Arizona (1940)

During the 1860s Tucson, a pioneer woman struggles to succeed in the freight and cattle business while at risk at the hands of corrupt and violent local businessmen and rampaging Indians.

Director:

Wesley Ruggles

Writers:

Claude Binyon (screen play), Clarence Budington Kelland (based on the story by)

Stars:

Jean Arthur, William Holden, Warren William

Nominated for 2 Oscars.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jean Arthur	...	Phoebe Titus
William Holden	...	Peter Muncie
Warren William	...	Jefferson Carteret
Porter Hall	...	Lazarus Ward
Edgar Buchanan	...	Judge Bogardus
Paul Harvey	...	Solomon Warner
George Chandler	...	Haley
Byron Foulger	...	Pete Kitchen
Regis Toomey	...	Grant Oury
Paul Lopez	...	Estevan Ochoa
Colin Tapley	...	Bart Massey
Uvaldo Varela	...	Hilario Callego (as Roberto Álvarez)
Earl Crawford	...	Joe Briggs
Griff Barnett	...	Sam Hughes (as Griff Barnette)
Ludwig Hardt	...	Meyer

Storyline

Phoebe Titus is a tough, swaggering pioneer woman, but her ways become decidedly more feminine when she falls for California bound Peter Muncie. But Peter won't be distracted from his journey and Phoebe is left alone and plenty busy with villains Jefferson Carteret and Lazarus Ward plotting at every turn to destroy her freighting company. She has not seen the last of Peter, however.

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Plot Keywords:

arizona | tucson arizona | arizona territory | u.s. cavalry | older woman younger man relationship | 

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Taglines:

Turbulent Adventure.... Set Against The Rich ,Romantic Tapestry Of Early Arizona!

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Genres:

Western

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

25 December 1940 (USA)

Also Known As:

Аризона

Filming Locations:

Cortaro, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In 1940, when this film was released, Jean Arthur was forty years old and her "love Interest", William Holden was only twenty-two.

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Goofs

As the robbers are making their escape after blowing Phoebe's safe, Phoebe is seen leaving her home apparently tucking her shirt in. The next scene, she is still tied to her bed where the robbers put her before the robbery.

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Quotes

Peter Muncie: I figure it sounds crazy to most people... going to California just to see it. But there's a gallivanted bug in my blood and that's the way I am.

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Connections

Featured in The Last Round-up (1947)

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Soundtracks

Gwine to Rune All Night (De Camptown Races)
(1850) (uncredited)
Written by Stephen Foster
In the score for the opening scene

User Reviews

A High Toned Skunk

In Arizona Jean Arthur repeats her Calamity Jane character from the earlier DeMille classic, The Plainsman. She's a tough pioneer woman, one of the founders of early Tucson.

Her dream man comes by way of a wagon train in William Holden who was making his first western with this film. Originally the part was offered to Gary Cooper who turned it down. I suspect that Cooper clearly saw that Arthur had more screen time. Holden who was under dual contract to Paramount and Columbia had no choice in the matter.

But by far the best one in this film is Warren William who is the suave villain of the piece. In The Big Country, Burl Ives describes Charles Bickford as a 'high toned skunk'. That phrase so very aptly describes what Warren William is all about here.

Previous to his arrival, the local bad guy was Porter Hall. But William with guile and cunning bullies Hall into a partnership who in turn sets him up with the local Apaches. Nobody can quite prove what's going on, but Holden says William has the odor of polecat about him.

There's a nice battle scene with the Apaches before the final showdown with Holden and William. Their final battle is a combination of the shootouts from both Stagecoach and High Noon.

Paul Harvey has a nice part as the Scottish merchant who is Arthur's business partner and Edgar Buchanan does one of his patented reprobate judge parts that he would do over and over in his career.

And we even get to hear William Holden sing I Dream of Jeannie. Nothing special and it's no accident he had no career in musicals.

Arizona is still a nice film tribute to our western pioneer spirit and it's one of Warren William's best screen characters.