The Wild and the Innocent (1959)

Disturbing yet enthralling

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

When you are listening to music,to a classic concert you don't want it to switch to rock'n roll, all of a sudden. It breaks your mood. That's what this film does. It begins as a pleasing romantic western comedy, showing how the innocent Audie Murphy, who lives in the mountains, is going to sell his pelts and gets stuck with an also innocent girl (Sandra Dee). They get to the town of Casper, and are laughed off by the people, except for Joanne Dru and Gilbert Roland. Dru has aged, but is still a beautiful woman, and Murphy falls for her. Roland, who is the sheriff and also owns the saloon where Dru works, falls for Sandra Dee. Well,it ends up with Murphy killing Roland (in self defense), but still too strong for the mood of the film. I know that nowadays Tarantino switches from comedy to drama to whatever..., but that's Tarantino. Apart from that, this is an enjoyable film, with good performances.

One reason the old TV sitcom I Dream of Jeannie remains popular is that it keeps us yelling at our screens: "Major Nelson, you idiot! Can't you see that Jeannie is totally gorgeous and is hooked on you? You can make any wish. What are you waiting for?" We wonder if he'll ever wise up. A similar plot element drives this innocent yet sometimes wise story, made in a happily more naive time than today, and depicting a time and place even more so. About half-way through this movie, I angrily thought somebody should compose a sarcastic plot synopsis that begins: "A blind, gay, castrated, autistic mountain man is accompanied on a journey by a beautiful blonde nymphet..." But then I realized that the filmmakers had hooked me in precisely the manner they meant to. Sandra Dee does an excellent job as Rosalie. And at a dewy and budding 17, she is very attractive, modern society's scolding admonitions that teenage girls cannot possibly be appealing to normal adults notwithstanding. This movie's heart is in the right place. Some of the characters are perhaps a bit archetypal and cliché, but that is part of the charm and fun of it. See it if you get the chance.

If you are going to have a prayer of enjoying this movie, you have to accept that Audie Murphy is playing a boy, about age 16 or so, so that his romance with Sandra Dee (playing the unfortunate daughter of some trashy folk) doesn't seem creepy. If you notice that Murphy looks every bit of 35, and Sandra Dee looks a young 16 or 17, you will be in trouble.The movie itself is intended to be strictly family entertainment -- as full of good-hearted humor and lack of dramatic conflict as a typical Disney film of that era. And that makes it an odd choice for Murphy -- who, even when playing innocents, tends to have a sense of danger about him. Poor Audie plays his role with a strain of irritability that makes one think, at any moment, he'll notice that Sandra Dee has a crush on him and go "Girls! Oh gross! Cooties!".The basic plot -- Audie goes to the big city (er, Casper Wyoming) to sell some beaver furs his pa has trapped. Sandra Dee hitches along, because Pa will try to trade her to somebody for furs or whiskey, and she might not like the guy. So Audie also tries to go find Sandra Dee a job, so she'll stop pestering him. The rest of the flick is how these innocents deal with the big bad world, including corrupt sheriff and dance hall owner Gilbert Roland. (Gilbert plays the role like he knows he is in a bad movie, and hopes to sleep through it.) If you like family friendly movies, and are unbothered about the concept of fancy dance hall women that looms large in this plot, this movie might work for you. If you are looking for a gritty western in the style of Ford, Boetticher, or Mann, run far, far away.

It could be that I'm a hopeless romantic at heart, but I really enjoyed this little film. I have searched far and wide for a copy for my own personal library. I have not given up on my search. One has to remember the era this movie was released in and true appreciation can then be determined. Can anyone enlighten me as to the studio that released this film so that I can have them check their archives for consumer availability? I am a real Audie Murphy fan and as such enjoy all the movies he appeared in during his short life. I watch each time "To Hell and Back" is shown. I'd throughly enjoy seeing this movie again if for no other reason than to make my own tape of it - that shows how much I liked it!