User Reviews

The King and Four Queens marked the fourth time Raoul Walsh tried his hand in directing a motion picture in Cinemascope, the first three of them being Battle Cry, The Tall Man and The Revolt of Mamie Stover the second of them being also the first film out of three in totality that Walsh made with legendary Clark Gable.

In The King and Four Queens Gable plays a handsome middle-aged adventurer Don Kehoe, known in the West for his skills in using a gun who comes to a rancho called Wagon Mound with its entire population consisting of five women, four of them being beautiful widows of the McDade gang brothers recently killed while attempting to rob a bank. They are led by a tough middle-aged Ma McDade (Jo Van Fleet) who is quite feared and respected not only by the four young widows under her command but also by a population of all villages and towns a few hundreds miles around the ranch. Promptly upon our hero's arrival, the rivalry among the four sisters as about conquering of Don Kehoe's heart ensues, resulting in many insignificant troubles manly for the old mother-chief. The purpose of Don Kehoe's joining of such a pleasant company nonetheless is a large sum of money that, as a word goes around, is hidden at the ranch and which hiding place he ought to find by any means.

Overall the average Western as it is, The King and Four Queens provides much less viewing pleasure then one may expect from an average one, but nonetheless it has its interesting moments and is a worth watching experience for a genre fan. 6/10

Here the King out-blazes the desert sin in one of the hottest westerns ever made . Seducer adventurer , ex-con and fast-on-the-draw gunman called Dan Kehoe : Clark Gable arrives in a small town saloon , there he meets Bartender (Jay C. Flippen) of Rosebud Saloon in Touchstone and hears stories of the four villains McDade Brothers . Three of the career outlaws were murdered on their last heist while one escaped , being his identity unknown. Hearing that the gold is buried at Wagon Mount, Kehoe ignores dangerous warnings and ingratiates himself with an old woman : Jo Van Fleet with a fake tale about meeting her surviving son in a prison cell . Meantime , 4 tempting widows have stayed with their cantankerous mother-in-law for the past two years , and Dan seduce them : Oralie cried , Birdie teased , Ruby fought , Sabina waited for him with a smile . Each widow : Sabina McDade : Eleanor Parker , Ruby McDade : Jean Willes , Birdie McDade : Barbara Nichols , Oralie : Sara Shane hoping that her husband is the surviving son and sole claimant to the money : $50,000 cache of stolen gold that is hidden somewhere on the family ranch .The King plays the hottest game in the West . . . with four beguiling Queens!





Hilarious Western comedy in which smooth-talking Clark Gable playing an ex-con who is a crack-shot shows his particular talent , acting in his stereotyped role , as he uses his charm on four ladies and he also dances wonderfully with them . This is a battle of sexes and six-guns ; it includes humor , songs , sprawling , almost primitive action teeming across the screen . The plot is plain and simple , a seductive and opportunistic con man named Dan ingratiates himself with the cantankerous mummy of four outlaws and he seduces 4 beautiful widows in order to find their hidden gold . A rip-roaring Western/comedy /romance in which the conventions of the Wild West are turned upside down . This funny picture has comedy , diverting situations and concentrating on humor along with nice inventive bits , skilfully combining the entertainment with the amusement . Clark Gable runs away with every cowboy cliché and even arranges to wind up with the girl . Important appearance by Hollywood veteran Clark Cable gives a sympathetic acting as the opportunistic con man, on the run when meets 4 beautiful as well as captivating woman. Jo Van Fleet provides a sensational performance as the feisty mother, who dislikes visitors , but she was actually 14 years younger than Gable ; furthermore she guards her daughter-in-law's chastity as tightly as the hidden gold ; finally , he realizes that with Kehoe, she has let the fox into the henhouse. And the four gorgeous man-hungry McDade widows marvelously played by the attractive Eleanor Parker , the busty as well sultry Barbara Nichols , Sara Shane ,and sassy , sweetie Jean Willes . In addition , some notorioues secondaries in brief interventions as Roy Roberts , Arthur Shields , Chuck Robertson and Jay C. Flippen .



