either A, B, or serial) I actually love the photography in this flick. There were some wide-open spaces and wide-angle shots which came across to my eyes with wonderful, gauzy, kind-of-crumbly, western-sunset hues bathing everything.
Direction: I was able to follow the story and found it engaging though of course, a simple triad. And, as you say it had been filmed before. But this little tale of three cowboys who start out buddies, join the Rangers, and then find themselves at odds with each other…well, I enjoyed it! What can I say.
Thematically, it reminded me, of many other great ‘trio-of-friends’ stories like ‘Gunga Din’, and whatnot.
Thanks again for reminding me of the good time I had with this movie.
August 11th, 2021 at 3:11 pm
Oh! Also the connection to the classic country ballad originated by …Tex Benacke, I think? It’s a catchy, though doleful tune. Leonard Cohen covers it live to good effect in one of his concerts.
August 11th, 2021 at 4:05 pm
Tex Ritter, perhaps? although the song was around long before him, I’m sure. And no other connection with the movie, I don’t believe, though I could be wrong about that.
August 11th, 2021 at 9:11 pm
Certainly enjoyed this one, even more before I saw the King Vidor original. Everyone here is equal to the part, though in general under Vidor’s hand MacMurray, Oakie, and Nolan all scored a bit better than Holden, Carey, and Bendix.
Being in color doesn’t hurt this one bit though.
Both films were inspired by historian Walter Prescott Webb’s Pulitzer Prize winning history THE TEXAS RANGERS which came out in time for the Texas Centennial of 1936, a massive volume whose tales of the storied and sometime troubled history of the Rangers inspired this.
There is a sort of sequel to the original called THE TEXAS RANGERS RETURN set in contemporary Texas starring John Howard with a Horace McCoy screenplay, and a George Montgomery Western with Jerome Courtland called THE TEXAS RANGERS that has nothing to do with either.
I probably like both films more than I should because I am named after my great grandfather, a minor gunfigher, lawman, and Texas Ranger. He was invited to be the guest at a special showing of the Vidor film when it first came out held in Dallas (I think in the old Majestic, one of those big movie palaces of the time), but had to turn them down since the roar of talkie films gave him a headache after a life spent outdoors.
Truthfully I suspect it all seemed rather silly to him.
August 12th, 2021 at 6:02 am
I found STREETS a bit tepid myself,lacking the energy of the original. William Holden was a better actor than Fred MacMurray, but Fred fit better into the part. Also, the confrontation between Lloyd Nolan and Jack Oakie in TEXAS RANGERS had a tension and chemistry that just wasn’t there in LAREDO.
August 12th, 2021 at 11:44 am
Holden is more dramatic and severe, but not better than MacMurray who is far more subtle, in my not at all humble opinion. On the other hand, Streets of Laredo comes up short when matched against The Texas Rangers, and this could be a clear matter of directorial hands; King Vidor versus Leslie Fenton.