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God's Country and the Woman (1937) Online

God's Country and the Woman (1937) Online
1937 George Brent Beverly Roberts Barton MacLane William Keighley
Original Title :
Godu0027s Country and the Woman
Genre :
Movie / Drama / Romance
Year :
1937
Directror :
William Keighley
Cast :
George Brent,Beverly Roberts,Barton MacLane
Writer :
James Oliver Curwood,Norman Reilly Raine
Type :
Movie
Time :
1h 25min
Rating :
6.0/10

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God's Country and the Woman (1937) Online

Jefferson Russett runs a logging company; his brother, Steve, is the prodigal son. Jeff cuts off his allowance and puts him to work, but on his first day, he is tricked into signing a contract allowing arch-rivals Barton Logging to use Russett railways. Jeff hauls Steve up to the logging camp, but he steals a plane. It runs out of gas in Barton territory, where spitfire Jo is running the camp. Naturally, this shrew must be tamed, so Steve, calling himself Steve Martin, sets out to do just that as he's trapped in the camp for two months until the next boat anyhow.
Cast overview, first billed only:
George Brent George Brent - Steve Russett
Beverly Roberts Beverly Roberts - Jo Barton
Barton MacLane Barton MacLane - Bullhead
Robert Barrat Robert Barrat - Jefferson Russett
Alan Hale Alan Hale - Bjorn Skalka (as Allan Hale)
Joe King Joe King - Red Munro (as Joseph King)
El Brendel El Brendel - Ole Olson
Addison Richards Addison Richards - Gaskett
Roscoe Ates Roscoe Ates - Gander Hopkins
Billy Bevan Billy Bevan - Plug Hat
Joseph Crehan Joseph Crehan - Jordan
Bert Roach Bert Roach - Kewpie
Victor Potel Victor Potel - Turpentine (as Vic Potel)
Mary Treen Mary Treen - Miss Flint
Herbert Rawlinson Herbert Rawlinson - Doyle

Bette Davis was to star in the movie, but was suspended when she failed to show up. She refused all of Jack L. Warner's offers until he agreed to her salary demands and a more open contract.

Warner Brothers' first feature-length film in full 3-strip Technicolor.

Technicolor cinematographer William V. Skall was relegated to the position of photographic advisor when he broke his ankle in a fall.

The following actors were in studio records and/or casting call lists, with their character names, but were not seen in the movie: Eily Malyon (Mrs. Higginbottom), Georgette Rhodes (French Teletype Operator), Robert Bell (French Messenger), Don Downen (Messenger), Eddy Chandler (Logger) and Ben Hendricks Jr. .

This film's earliest documented telecast took place in Tucson Wednesday 12 September 1956 on KDWI (Channel 9); it first aired in Phoenix Monday 31 December 1956 on KVAR (Channel 12), in Indianapolis Thursday 3 January 1957 on WISH (Channel 8), and in Miami Thursday 4 April 1957 on WTVJ (Channel 4). At this time, color broadcasting was in its infancy, limited to only a small number of high rated programs, primarily on NBC and NBC affiliated stations, so these film showings were still in B&W. Most viewers were not offered the opportunity to see these films in their original Technicolor until several years later.

The filming location was in the vicinity of Mount St. Helens, a then dormant volcano in Washington State, which was prominent in the background in several scenes in the movie. In 1980, Mount St. Helens erupted, reducing the height of the summit by about 1300 feet and leaving a one mile wide horseshoe shaped crater.

The airplane Steve is forced into is a Sikorsky S-38 amphibious flying boat. First flown in 1928, a total of 101 were built at a cost of around $37,000 ($539,000 in 2018) each. About 21 were sold to the U.S. Army and Navy, but most were for the civilian market. Pan American Airlines was the airline who purchased the most, and famous citizens such as Charles A. Lindbergh and Howard Hughes owned one.


User reviews

Bluddefender

Bluddefender

Early (1937) technicolor Western has Brent as the scion of a wealthy lumber family, brought back from an extended European vacation and forced to work for the family concern in Canada. They're literally at "loggerheads" with another lumber family who wants to ship their lumber through the territory without paying anything to its owners. The biggest obstacle for Brent in solving this problem is enemy boss Beverly Roberts, for whom he works until he begins to sympathize with her cause. Roberts is amusingly masculine in a leather jerkin and pants, but of course puts on the frilly dress when she gets a real shine to Mr. Brent. Allan Hale also does some solid character work as the hardy head guy. There are several notable comic performances in the film as well.