The motion picture produced by Clark Gable himself , he formed a production company with his Tall Men (1955) co-star Jane Russell and her husband Robert Waterfield in order to produce thiis movie , being well directed by Raoul Walsh by relinquishing creative control , though being an inferior work . From his starts in the silent cinema Walsh achieved successful films until the 50s and forward , early 60s , when he was less dominant , but is still stayed lots of lusty adventure , stories of comradeship and friendship , and Raoul makes the most of plentiful action scenes . Walsh was an expert director of all kind genres but with penchant in Western as ¨Colorado territory¨this interesting Western and action film makes it of the finest of Raoul Walsh genre entries , following other essencila titles as ¨They died with their boots on¨, ¨Along the great divide¨, ¨Saskatchewan¨, ¨King and four queens¨ , ¨The sheriff of fractured jaw¨, ¨A distant trumpet¨ ; Adventure as ¨Thief of Bagdad¨, ¨Captain Horatio Hornblower¨, ¨World in his hands¨, ¨Blackbeard the pirate¨ , ¨Sea devils¨ ; Warlike as ¨Objetive Burma¨ , ¨Northern pursuit¨, ¨Marines let's go¨ ; and Noir film as ¨White heat¨, ¨High Sierra¨, ¨They drive by night¨, ¨The roaring twenties¨ and his last one : ¨The sheriff of fractured jaw¨ . Rating : 5,5/10 ; fairly straightforward movie and passable Western comedy . This average Western film makes it of the lesser interesting of Raoul Walsh genre entries. Rating : Fairly straightforward movie and average .

Stranger Gable hears of a treasure of gold, hidden somewhere in a ghost town and guarded by an old woman and four widows. "Man's man" Gable throws all of his charms in the battle to find out where to find the treasure. As you see, the storyline is very very thin here. Most of the film is about Gable trying to charm the women, using every single trick in the book. There are a few minor surprises near the end, but this is really nothing special. Nice to catch on a rainy afternoon. 6/10

The King and Four Queens is directed by Raoul Walsh and written by Margaret Fits and Richard Alan Simmons. It stars Clark Gable, Jo Van Fleet, Eleanor Parker, Jean Willes, Barbara Nichols and Sara Shane. A CinemaScope/DeLuxe Color production, music is by Alex North and cinematography by Lucien Ballard.

Utterly delightful froth! Plot essentially finds Gable as a crafty drifter who learns about a group of women holed up in a ghost town who are sitting on a hoard of stolen gold. The four beauties, and their tough as old boots mother-in-law, are the wives and mother of outlaw brothers who stole the gold but who are now all presumed dead. Gable romances the four dames with the intention of locating the gold and clearing off first chance he gets, but that is far easier sounding than it is in principal!

It's all a set-up for a tale of sexual frustration and subversion of male dominance. That the Production Code renders much of the narrative to suggestion, choice scripting and fill in the gaps ourselves moments, is unfortunately a given, but it's all played with a glint in its eye and there's still a cheekiness, a sexiness, about the picture that strikes the right chords. Sometimes it's an uneasy blend of drama and comedy, but when it hits its straps, such as a wonderful dance sequence, it has the quality to land the smile firmly on your face. And this even if the final is somewhat an anti-climax.

Production wise it's a beauty. The cast are having a great old time of it, with the four younger ladies revelling in flirting about with the older and distinguished Gable. But it's Van Fleet who owns the movie, her tough old buzzard act is laced with maternal sadness and stoic strength and it underpins the whole story. Ballard's colour photography is gorgeous, with the location filming out of Calabasas, Snow Canyon and St. George proving to be magnificent backdrops, while North's musical accompaniments are pleasingly non obtrusive.

