GENTLE ANNIE
US, 1944, 80 minutes, Black and white.
James Craig, Donna Reed, Marjorie Main, Harry Morgan, Paul Langton, Barton Mac Lane, Morris Ankrum.
Directed by Andrew Marton.
Gentle Annie is based on a novel by Mac Kinlay Cantor, writer of The Best Years of Our Lives and offering stories for such films as Gun Crazy and The Romance of Rosie Ridge.
The setting is Oklahoma, 1901 – still an outpost with overtones of the old west, which makes this film something of a 20th century western. The Annie of the title is played by Marjorie Main, a character actress – and this performance anticipates her very popular role as Ma Kettle. James Craig is the leading man, an investigator concerning a train robbery who goes undercover and lives with the family of the robbers. Donna Reed works at a hotel, is alone and wants to return to Missouri but is befriended by the family. Harry Morgan and Paul Langton are Annie’s sons, involved in a train robbery. Barton Mac Lane is the corrupt sheriff in the town, with a hostility as a northerner towards those from the south because of the civil war.
The film has its genial moments with Marjorie Main veering between firing a shotgun and being pleasant and sentimental. Donna Reed is always charming. James Craig a solid hero. There is some ambiguity in the reasons for the family robbing the train – which plays into the conclusion, a more empathetic ending than might have been expected.
1. A pleasant B-budget film? 20th century western? Drama?
2. Oklahoma, 1901, the towns, the saloons, the streets? The railroads? The farms? Authentic feel?
3. The title, the reference to Annie Goss? Motherly, the widow of the southern soldier? His portrait and the family greeting him each day? Her love for her sons? Her kindness, with the chickens and on the farm? Her eyesight? Off-key singing? Her welcoming Mary and making her part of the family? Her welcoming Rich? Happy to have him in the house? Her relationship with her sons? The revelation that she was at the robbery? The threats from the sheriff? Her wanting to go back to Missouri, the gift of the hat and its effect on her? The pathos of her being shot by the sheriff?
4. The rain robbery, the explosion, burning so much of the money? The motivations for the robbery, money to buy the old homestead and return to Missouri? The rumours of gold on the land? Annie at home, her two sons, Cotton and his more serious approach, Vi and his name, his attraction towards the girls, his hopes? The brothers going into town, Barrow and his knowing the truth, having the money? The train arriving, Rich and his being seen as a vagrant? Barrow and his wanting to take photographs?
5. The sheriff, the northerner, his hostility, his deputy? Suspicions of the brothers, going onto their land, losing his hat? The confrontation? The group going to the farm, the shooting of Annie? The shootout in the town, the death of the deputy and the sheriff?
6. Rich, seeing him in the city, his commission to find the robbers, his reputation? Undercover, a vagrant? Handy with the gun, sympathetic to the brothers, staying with them, working on the farm, friendly with Annie? His falling in love with Mary? With the brothers, their confiding in him, helping them against the sheriff? Their showing him the money, the invitation to go on a raid? His pulling the gun, their overcoming him? Working with them against the sheriff, the death of Vi, taking Cotton in, Cotton’s sense of justice and Rich doing his duty?
7. Mary, in the saloon, short-tempered? Leaving, going with Annie, enjoying living in the house, a family, the hat, riding with Vi? Falling in love with Rich, discovering the truth? On the train, leaving and the happy ending?
8. Rich, undercover, sense of duty, sympathy? Love for Mary, the happy ending?
9. Barrow, the photos, the drinks, the sheriff getting the information? Being cowardly?
10. A gallery of characters – and a gentle train robbery story, a story of outlaws in the old style –
