Destry Rides Again is one of those classic films that people may not actually remember watching in full, but will know bits and pieces of. First, there is the odd, yet very affective coupling of Jimmy Stewart and Marlene Dietrich. They engage in the best movie, male/female, bar brawl of all time. Dietrich sings one of her most memorable songs, "See What the Boys in the Backroom Will Have." Last, but not least, is that this film greatly inspired Mel Brooks's western satire, Blazing Saddles.

Bottleneck is a corrupt western town where the mayor is as crooked as anyone else. The town has gambling, drinking and shootouts in the streets. Early on, head bad guy, Kent, with the help of saloon hall singer Frenchy, cheats a man out of his property in a game of poker. "Why, the game was as crooked as a pig's tale!" The victim later explained.

The sheriff soon ends up dead after trying to intervene on behalf of the property owner. As a joke, the town drunk is then made the new sheriff. He takes the job seriously, "I'm off the liquor. A man's got to choose between the bottle and the badge." He sends for his old partner's son, Destry, to help him out. His old partner was a tough John Wayne type, but it is mild mannered Jimmy Stewart who gets off the stagecoach. He says he does not like using guns and the local riff raff think they have nothing to worry about.

Soon, Destry is at odds with Kent, and Frenchy is caught in the middle. She is Kent's woman in that she helps him cheat and he is a meal ticket for her. Destry and Frenchy soon find themselves attracted to each other, even after she throws anything and everything she can find in the bar, at him. "I'll bet you've got kind of a lovely face under all that paint, huh? Why don't you wipe it off someday and have a good look - and figure out how you can live up to it." Destry says to her at one point. Frenchy's last scene is quite poetic because of that line.

The character of Frenchy was made iconic by Madeline Kahn impersonating Dietrich in Blazing Saddles. It is not the exact same character, but enough so that you know where it originated. The fact that Dietrich had such a strong German accent yet plays a woman named Frenchy, who is from New Orleans, makes me wonder if she was the first choice for the role? Either way, it some how works. The pairing of the all American Stewart and the exotic mystique of Dietrich, come together surprising well. They make for one of the most unique, yet entertaining, movie couples of all time.

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