Neither uproariously funny or dramatically potent it's a film caught somewhere in the middle of both. Yet on this occasion it really doesn't matter, it's like a good old glass of bourbon, enjoyably warm while ingested but the buzz soon wears off at closing time. 7/10

i enjoyed this interesting western starring Clark gable.it's not your typical rip roaring action packed western.it's more of a lite comedy/romance.most of it takes place in one setting.a deserted ghost town inhabited by our young widows and their no nonsense gun packing mother in law.manly this is a showcase for the comedic skills of Gable and his co stars.the banter back and forth between the group is the highlight of the piece.oh,there's also 100,000 in stolen gold hidden nearby.add in some romance and a bit of deception and you have the makings of an entertaining little movie.for me,The King and Four Queens is a 6/10

Surely stars like CLARK GABLE and ELEANOR PARKER deserved better material at their home studio than this trifle about hidden gold and its effect on The King (Gable struts around like he's just left his throne for some slumming in a western shack), and four Queens (lovely looking ladies who seem out of place in this mock western).

It's a light-hearted romp for all concerned, except JO VAN FLEET who gives a dynamo performance as the tough old westerner who is hiding the loot from a bank robbery committed by her now deceased sons. When Gable comes sniffing around to discover the loot (which he endeavors to do by charming the four widows into revealing where the gold is hidden), it sets up a series of mildly suspenseful scenes where we wonder how the whole thing is going to end.

Since it's all played in rather tongue-in-cheek style with Gable handling the ladies with his usual masculine charm, it makes a rather faint impression when the tale ends without much of a bang and maybe one or two revelations.

Credit has to go to Gable and his co-star ELEANOR PARKER, both of whom share some effective moments in a rather weak tale that comes off as mildly disappointing as they ride off into the sunset together.

As one of the silver screens first super stars, Clark made the same mistake as most to follow in his footsteps. Never try and be Rhett again. Good family fun western...

Clark Gable wanders into town and hears about a nasty old lady and her four daughter-in-laws who are supposedly hiding $100,000 in stolen gold but any many who goes near them is shot by this insane matriarch. So naturally, Clark with his suave and sexy ways infiltrates the ghost town in which they live in order to seduce the gold from them.

The script for this film was bad...or at least very, very poor. So no matter how much the actors try, the basic plot idea is dull and not particularly believable. But to make matters worse, an aging Clark Gable who looks every bit a man in his mid-50s (or older) is cast as a stud who uses his seductive wiles on four unsuspecting and horny women. In other words, because he is Gable, the women are to chase after him as if he's Gable circa 1939 and it just isn't convincing. My advice is just see one of his other films--most of which are significantly better than this drivel that is only watchable due to Gable--despite the miscasting. A complete misfire--second only to PARNELL as Gable's worst film since becoming a star.

Clark Gable dreamed up some sweet con game to do four lovely widows and their mother-in-law out of some stolen loot that their late husbands an outlaw brother gang have robbed.

One McDade brother is still alive, but we're not sure which one. And through force of personality their mother-in-law is keeping them in a ghost town hide out until he returns for what's his. If stolen loot can be considered his.

Gable arrives in town and woos all the women who don't need much encouragement. No male companionship for seven years, got to be tough on a gal. The women are Eleanor Parker, Jean Willes, Sara Shane, and Barbara Nichols.

The King and Four Queens though Clark Gable is billed above the title, this picture really belongs to Jo Van Fleet. 1956 was a good year for her, Jo also turned in an outstanding performance as Doc Holiday's gal pal Kate Fisher in Gunfight at the OK Corral. Her's is the dominant performance of the film. It has to be or the idea that these women wouldn't have just overpowered her and forced Van Fleet to tell where the loot is becomes ludicrous.

Lots of sexual innuendo in this film, very much a precursor to the adult TV westerns that were to come soon. One of the more interesting of Clark Gable's post World War II films.

