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Arizona (1940 film)
Encyclopedia
Arizona is a 1940 American Western film
starring Jean Arthur
, William Holden
and Warren William
. It was directed by Wesley Ruggles.
Victor Young
was nominated for the Academy Award for Original Music Score
, while Lionel Banks
and Robert Peterson
were considered for the Academy Award for Best Art Direction
, Black-and-White.
of the 1860s is hard, but Phoebe Titus (Jean Arthur), the only American woman in the pioneering community of Tucson
, is up to the challenge. She catches the eye of Peter Muncie (William Holden), a handsome young man with a wagon train
passing through on the way to California. He begins courting her, but tells her he is not ready to settle down in one spot. As a possible solution, Phoebe offers him a job heading a new freight company she has just formed with store owner Solomon Warner (Paul Harvey
). He, however, is determined to see California, but promises to return when his wanderlust
is satisfied.
Phoebe is more than a match for freight competitor Lazarus Ward (Porter Hall
).
However, a dandy named Jefferson Carteret (Warren William) shows up just as the American Civil War
breaks out. He helps her persuade wavering residents to stay after the Union garrison
pulls out, leaving them without protection against the Indians. Carteret pretends to be Phoebe's friend, but coerces Ward into making him a secret partner.
The treacherous pair try every underhanded way they can to destroy her business. They bribe Indian chief Mano with guns to attack her wagons. The Confederates
gain the (temporary) allegiance of the community by sending some troops, but they are soon recalled east, and Union soldiers take over, among them Peter, now a sergeant. He helps Phoebe secure a lucrative army freight contract, but Carteret has Ward slander her to the Union commander, claiming that she supported the departed Confederates. Peter and Phoebe get the truth out of Ward at gunpoint, and regain the contract. Soon after, Peter's enlistment expires.
Phoebe persuades Peter to go to Nebraska to get cattle for the ranch she has always dreamed of owning. She has already bought a great deal of land cheaply from those who had left because of the troubles. However, the $15,000 the army paid her is stolen by Carteret's men. Carteret then offers to make her a loan, with her business and land as security. She accepts. Six months later, Carteret abruptly tells Phoebe that her loan is due. Fortunately, Peter is half a day away with their herd. Carteret gets the Indians to attack, but Peter and his men are able to fight them off. Peter gets a confession from one of Carteret's men, but Carteret kills his henchman. Then he shoots Ward in the back to rid himself of the last incriminating loose end.
The entire town celebrates as Phoebe and Peter get married. Then he has her wait for him in Solomon's store while he goes to settle accounts with Carteret. Shots are heard, then a relieved Phoebe takes her slightly wounded new husband home.
. After filming, it lay dormant for a few years during World War II
, but was revived and made into a full studio after the war. The studio continues today as Old Tucson Studios
.
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
starring Jean Arthur
Jean Arthur
Jean Arthur was an American actress and a major film star of the 1930s and 1940s. She remains arguably the epitome of the female screwball comedy actress. As James Harvey wrote in his recounting of the era, "No one was more closely identified with the screwball comedy than Jean Arthur...
, William Holden
William Holden
William Holden was an American actor. Holden won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1954 and the Emmy Award for Best Actor in 1974...
and Warren William
Warren William
Warren William was a Broadway and Hollywood actor, popular during the early 1930s, who was later nicknamed the "king of Pre-Code". He was born Warren William Krech in Aitkin, Minnesota to parents Freeman E. and Frances Krech. He had a certain physical resemblance to John Barrymore. He attended the...
. It was directed by Wesley Ruggles.
Victor Young
Victor Young
Victor Young was an American composer, arranger, violinist and conductor. He was born in Chicago.-Biography:...
was nominated for the Academy Award for Original Music Score
Academy Award for Original Music Score
The Academy Award for Original Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer.-Superlatives:...
, while Lionel Banks
Lionel Banks
With over 200 films to his credit, Lionel Banks was a hard-working art director from 1935 to 1949...
and Robert Peterson
Robert Peterson (art director)
Robert Peterson was an American art director. He was nominated for an Academy Award in the category Best Art Direction for the film Arizona.-External links:...
were considered for the Academy Award for Best Art Direction
Academy Award for Best Art Direction
The Academy Awards are the oldest awards ceremony for achievements in motion pictures. The Academy Award for Best Art Direction recognizes achievement in art direction on a film. The films below are listed with their production year, so the Oscar 2000 for best art direction went to a film from 1999...
, Black-and-White.
Plot
Life in the Arizona TerritoryArizona Territory
The Territory of Arizona was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863 until February 14, 1912, when it was admitted to the Union as the 48th state....
of the 1860s is hard, but Phoebe Titus (Jean Arthur), the only American woman in the pioneering community of Tucson
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
, is up to the challenge. She catches the eye of Peter Muncie (William Holden), a handsome young man with a wagon train
Wagon train
A wagon train is a group of wagons traveling together. In the American West, individuals traveling across the plains in covered wagons banded together for mutual assistance, as is reflected in numerous films and television programs about the region, such as Audie Murphy's Tumbleweed and Ward Bond...
passing through on the way to California. He begins courting her, but tells her he is not ready to settle down in one spot. As a possible solution, Phoebe offers him a job heading a new freight company she has just formed with store owner Solomon Warner (Paul Harvey
Paul Harvey (actor)
Paul Harvey was an American actor who appeared in at least 177 films.-Selected filmography:*They Shall Have Music *Behind the News *Moonlight Masquerade *Spellbound...