Good action, luscious photography, good performances in a funny story produce an exciting film -- one of the best in WB's inexorable line of lumber sagas.
Abywis

Abywis

A year after Paramount did its first outdoor color feature, The Trail Of The Lonesome Pine, Warner Brothers shot this film entirely on location in the timber country of the State of Washington. God's Country And The Woman is about two feuding timber families and the head of one family trying to crush the other.

But Robert Barrat has more than getting rid of Beverly Roberts and her holdings on his mind. He's got a lazy irresponsible playboy brother in the person of George Brent who spends the money as fast as Bob can cut down the trees to make it.

Through a combination of circumstances that you have to watch God's Country And The Woman for, Brent winds up working for the opposition and wooing Beverly Roberts. I don't think I have to tell you how all this turn's out.

Brent's playing a part that probably was originally written with Errol Flynn in mind, in fact I think the project was conceived for Errol Flynn and Olivia DeHavilland. Bette Davis turned this one down also and went on suspension. So the B team of George Brent and Beverly Roberts was brought in.

On the plus side the camera work in this film is superb. The footage was used many times over by Warner Brothers. Though not credited here, I recognize some of it from their later logging story from the Fifties, The Big Trees.

The story however may have been a little too overplotted and Robert Barrat does an about face in character and motivation that one does not see coming in any way.

Good scenery of the great Pacific Northwest and excellent background shooting of the work of the lumberjacks. Sad though that it's tied to a rather pedestrian tale.
riki

riki

Obviously this film was expected to be a big money maker...a prestige film for Warner Brothers. How else could you explain their using Technicolor for the film? Sadly, despite the color, the film itself is only okay...a lumbering spectacle set in the lumbering country.

When the film begins, Jeff (Robert Barrat) is furious at his brother and partner, Steve (George Brent). After all, Jeff works his butt off while Steve parties in the big city. Well, Jeff is announcing that enough is enough and it's going to end NOW! Well, apparently Steve didn't exactly believe him and soon makes a muck of things. A bit later, when Jeff takes his annoying brother on an airplane trip to the lumber fields, Steve impulsively steals the plane!! It's low on fuel and he's soon forced to land at a nearby lumber camp run by the arch rivals!! Now, he's stuck there and forced to work for a change. Can Steve manage to do a decent days work AND somehow avert an all out war between the two lumber companies?! And, more importantly, will the audience care?

The main problem with this film is that Steve is easy to hate. Sure, he improves over time but this seems very unlikely considering what a jerk he is in the first third of the picture. Another is that the female love interest is about as alluring as a cactus! Overall, despite a few good moments, a nice sea plane and a cool explosion, it's a thoroughly mediocre film and nothing more...so don't let the color fool you!
Briciraz

Briciraz

Director: WILLIAM KEIGHLEY. Screenplay: Norman Reilly Raine. Story: Charles Milne, Peter Belden. Adapted from the novel by James Oliver Curwood. Uncredited screenplay contributor: William Jacobs. Photographed in Technicolor by Tony Gaudio. Associate cinematographers from the Technicolor company: Wilfrid M. Cline, William V. Skall, Allen Davey. Technicolor color consultant: Natalie Kalmus. Film editor: Jack Killifer. Art director: Carl Jules Weyl. Music: Max Steiner. Music director: Leo F. Forbstein. Assistant director: Chuck Hansen. Associate producer: Louis F. Edelman. Executive producers: Hal B. Wallis, Jack L. Warner.

Copyright 21 December 1936 by Warner Brothers Pictures, Inc. and The Vitaphone Corporation. New York opening at the Strand: 10 January 1937. U.S. release: 16 January 1937. 80 minutes.

SYNOPSIS: Ruthless timber baron declares "war" on his rivals.

COMMENT: An "A" feature starring Beverly Roberts, who made about twenty "B" movies in her brief cinema career between 1936 and 1939. This is certainly the best role of her Hollywood interlude and the part that most fans will remember today. She's so charismatic in fact, that the rest of the players tend to remain in the background, though George Brent makes for a more than serviceable hero and Robert Barrat authoritatively handles a leading role as the fast- talking, money-grubbing quasi-villain of the piece.

Mind you, the whole lot will be seen as evildoers by today's environmental standards, but that was not the case in 1937. The real villain is our old friend Barton MacLane. El Brendel is along for some strained comic relief and Alan Hale is singularly miscast as a Finnish lumberjack. Never mind, there's action a-plenty in picturesquely unusual real locations, captured in nice Technicolor photography.

Director William Keighley who was later bounced from "The Adventures of Robin Hood" seems determined to prove that he can handle action with the best of them, though I suspect a specialist like Breezy Eason was actually involved.