Below average with a dumb sequence of dance in a living room with no one playing the music. The music was only playing on the soundtrack! Eleanor Parker and Jo Ann Fleet were interesting, not exceptional. Some stunt riding at the start of the film, that had little to do with the story line, was noteworthy.

Tall-in-the-saddle and long-in-the-tooth, still attractive con-man Clark Gable (as Dan Kehoe) goes to the burnt-out western town of "Wagon Mound" looking for a fortune in gold. He is "adopted" by cranky sharp-shooting Jo Van Fleet (as "Ma" McDade) and her four beautiful daughters-in-law - Eleanor Parker (as Sabina), Jean Willes (as Ruby), Barbara Nichols (as Birdie), and Sara Shane (as Oralie). Someone knows where the missing gold can be found. The women all want to knock boots with Gable, who probably should have hooked up with "Ma" Van Fleet...

Gable sings the 1902 hit "In the Sweet Bye and Bye". There is too obvious an effort to make the star look young and desirable. Best part of this nonsense may be the color cinematography by Lucien Ballard. But the main appeal is titillating - you watch this for the good-looking women. Especially arousing is Ms. Nichols, who is introduced with one of the straps of her top hanging down. Once, she even threatens to take off her clothes for a swim with Gable. This being a mainstream 1956 movie western, Nichols' top is never going to slip down - but hope springs eternal.

**** The King and Four Queens (12/21/56) Raoul Walsh ~ Clark Gable, Eleanor Parker, Jo Van Fleet, Jean Willes

Extremely disappointing western starring Clark Gable, Eleanor Parker and Jo Van Fleet. Despite the great cast, weak writing did this film in.

Finding out that an old woman is staying with her 4 daughters-in-law in a house, and hiding gold-Gable decides to pay the ladies a visit. Seems that the old woman's four sons robbed a bank and three of them got blown up in the process. They're waiting for the return of the surviving son. The wait can be compared to Come Back, Little Sheba.

The film is ridiculous at best. As the old lady, Jo Van Fleet is a pistol-packing grandma type. She has somewhat of a heart but is as nasty as can be while she quotes from the bible. Van Fleet, who made a career of playing much older women, looks like she just came out of playing Katie Roth in the later scenes of the memorable "I'll Cry Tomorrow."

No doubt about it, Gable was aging by 1956. Barbara Nicholls has that sing-song voice which is so inappropriate here. She talks like she is still in a comedy sketch of Wayne and Schuster on the old Ed Sullivan television series.

The one shining point here is Eleanor Parker who is young and vibrant. She together with Gable ultimately fool the rest of the cast, but you can't be fooled by poor writing and not much going on. For a western, we lack complete action. Can you imagine Gable and the girls singing and dancing with a suspicious Van Fleet looking on?

The cinematography (Lucien Ballard) in this film is as luscious as the four pretty young brides (Eleanor Parker, Jean Willes, Barbara Nichols, and Sara Shane). From the opening credits to the end of the picture, it's pure classic 50's western in terms of rich and sumptuous color, this time by DeLuxe. While the plot isn't going to hold up to the scrutiny of some hyper film critics, it still allows for scenes that are full of sexy humor, as each bride tries her best to undress Clark Gable, perhaps none more than a seductive Jean Willes as Ruby. Jo Van Fleet, as the gun-toting mother-in-law of the four "queens", each of whom married one of her four outlaw sons, is mainly preoccupied with protecting the girls from any man who's bold or stupid enough to stray onto their out of the way property until her supposedly one living son returns from a botched bank robbery to reclaim his wife (whichever one that may be) and buried gold dust, and is the only obstacle between the girls and Gable, who only wants the gold, but is no fool when it comes to women.

Of all the movies he made, I think The King and Four Queens is the most fitting for Clark Gable. After all, he was dubbed "the King", and throughout the course of the movie, each of the four queens fall prey to his charms. There's a fantastic scene where he tries to warm up to the forbidding mother-in-law, Jo Van Fleet, by getting her to dance. She refuses, but each of her son's widows gladly pass Clark around. At last, we see Jo tapping her feet in spite of herself.

