Cherry Malotte
Marlene Dietrich
Cherry Malotte
The Spoilers
“Crashing Fists in the Gold-Crazed Alaska of '98!”
6.2
1942
1h 27m
DramaWestern
Director: Ray Enright
Overview
When honest ship captain Roy Glennister gets swindled out of his mine claim, he turns to saloon singer Cherry Malotte for assistance in his battle with no-good town kingpin Alexander McNamara.
Trailer
The Spoilers (1942) - Trailer Official
Cast
McNamara
Randolph Scott
McNamara
Glennister
John Wayne
Glennister
Helen Chester
Margaret Lindsay
Helen Chester
Dextry
Harry Carey
Dextry
Bronco Kid
Richard Barthelmess
Bronco Kid
Banty
George Cleveland
Banty
Judge Stillman
Samuel S. Hinds
Judge Stillman
Flapjack
Russell Simpson
Flapjack
Wheaton
William Farnum
Wheaton
Idabelle
Marietta Canty
Idabelle
Mr. Skinner
Jack Norton
Mr. Skinner
Reviews
John Chard
No fighting in here allowed unless it's over me. We are in Nome, Alaska, miner Roy Glennister (John Wayne) and his partner Dextry (Harry Carey), are forced to fight to save their gold claims from the crooked commissioner, Alexander McNamara (Randolph Scott). Backed by sultry saloon owner and entertainer Cherry Malotte (Marlene Dietrich), the team must overcome both the odds and suspect politicians in order to get their just deserts. Rex Beach's novel has been adapted five times thus far, and it's not hard to see why because the story is as solid as it gets. This take on the source has a wonderful sense of fun and adventure oozing from it, the cast are uniformly great and the direction from Ray Enright is tight and unobtrusive. Some fine set pieces dot themselves throughout the picture, culminating in a right royal (and lengthy) punch up between Wayne & Scott. No overkilling or tediously ham sequences are here, this is simply an enjoyable Western achieving all it set out to achieve from the off. 7/10
Read full reviewCinemaSerf
An oddly mis-matched cast of Marlene Dietrich, John Wayne and Randolph Scott star in this adaptation of Rex Beach's adventure tale of two miners (financed by Dietrich - a saloon owner/entertainer) who have to put up a fight against the corrupt land commissioner who is bent on stealing all the lucrative claims from their rightful owners. The cast don't really gel but that actually helps it along - it's very implausibility (e.g. Wayne in ladies' apparel) and a decent wise-cracking dialogue makes it quite entertaining. The ending is never in doubt - good will out - but it's quite an enjoyable ride to the finish with a journeyman cast of supporting actors - and a great bar brawl too!
Read full reviewWuchak
**_Worthwhile old Western about Alaskan prospectors vs. corrupt officials with Wayne, Scott and Dietrich_** In 1900, the Nome Gold Rush attracts claim-jumpers, including a smooth gold commissioner (Randolph Scott), who’s in league with a crooked judge (Samuel S. Hinds). An alluring saloon owner (Marlene Dietrich) is aware of the corruption as her old beau (John Wayne) arrives on the same ship as the ‘judge,’ arm-in-arm with his winsome niece (Margaret Lindsay). The situation builds to a confrontation between the honest miners and the thieves masquerading as “the law.” "The Spoilers" (1942) is a B&W Western and one of five cinematic versions of the 1906 Rex Beach novel that was based on real-life corrupt officials, such as Alexander McKenzie, who seized gold mines from hard-working prospectors, which Beach himself witnessed when prospecting. While the film’s hindered by some understandable quaint elements (the B&W photography, the score and bits of goofy side amusement involving a couple of sourdoughs), you can’t beat the notable cast of Wayne, Scott and Dietrich. Both Marlene (Cherry) and Margaret (Helen) are appealing in different ways. Although the flick is talky, you get to know the characters and find yourself involved in the story, assuming you can roll with the old-fashioned style. As far as thrills go, there’s a gunfight or two, a saloon fight, a jailbreak, a train crash and, best of all, a mano a mano melee between the characters played by Wayne and Scott, which took five days to plot and execute. I heard Randolph mistimed one punch and broke John’s nose, which of course delayed filming. The movie runs 1 hour, 27 minutes, and was shot at Lake Arrowhead, San Bernardino National Forest, which is just east of the Los Angeles area, as well as Universal Studios. Some second unit work was done in Sunland, California (just north of L.A.), and possibly Yukon, Canada. GRADE: B
Read full review Movies
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