I watched this just because the name "Reasonin' Bates" struck me as hilarious. It does have decent plot, and the fashions, both cultural and physical, are interesting to watch. The direction is slowly paced, with long pauses (perhaps for audience reaction?) that seem unnecessary. Not like today where a moment of silence is simply not permitted. How Hoot Gibson gained any credence as an actor I'll never know--another glimpse into the standards at that time I guess. The bit players must have been gathered from the neighborhood bars, quite a collection of bizarre cowboy types. Also poignant is the treatment of the woman--a mixture of deference, embarrassment, resentment, and curiosity--as though women were a strange sort of being beyond understanding. And everyone is skinny.
Not a bad film.
Not a bad film.