​Clark Gable on Blu-ray: western & war

Legendary Hollywood icon Clark Gable is best-remembered as Rhett Butler opposite Vivien Leigh’s Scarlett O’Hara in the epic “Gone With the Wind” (1939), and as Fletcher Christian opposite Charles Laughton’s Captain Bligh in MGM’s “Mutiny On the Bounty” (1935), both of which won Academy Awards for Best Picture (and both on excellent Blu-ray editions from Warner Home Video). He won the Best Actor Oscar opposite Claudette Colbert’s Best Actress performance in Frank Capra’s “It Happened One Night” (1934), another Best Picture-winner, on a very nice Blu-ray from Criterion, and starred with Loretta Young in “Call of the Wild” (1935), on a good Blu-ray from Fox.

Likewise memorable is Gable’s final screen appearance, opposite Marilyn Monroe and Montgomery Clift in John Huston’s “The Misfits” (1961), also available on a fine Blu-ray. Two worthwhile but lesser-known films from Gable’s later career are also now on Blu-ray, both produced by independent companies for release through United Artists.

“The King and Four Queens” (1956), is a slight but enjoyable Clark Gable western directed by Raoul Walsh and produced for Gable’s own company. There is relatively little action and a lot of talk for a Walsh and Gable picture, which often gives the feeling of a filmed stage play or expanded teleplay.

Gable plays a charming conman named Dan Kehoe, who seems almost like a cousin to Rhett Butler. For most of the film he is holed up at a small, dilapidated ranch with four beautiful young widows (hence the film’s title) and their crusty old mother-in-law Ma McDade (Jo Van Fleet) in an otherwise abandoned town called Wagon Mound.

The melodramatic plot is handled with a generally light-hearted touch that keeps it entertaining despite an obviously limited budget, even when it bogs down in the middle.

Things get off to a promising start as Kehoe rides into a nearby small town and learns from the bartender (Jay C. Flippen) about the reclusive family of in-laws. The mother’s four sons had pulled a large heist a couple of years back and hid $100,000 on their property before the posse tracked them down and killed them all except one, who escaped but has never been heard from again. Because the brothers died in an explosion and fire, their remains were unrecognizable, so each of the young women has been hoping that her husband is the one who got away and will eventually come back to divide up the gold. Waiting for her prodigal son to return, Ma shoots on sight anyone else who tries to enter their property.

This information immediately starts the wheels turning in Kehoe’s head. He sets off for Wagon Mound, pretending to be on the run from the law, and sure enough gets shot in the arm by Ma.

The man-hungry widows bring him inside to nurse him back to health. All have drastically different personalities and try a variety of approaches to romance him to help them find the gold, much to his amusement.

The ensuing events gradually lead to some realizations and a few obvious plus several unexpected plot twists before the conclusion. Apparently Walsh filmed three endings so preview audiences could decide which would be on the theatrical release.

Overall it’s a pleasant if forgettable western adventure mystery comedy romance designed to provide a diverting 86 minutes at the movies.

Picture quality on the Blu-ray from Olive Films is very good, and the wide CinemaScope image well framed by cinematographer Lucien Ballard, and looks impressive projected on a big screen. While the Eastmancolor by Deluxe is not quite as intense as Technicolor it’s still reasonably vivid. Sound quality is decent. The only bonus feature is a trailer in HD, which is more than Olive usually offers.

THE KING AND FOUR QUEENS on Blu-ray – Movie: B+ / Video: A- / Audio: A- / Extras: D+

Much more dramatic and intense is the World War II submarine drama “Run Silent Run Deep” (1958), produced by Burt Lancaster’s production company and adapted from the 1955 novel by Commander Edward L. Beach. Wartime submarine movies are a genre unto themselves, and this example directed by the versatile Robert Wise ranks as one of the best. The strong cast is led by Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster, featuring Jack Warden, Brad Dexter, and Don Rickles, among others.

Lancaster is Lt. James Bledsoe, who hopes to get his own command to replace his injured captain. However, the strict and demanding Commander P. J. “Rich” Richardson (Gable), stuck in a desk job since his last command was sunk by a Japanese destroyer that has since sunk three more U.S. submarines in the same area, insists on taking charge so he can hunt down the ship that destroyed his last submarine.

As submarine movies go, there is little that is unexpected. Nevertheless, the expertly-crafted and well-acted film provides a gripping balance of tensions between the two rival officers, between the officers and their crew, and between their submarine and the enemy above. At times it seems as if the plot may turn into another “Caine Mutiny,” but there are a few twists that shift the tension and action in other directions.

At only 93 minutes, “Run Silent Run Deep” makes an ideal opening film for a Clark Gable double-feature with “The King and Four Queens,” which is the lesser of the two but has the added attractions of color and CinemaScope.

Kino’s Blu-ray of “Run Silent Run Deep” has fine picture quality, the crisp black-and-white cinematography by Russell Harlan scanned in HD at a 1.66:1 aspect ratio with sharp detail overall but a few slightly softer shots. Sound is also quite good. The only bonus feature is a trailer, but at least it’s in HD.

RUN SILENT, RUN DEEP on Blu-ray – Movie: A- / Video: A- / Audio: A- / Extras: D