Destry Rides Again
Der große Bluff
© Universal Pictures
A small western town is terrorised by an unscrupulous swindler and his gang. The new deputy sheriff in town seems useless – he carries no weapons and sticks strictly to the letter of the law. It is not until one of his closest allies is murdered that he has a change of heart … After making seven films with director Josef von Sternberg and a number of flops, Marlene Dietrich radically changed her image with this film. As a shady saloon singer, she doesn’t play on her ethereal beauty, but instead gives us a woman who knows how to assert herself – both in a catfight and in a clinch with deputy Tom Destry. Her appearance in the 1939 film served a just cause; Destry Rides Again is more than just a style-setting western comedy. The film was released in theatres immediately following Nazi Germany’s invasion of Poland, with an unvarnished message cautioning against US appeasement policy towards the Third Reich. In addition to Marlene Dietrich, prominent Jewish émigrés also worked on the production, including Felix Jackson (born Joachimson, screenplay), Friedrich Holländer (songs, music) and Joseph (Joe) Herman Pasternak (producer).
With
- Marlene Dietrich
- James Stewart
- Mischa Auer
- Charles Winninger
- Brian Donlevy
- Allen Jenkins
- Warren Hymer
Crew
Director | George Marshall |
Screenplay | Felix Jackson, Gertrude Purcell, Henry Myers based on a story by Felix Jackson suggested by the novel “Destry Rides Again” by Max Brand |
Cinematography | Hal Mohr |
Editing | Milton Carruth |
Music | Frank Skinner |
Sound | Bernard B. Brown |
Art Director | Jack Otterson |
Costumes | Vera West |
Producer | Joe Pasternak |
World sales
Universal Pictures
Additional information
DCP: Universal Pictures, Universal City, CA