Destry Rides Again (1939)

James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich

''Destry Rides Again'' is a 1939 comedy Western movie which parodies the traditional heroic Western genre. It was directed by George Marshall and starred James Stewart, Marlene Dietrich, Mischa Auer, and Brian Donlevy. It was well received on release by both public and critics but in the year of 'Gone With The Wind' and 'The Wizard of Oz' it unsurprisingly received no Academy Award nominations. It has an enduring appeal and is still popular today, with a genre of its own, the satirical Western.

In 1996, the movie was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

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James Stewart plays Destry, the soft-spoken newly appointed sheriff of the unruly town of Bottleneck. He is not the typical frontier town sheriff as he drinks milk and doesn't carry a gun, but he wins over the respect of the townsfolk and the affections of Frenchy, the bargirl played by Marlene Dietrich, and succeeds in cleaning up the town and bringing the bad guys, headed by Saloon owner Kent (Brian Donlevy), to justice.

Its an amusing and unusual movie and is packed with memorable scenes and witty dialogue. It is well acted by a first class cast and the whole thing is handled with a deft touch by director Marshall.