Honky Tonk (1941)

The first of four screen pairings of Clark Gable and Lana Turner has Gable as Candy Johnson, a con artist/card shark who's been run out of one too many towns, with his partner in crime Chill Wills, due to their shady dealings and swindling the "suckers," as he calls them. He decides he wants to find one place and stay there, and go honest, at least partly. The next place down the line on the train is Yellow Creek, Nevada. On the way, he meets Lana, a sweet, pretty young thing, who's going to stay with her father. They of course instantly start making sparks, him coming on to her and Lana trying her best to not let on she likes him. In town, he finds he knows her father, the respected judge, played by Frank Morgan, who really isn't really honest, but is a drunk crook, to put it bluntly, and who puts up a front of respectability and in turn collects taxes and fees and uses them for his own habits. It turns out Candy and the judge go way back, but Lana never knew her father was anything but a good fellow. Claire Trevor is great as a saloon girl/poker dealer, who also knew Candy from the past and who is still harboring a yen for him. And, of course, there's a jerk, who's abusing the position of Sheriff, played by Albert Dekker. Have I got you in the mood for a good, old-fashioned western? Well, you can find it here, but up to a point. Most of the appeal of this is of course Gable and Turner together and their fireworks, with some fast-talking quips by Gable, such as when trying to kiss her, "Why don't you jump in and get wet all over? You'll feel better." and also by costar Marjorie Main, who was Ma Kettle. But after the first hour or so, the novelty wears off and and the melodramatics take over and there's too much talking and not enough action. "Honky Tonk" may be the most known and liked of their movies together, but it's far from perfect. I'd rather give this a 7.5, but I will round up for Gable being in top form and in his element as fast-talking Candy Johnson and for Lana Turner, who never looked more sweet and flirtatious than she does here.

Clark Gable is a rogue trying to go straight, and Lana Turner is his wife in "Honky Tonk," a western from MGM that also stars Claire Trevor, Frank Morgan, and Marjorie Main. Gable is Candy Johnson, who blows into town, and after he wins $5,000, opens his own gambling establishment. He meets Elizabeth (Turner), whose father (Morgan) is an old crook with a respectable front as a judge. After he and Elizabeth get married, Candy gets a taste of power and starts trying to take over the town. All his efforts initially were for his bride, but his intentions get away from him.The two stars really make this film. Turner and Gable have great chemistry, as they proved in other films together (this was their first). Gable is in his Rhett Butler phase and is at his handsomest and most charming in this pre-war era - clever, tough, sexy, and soft-hearted. The very young Turner is a good match for him - she seems overwhelmed by Candy at first, but she's got her own toughness, too, and knows what she wants. Claire Trevor is Candy's ex-girlfriend, and she's excellent as a woman who knows all there is to know about Candy and has been around the block a few times herself."Honky Tonk" is a big MGM picture with wonderful stars and first-class production values. The script isn't the greatest, but you'll hardly notice.

This is a slick MGM western that pulls out all the stops. It combines the finest actors and supporting actors, excellent production values and excellent writing to make a very enjoyable picture. I'm sure that some might be put off by the style of film, as it's pretty predictable and breaks no particular new ground. However, to audiences who were paying to see a "Clark Gable Picture", they were getting exactly what they paid for--the King of Hollywood in all his macho-ness combined with the radiant Ms. Turner in an involving western about professional gambler Gable and his desire to make a fortune any way he can to initially please his new wife, but forgetting WHY over the course of the film. It's all you'd expect from a top-notch studio with top-notch stars.

A good cast makes the best of the standard melodrama they've been pushed into. Turner's in love with rascal Gable, who can't resist her charms either (possibly for no other reason that they're the biggest stars in the movie). Trevor is his slighted lover, who seems to take it all in a spirit of know-how. Given Morgan's corruption in the first part of the film, the actor can't make his second half conversion seem plausible despite his skills. Some fun moments, but largely forgettable MGM product.