The plot of this entertaining western that mixes comedy, drama, and romance revolves around gold. Con man Clark Gable gets chased out of town, and when he overhears men in the town he's passing through talking about a group of bank robber brothers who hid their stash of gold, he decides to stick around. He makes up a phony story about being friends with the sole surviving brother and tries to get the mother and her four daughters-in-law to trust him enough to tell him where the gold is. He's charming, persuasive, and quick-thinking. It's no wonder wise Eleanor Parker, loose Jean Willes, dumb Barbara Nichols, and pious Sara Shane can't resist him!

With a fantastically rousing western theme from Alex North that gives Clark Gable a great entrance and puts you in the mood for a fun time, this movie is entertaining from start to finish. Each of the girls contributes to the plot, and Jo Van Fleet is unrecognizable as she once again plays someone far older than her real age. I've always liked Barbara Nichols, and found her to be completely interchangeable with Marilyn Monroe, and it was fun to see Jean Willes give a great Ava Gardner impression. Eleanor Parker can always hold your own, but if it's the King you've come to see, you won't be disappointed. He winds everyone (including the audience) around his little finger!

At the age of 55 (nearly twenty years older than Jo Van Fleet who as usual gives the best performance as the gun-toting matriarch) Clark Gable still had the charisma to be ogled skinny-dipping in this charming and mellow yarn set against majestic mountains and with an excellent score by Alex North in which he arrives among a coven of widows. Since one of them is played by by the radiant Eleanor Parker (only three years younger than the woman she calls 'Ma') no prizes for guessing who finally gets him.

Overlooked western of twilight phase of the classy Raoul Walsh on western together Clark Gable, having in strong character of Jo Van Fleet which the picture whether its supports, got strength and firmness, also the picture has a fierce sexual appeal focused on four woman and just one male character.

Always pursued by someone Dan Kehoe arrives in a dusty town to get some hints to reach at Wagon Mound ranch, the bartender (Jay C. Flippen) explains that place is forbidden for anybody else, since the tragic happening that took place there two years ago, about a stolen gold by the four sons of Ma McDade (Jo Van Fleet), a posse surround the warehouse where they hide, sadly a fire explode a powder stored there, also according the old bartender just one of the McDade survives however its hideout is unknown, thus the old lady demands all four daughters-in-laws waiting for his sole husband still at large returns.

Reaching there Dan Kehoe is welcomed by bullets, wounded he is taking to the house for care, soon he knows all them, the cunning Sabina (Eleanor Parker), the demure Oralie (Sarah Shane) the sassy Birdie (Barbara Nichols), the flaming Ruby (Jean Willys) and the uptight Ma McDade who led them with heavy hand, in hope of one survived son come back, meanwhile Kehoe drives around with all them, always trying getting a clue where the gold is, also the sexual tension is blatant, after all two years of hiatus is too much for a married woman.

A movie previously aimed to Clark Gable, that felt on Jon Van Fleet's lap due her outstanding performance by such old lady, so empowered, actually he was one most righteous actress I'd seem at cinema industry until now, for all this and those ladies and Gable as well worthwhile a look on this unknown picture (due the poorest votes at IMDB), mainly by the newest restoration bringing the bright colors!

Thanks for reading.

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First watch: 2012 / How many: 2 / Source: DVD / Rating: 8

It was nice to see Gable and Parker in a film, together. Parker was beautiful and could act; Gable was Gable, perfect for the role.

I was making Steak Diane for a lady friend, but took a few breaks and mentioned that 'they don't make them like that anymore.' She agreed.

I have a list of alluring actresses and Eleanor Parker is in the top ten; but, when combining beauty with acting, she is #1.

This was an entertaining film which I would recommend to any audience. The supporting cast was super and the Technicolor far ahead of its' time.

I'm appreciative that TCM aired this film, which I had never before seen.