Memorable, crazy movie

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

"San Antonio" isn't the best film in Errol Flynn's career but in its own way, the film is watchable. I couldn't always follow the plot, the writers obviously thought the public would digest anything that was put in front of them. Paul Kelly - a real life convict who's career was affected at one point - is a very good villain in "San Antonio." At least he and Flynn have a good showdown at the end. The whole production looks very ordinary in spite of it being filmed in technicolour. The actor nicknamed "Cuddles," has a funny scene when he grows a bit exasperated with his orchestra during a rehearsal. Alexis Smith sure is feisty in this one and it was good! She has a good aim with her right arm! There is some action but not enough of it in my opinion.

Hard to believe this was Flynn's highest grossing film but war-weary patrons were looking for any form of escapism. Sharp Technicolor production, nice use of Warner's Calabasas Ranch plus razor sharp costumes for Alexis Smith make this film watchable but not much else. Flynn smiles his way through the proceedings but looks rather silly in the red bandanna and toy gun.Nevertheless, his scenes with Alexis generate smiles. Was there anybody better than Flynn? I think not. His riding a horse then dismounting into the window of the stage is a nice touch. Unfortunately, this tepid movie plods along until the anti-climatic saloon fight scene. All stunts, prate-falls and special effects look so staged it's distracting. By the end you're left thinking: let's wrap this up! I'm a huge Flynn fan but San Antonio entertainment isn't as big as Texas. Dodge City, Virginia City and even Rocky Mountain are better bets.Note: Some stunts done with Horses would never see the light of day now. One scene has Flynn chasing Paul Kelly across a bridge, Flynn jumps onto Kelly's white horse with both taking a big fall into the river. It's one of the more dramatic moments in the entire film. Speaking of Kelly, his personal life was almost as drama filled as Flynn's.

The great western directors of the 50s & 60s... Budd Boetticher, Sergio Leone, etc. must have used this as a blueprint as to how NOT to make a western. This looks like one of those lame Warner Bros. musicals of that era. The comic relief is used to break up the dance hall music rather than the action. TCM is showing doing during 31 days of Oscar because of the song! A good western needs a good villain. Tom Tyler is the only menacing villain and he is gone early in the film. Three directors are listed, including the great Raoul Walsh who must have been sent in to salvage this mess. Very little action, zero suspense. Put on Captain Blood instead.

I saw this film again after many years, and realise more than ever that the chemistry of Flynn/de Havilland is sadly missing,; while Alexis Smith does a reasonable enough job, she seems cold and almost an unwilling participant in this run of the mill Western. The "baddies" were well played by Paul Kelly and Victor Francen, while Cuddles Sakall takes over as Warner's light relief from the old stagers Frank McHugh and Alan Hale who both seemed to be standard casting in Flynn films. The story has been done before, and since, but was enjoyable enough, but I felt the photography was too dark in many scenes (and it was not the print). It was good to see Florence Bates again, and the finale was pretty good, but it is way short of the fun and excitement of "Dodge City"