One kind of movie I really like is the 40's film noir with some comic elements, especially with solid stars, supporting characters and maybe a good musical number. By those standards, His Kind of Woman is my kind of movie.
Gambler Robert Mitchum gets an offer - go to a resort in Mexico, meet someone, and get a lot of money. On his way there, he meets rich girl and sometime singer Jane Russell. (Spoiler alert - she sings "Five Miles from San Berdoo". Things are starting to look dicey.)
At the resort he meets gambler Jim Backus and hunter/movie star Vincent Price. Things are definitely looking up. So we get many scenes in a backlot resort of gambling, Price acting hammy, Russell being shady, etc, until gangster Raymond Burr shows up. He has a nefarious scheme, which Price has to help Mitchum foil.
OK, all that is fine. So what's my problem? I'd have to say - Howard Hughes. You know he produced because Jane Russell is in it. And he was a rotten producer. He just throws everything together, whether it fits or not. Nothing makes sense. There is no balance. The comedy and the drama don't go together. The romance between Mitchum and Russell isn't very convincing. He really liked to use Russell, and she really wasn't very good, was she?
We do see a few of Hughes' famous missile nosecone brassieres, although not on Russell.
So, if you love this kind of movie, you'll at least like His Kind of Woman. It's worth it for Mitchum and Vincent Price, although they would have been better in separate movies. But don't say I didn't warn you.
In conclusion, I ask you: "5 Miles to San Berdoo"? What were they thinking?
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