). He, however, is determined to see California, but promises to return when his wanderlust
Wanderlust
Wanderlust is a strong desire for or impulse to wander or travel and explore the world.-Etymology:The loanword from German language became an English term in 1902 as a reflection of what was then seen as a characteristically German predilection for wandering that may be traced back to German...
is satisfied.
Phoebe is more than a match for freight competitor Lazarus Ward (Porter Hall
Porter Hall
Porter Hall was an American character actor known for appearing in a number of films in the 1930s and 1940s...
).
However, a dandy named Jefferson Carteret (Warren William) shows up just as the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
breaks out. He helps her persuade wavering residents to stay after the Union garrison
Union (American Civil War)
During the American Civil War, the Union was a name used to refer to the federal government of the United States, which was supported by the twenty free states and five border slave states. It was opposed by 11 southern slave states that had declared a secession to join together to form the...
pulls out, leaving them without protection against the Indians. Carteret pretends to be Phoebe's friend, but coerces Ward into making him a secret partner.
The treacherous pair try every underhanded way they can to destroy her business. They bribe Indian chief Mano with guns to attack her wagons. The Confederates
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
gain the (temporary) allegiance of the community by sending some troops, but they are soon recalled east, and Union soldiers take over, among them Peter, now a sergeant. He helps Phoebe secure a lucrative army freight contract, but Carteret has Ward slander her to the Union commander, claiming that she supported the departed Confederates. Peter and Phoebe get the truth out of Ward at gunpoint, and regain the contract. Soon after, Peter's enlistment expires.
Phoebe persuades Peter to go to Nebraska to get cattle for the ranch she has always dreamed of owning. She has already bought a great deal of land cheaply from those who had left because of the troubles. However, the $15,000 the army paid her is stolen by Carteret's men. Carteret then offers to make her a loan, with her business and land as security. She accepts. Six months later, Carteret abruptly tells Phoebe that her loan is due. Fortunately, Peter is half a day away with their herd. Carteret gets the Indians to attack, but Peter and his men are able to fight them off. Peter gets a confession from one of Carteret's men, but Carteret kills his henchman. Then he shoots Ward in the back to rid himself of the last incriminating loose end.
The entire town celebrates as Phoebe and Peter get married. Then he has her wait for him in Solomon's store while he goes to settle accounts with Carteret. Shots are heard, then a relieved Phoebe takes her slightly wounded new husband home.
Set
Arizona was filmed on a set located just outside the city of Tucson in the Sonoran DesertSonoran Desert
The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which straddles part of the United States-Mexico border and covers large parts of the U.S. states of Arizona and California and the northwest Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It is one of the largest and hottest...
. After filming, it lay dormant for a few years during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, but was revived and made into a full studio after the war. The studio continues today as Old Tucson Studios
Old Tucson Studios
Old Tucson Studios is a movie studio and theme park just west of Tucson, Arizona, adjacent to the Tucson Mountains and close to the western portion of Saguaro National Park. Built in 1939 for the movie Arizona, it has been used for the filming of several movies and television westerns since then,...
.
Cast
- Jean ArthurJean ArthurJean Arthur was an American actress and a major film star of the 1930s and 1940s. She remains arguably the epitome of the female screwball comedy actress. As James Harvey wrote in his recounting of the era, "No one was more closely identified with the screwball comedy than Jean Arthur...
as Phoebe Titus - William HoldenWilliam HoldenWilliam Holden was an American actor. Holden won the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1954 and the Emmy Award for Best Actor in 1974...
as Peter Muncie - Warren WilliamWarren WilliamWarren William was a Broadway and Hollywood actor, popular during the early 1930s, who was later nicknamed the "king of Pre-Code". He was born Warren William Krech in Aitkin, Minnesota to parents Freeman E. and Frances Krech. He had a certain physical resemblance to John Barrymore. He attended the...
as Jefferson Carteret - Porter HallPorter HallPorter Hall was an American character actor known for appearing in a number of films in the 1930s and 1940s...
as Lazarus Ward, the established shipper - Edgar BuchananEdgar BuchananEdgar Buchanan was an American actor with a long career in both film and television, most familiar today as Uncle Joe Carson from the Petticoat Junction, Green Acres and The Beverly Hillbillies television sitcoms of the 1960s...
as Judge Bogardus - Paul HarveyPaul Harvey (actor)Paul Harvey was an American actor who appeared in at least 177 films.-Selected filmography:*They Shall Have Music *Behind the News *Moonlight Masquerade *Spellbound...
as Solomon Warner