Wednesday Western: 'Destry Rides Again' (1939)

This movie is so good that I wish I could watch it every day. As you’ve already noticed, Jimmy Stewart ranks as my favorite Western actor, neck and neck with the one and only John Wayne. It’s hard to out-Western that opening scene, with howling madmen firing shots at a post that says “Welcome to Bottleneck.” Immediately, we’re shoved into a town full of these crazy people — firing their revolvers indiscriminately, drunk, chasing prostitutes through the mud, packing into the Last Chance Saloon. As the barkeep says: “This is...