The King and Four Queens ** (1956, Clark Gable, Jo Van Fleet, Eleanor Parker, Barbara Nichols, Jean Willes, Sara Shane) – Classic Movie Review 6805

Director Raoul Walsh’s roistering and raunchy 1956 Western has a tailor-made role for an agreeably ageing Clark Gable (now no longer with his long-term studio MGM) as the King (his movie nickname too as the King of Hollywood), a smooth, opportunistic con man cowboy called Dan Kehoe, who hoves up at the ranch of cantankerous, fast-on-the-draw matriarch Ma McDade (Jo Van Fleet).

He has heard the stash of a gold robbery is hidden on the ranch, ingratiates himself with Ma, and shoots his way to the gold treasure and sexual success with Ma’s four outlaw daughters-in-law, Sabina McDade, Birdie McDade, Ruby McDade and Oralie McDade (Eleanor Parker, Barbara Nichols, Jean Willes and Sara Shane). He is quite the King!

ORALIE CRIED…BIRDIE TEASED…RUBY FOUGHT…SABINA WAITED FOR HIM WITH A SMILE… But, given the billing and actress’s star statuses, it is of course fairly easy to guess which one of the quartet of Four Queens Gable’s Dan Kehoe will ride off into the sunset with.

Although often boisterous and even sometimes uproarious, somehow this easy-going, laid-back, Western fails to ignite as a whole, afflicted by being slow moving and low action. But Margaret Fitts and Richard Allan Simmons’s patchy screenplay (from their story) does occasionally spark into life thanks to the agreeably off-centre direction and the appealingly tongue-in-cheek performances.

And there are also certainly other compensations in the impeccable colour widescreen cinematography by Lucien Ballard and score by Alex North, as well as Wiard Ihnen’s production designs. The short running time of 86 minutes is an asset here too.

Also in the cast are Roy Roberts as Sheriff Tom Larrabee, Jay C Flippen as the bartender of the Rosebud Saloon in Touchstone, Arthur Shields as the Padre, Chuck Roberson and Florenz Ames.

The King and Four Queens is directed by Raoul Walsh, runs 86 minutes, is a Russ-Field and Gabco production, is released by United Artists, is written by Margaret Fitts and Richard Allan Simmons, is shot in colour and CinemaScope by Lucien Ballard, is produced by Clark Gable, Jane Russell, Robert Waterfield and David Hempstead, is scored by Alex North, and is designed by Wiard Ihnen.

Walsh and Gable had just made The Tall Men (1955) together. Gable formed a production company with his The Tall Men co-star Jane Russell and her husband Robert Waterfield to produce The King and Four Queens, but the stress of it took a toll on the 55-year-old Gable’s health and he produced no more movies.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 6805

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Clark Gable stars in The King and Four Queens (1956).