Frenchy (Marlene Dietrich) 1939 / 2009

ABOUT THE MOVIE

DESTRY RIDES AGAIN will forever be remembered for Marlene Dietrich's performance as Frenchy, a crooked saloon waitress with a heart of gold. Her rendition of "See What the Boys in the Back Room Will Have" is one of the highlights of her career. But DESTRY RIDES AGAIN has much more to offer than just Dietrich's performance. This hilarious satire carries Jimmy Stewart in the lead as Tom Destry, a supposedly tough law enforcement man who doesn't like guns. Stewart's comic touches are brilliant as he eagerly gives out educational anecdotes anytime an opportunity affords itself.

The plot concerns the efforts of a saloon owner and a corrupt Mayor to rob the local cowpokes blind. Frenchy's on the payroll of the bad guys, but when sparks fly between her and Destry, her loyalty becomes a deciding factor in whether it's Destry or the bad guys who will ride off into the sunset.


BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Movie: DESTRY RIDES AGAIN

Country: USA

Year: 1939

Running time: 94 minutes

Directed by: George Marshall

Cinematography: Hal Mohr
Starring: Marlene Dietrich (Frenchy), James Stewart (Thomas Jefferson Destry Jr.), Charles Winninger (Washington Dimsdale), Brian Donlevy (Kent), Mischa Auer (Boris Callahan), Una Merkel (Lily Belle Callahan), Irene Hervey (Janice Tyndall), Jack Carson  (Jack Tyndall), Allen Jenkins (Gyp Watson), Warren Hymer (Bugs), Billy Gilbert (Barman in the  Last-Chance-Saloon), Samuel S. Hinds (Mayor Hiram J. Slade), Tom Fadden (Lem Claggett)




- A Broadway musical version of the story, Destry Rides Again, opened in New York at the Imperial Theater on April 23, 1959, and played 472 performances. Produced by David Merrick, the show had a book by Leonard Gershe and music and lyrics by Harold Rome and starred Andy Griffith as Destry and Dolores Gray as Frenchy.

- Marlene Dietrich as Frenchy performs the song See What the Boys in the Back Room Will Have which has become a classic.