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Saturday, March 28, 2009

The King and Four Queens (1956) [NR] ****

The King and Four Queens is not just a typical action western. It contains an interesting but subtle psycho-sexual component. The film begins with Dan Kehoe (Clark Gable) riding hard to elude a three-man posse, after which he rides into the western town of Touchstone. He helps the undertaker load a headstone, with the name McDade, into a wagon destined for neighboring Wagon Mound. Then, in a local bar, he learns that Wagon Mound is deserted except for a cantankerous old woman named Ma McDade (Jo Van Fleet) and four young women who were all married to Ma’s four sons.

Two years earlier the four McDade boys had committed a robbery and had escaped with a hundred thousand dollars in gold, however three of them had died and been burned beyond recognition in a Wagon Mound barn explosion and fire during a shootout with the posse chasing them. One of the sons had escaped, leaving the gold which Ma had buried on the property. However, since nobody knew which son had escaped, and only Ma knew where the gold was buried, all four of the young wives were waiting for his return, hoping the son was their husband and hoping to claim their share of the gold.

Once Kehoe hears about the gold, he is determined to find it. Ignoring warnings to stay out of Wagon Mound, he rides in and is shot and wounded by Ma McDade. While he is convalescing each of the four young wives attempts to seduce him in her own, unique way. Eager, sluttish Birdie (Barbara Nichols), who was an actress and dance-hall girl, misses the feeling of being in a man’s arms. Dangerous, possessive Ruby (Jean Willes), who is reminiscent of actresses like Ava Gardner, Jane Russell and Rita Hayworth, throws herself at Kehoe and is sure her fiery sexuality will make her irresistible to him. Shy, virginal Oralie (Sara Shane) believes her innocence will make her attractive to Kehoe. Cold, calculating, practical Sabina (Eleanor Parker) knows that, like herself, Kehoe is only interested in the gold, and that the best way out of Wagon Mound is to partner with him to find and move it, since the gold is heavy and needs a strong man to transport it. She uses her intellect and cunning, rather than the promise of her sexuality, to entice Kehoe to partner with her.

The three strongest characters are Kehoe (Gable), Ma McDade (Van Fleet) and Sabina (Parker) but all six of them are believable. All five women know what is going on, as Kehoe plays them one against the other, trying to discover where the gold is hidden and determine which of the four young wives offers him the best chance to steal the gold and get out of Wagon Mound with it.

The film is an enjoyable viewing experience, although the strict censorship code of the 1950s means that much is left to the viewer’s imagination. In addition, the conclusion is poorly written, rushed and less than completely satisfying. However, if you’re a fan of Clark Gable or Eleanor Parker, you might find it interesting. The film’s title The King and Four Queens, and the film poster depicting the four young wives as playing card queens, was likely designed to use Gable’s 1950s film studio image as the King of Hollywood, and also the idea that the search for the gold was a gamble.

Labels: action, Eleanor Parker, mystery, period, romance, thriller, western


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