Crappy film

A Masterpiece!

A Major Disappointment

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Fred MacMurray (Don) is a forest ranger who works in a tight-nit forest ranger community that deals with the preservation of the forest and lots of fire-fighting. Particularly now that an arsonist is setting off fires. The local forest ranger girl is Susan Hayward (Tana) and although she is fondly nicknamed 'Butch', she definitely isn't. She sees MacMurray as her catch. However, one day at a parade in a local town, MacMurray meets and marries Paulette Goddard (Celia) before returning with her to his community. Everyone is shocked. And Hayward is not happy… The film is shot in Technicolour which adds to the enjoyment and the cast are good although I wish retired ranger Lynne Overman (Jammer) spoke properly. WTF is he saying? We get a mystery as to who is starting deliberate fires played alongside some comical situations as Goddard and Hayward spar with each other. And it's all good entertainment. This film was better than I expected. MacMurray leaves me indifferent, rather like his attitude towards both these women in his life. The interest in the film comes from the 2 female leads. There is also the bonus of hearing snippets of the song "Jingle Jangle Jingle" at various moments. Always nice to hear a tune. Can you guess who the arsonist is? I doubt it.If you look at the credits you will notice a Keith Richards in the role of a Ranger. That guy really has had a varied life. This was in the days before he plugged in a guitar and joined the Rolling Stones and then fell out of a mango tree.

Fred MacMurray is a forest ranger, obviously, and Susan Hayward is the woman he loves. Correction: she loves him, and he treats her like one of the boys. He later meets Paulette Goddard, and they get hitched, supplying the plot of rivalry between Susan and Paulette. Costarring Regis Toomey and Brian Donlevy, this movie contains a mixture of light comedy and soap opera-ish drama, making it a cross between the TV show "Dallas" and Carol Burnett's soap opera send-off, "Fresno" in the eighties (which I wish they would put on DVD.) And, the fires will knock you out and look like something out of "Backdraft." You literally can feel the heat, they're so real. I was very impressed with the fact they didn't cut corners in showing the real thing in an old movie like this. In fact, I was very impressed with everything for such a little unknown movie, which I think you will too.

Sit back and enjoy a movie that makes good use of the particular talents of Fred MacMurray, Paulette Goddard and Susan Hayward. Each has a role totally fitted to their screen persona and they make the most of their opportunities. What helps considerably are the lush production values--but don't expect too much credibility in the script that has the female stars fighting rather predictably over the hero while the subplot (about an arsonist methodically setting forest fires) gives the story some additional sparks. A particularly amusing sequence has the trio spending the night in the woods sharing the same blanket--rather risque stuff for '42!!There's grandeur in the technicolor photography and stunning close-ups of Susan and Paulette to keep their fans happy. A catchy song number called "I Got Spurs That Jingle, Jangle, Jingle" became a top hit on the hit parade at time of the film's release.Only real weakness is the ending which has Susan's character doing a real switcheroo--but it's not a film to take seriously in the first place and only meant to be entertainment--which it is.Susan shows the kind of grit and spirit that enabled her to take on more complex roles later in her career and Paulette Goddard has a role tailor-made to show off her own brand of sophisticated charm. MacMurray is himself, nothing more, and it works every time.

Seeing Fred MacMurray, Paulette Goddard and Susan Hayward in this rousing gorgeous technicolor movie was great fun. Story of a Forest Ranger (MacMurray), being chased by the beautiful but butch lumber mill owner (Hayward), and then meeting and falling in love at first sight with a rich girl (Goddard) makes the triangle perfect. Guy marries girl and the fun begins as the vixen tries to woo him back. Funny scene when the three of them are stranded in the woods and have to spend the night with one blanket to share between them.Excellent forest fire scenes filmed by director Marshall. Climatic final scenes when the fire starter is surprisingly revealed and Goddard and Hayward, caught in the midst of the blazing woods, have to survive. Excellent dramatic footage of the fire and comedy of situation make this great movie fare. With today's films this one done in the early 40s still holds it's own.