I suppose it doesn't stand up to close analysis: For one thing, what does the Frances Fuller character see in the Gary Cooper character (other than his looking like Gary Cooper?). He's undeservedly boastful, he's hot-tempered, he's snide and hyperdefensive. Also, how, having fallen so ignominiously, would the Coop character reestablish his place in the community? It doesn't add up.
Nevertheless, this is a heartfelt and most moving rural romance, less elaborate than its Warners remake but more affecting. Despite its Paramount imprimatur, its small-town setting, unfussy production values, and understated tone more suggest the Fox studio of the day. Cooper, underplaying masterfully, somehow makes this lout likable, and Fuller, who didn't have much of a career, has unusual soulfulness. Somewhat in the fashion of Molnar's "Liliom" (or its Americanized counterpart, "Carousel"), it's a sincere story of a ne'er-do-well braggart and the good woman who loves him unconditionally; the happy resolution is perhaps not credible, practically speaking, but it's so soul-satisfying.
Roscoe Karns is enormous help as Cooper's uncomplicated, good-natured longtime pal, and interesting folk like Jane Darwell and Clara Blandick turn up in small roles. At a trim 75 minutes, it's not only a good story well told but a vivid look at a happier America long, long vanished.
Nevertheless, this is a heartfelt and most moving rural romance, less elaborate than its Warners remake but more affecting. Despite its Paramount imprimatur, its small-town setting, unfussy production values, and understated tone more suggest the Fox studio of the day. Cooper, underplaying masterfully, somehow makes this lout likable, and Fuller, who didn't have much of a career, has unusual soulfulness. Somewhat in the fashion of Molnar's "Liliom" (or its Americanized counterpart, "Carousel"), it's a sincere story of a ne'er-do-well braggart and the good woman who loves him unconditionally; the happy resolution is perhaps not credible, practically speaking, but it's so soul-satisfying.
Roscoe Karns is enormous help as Cooper's uncomplicated, good-natured longtime pal, and interesting folk like Jane Darwell and Clara Blandick turn up in small roles. At a trim 75 minutes, it's not only a good story well told but a vivid look at a happier America long, long vanished.