The King and Four Queens (1956)

SERIOUSLY. This is what the crap Hollywood still puts out?

Brilliant and touching

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

It was nice to see Gable and Parker in a film, together. Parker was beautiful and could act; Gable was Gable, perfect for the role.I was making Steak Diane for a lady friend, but took a few breaks and mentioned that 'they don't make them like that anymore.' She agreed.I have a list of alluring actresses and Eleanor Parker is in the top ten; but, when combining beauty with acting, she is #1.This was an entertaining film which I would recommend to any audience. The supporting cast was super and the Technicolor far ahead of its' time.I'm appreciative that TCM aired this film, which I had never before seen.

Raoul Walsh directs Clark Gable in this western comedy which was released thru United Artists. It is an above-average picture with above-average performances and stunning cinematography. In the picture, a con man (Clark Gable) goes to the old homestead of an outlaw gang that has been killed. Supposedly, their widows (the four ladies in the title) know where a stash of gold is buried. Gable wants that gold badly. Of course, during the course of the story, he gets drawn into impossible romantic situations with the gals, including one that is played to a tee by Eleanor Parker. But first, he has to deal with gun-toting, bible- thumping Ma (Jo Van Fleet). She wants him off their property. And she's not bluffing.

Tall-in-the-saddle and long-in-the-tooth, still attractive con-man Clark Gable (as Dan Kehoe) goes to the burnt-out western town of "Wagon Mound" looking for a fortune in gold. He is "adopted" by cranky sharp-shooting Jo Van Fleet (as "Ma" McDade) and her four beautiful daughters-in-law - Eleanor Parker (as Sabina), Jean Willes (as Ruby), Barbara Nichols (as Birdie), and Sara Shane (as Oralie). Someone knows where the missing gold can be found. The women all want to knock boots with Gable, who probably should have hooked up with "Ma" Van Fleet...Gable sings the 1902 hit "In the Sweet Bye and Bye". There is too obvious an effort to make the star look young and desirable. Best part of this nonsense may be the color cinematography by Lucien Ballard. But the main appeal is titillating - you watch this for the good-looking women. Especially arousing is Ms. Nichols, who is introduced with one of the straps of her top hanging down. Once, she even threatens to take off her clothes for a swim with Gable. This being a mainstream 1956 movie western, Nichols' top is never going to slip down - but hope springs eternal.**** The King and Four Queens (12/21/56) Raoul Walsh ~ Clark Gable, Eleanor Parker, Jo Van Fleet, Jean Willes

The King and Four Queens marked the fourth time Raoul Walsh tried his hand in directing a motion picture in Cinemascope, the first three of them being Battle Cry, The Tall Man and The Revolt of Mamie Stover the second of them being also the first film out of three in totality that Walsh made with legendary Clark Gable. In The King and Four Queens Gable plays a handsome middle-aged adventurer Don Kehoe, known in the West for his skills in using a gun who comes to a rancho called Wagon Mound with its entire population consisting of five women, four of them being beautiful widows of the McDade gang brothers recently killed while attempting to rob a bank. They are led by a tough middle-aged Ma McDade (Jo Van Fleet) who is quite feared and respected not only by the four young widows under her command but also by a population of all villages and towns a few hundreds miles around the ranch. Promptly upon our hero's arrival, the rivalry among the four sisters as about conquering of Don Kehoe's heart ensues, resulting in many insignificant troubles manly for the old mother-chief. The purpose of Don Kehoe's joining of such a pleasant company nonetheless is a large sum of money that, as a word goes around, is hidden at the ranch and which hiding place he ought to find by any means. Overall the average Western as it is, The King and Four Queens provides much less viewing pleasure then one may expect from an average one, but nonetheless it has its interesting moments and is a worth watching experience for a genre fan. 6/10