Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

SnoReptilePlenty Memorable, crazy movie

Mjeteconer Just perfect...

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

bkoganbing Wallace Beery set the standard for lovable lugs when he essayed the role of Long John Silver in Treasure Island. Turned out the nastiest pirate on the Spanish Main was one lovable lug after all, especially around kids like Jackie Cooper.Bad Bascomb is simply Beery as Long John Silver on two legs gone west. And this time it's the sweet innocence of little Margaret O'Brien that warms the old outlaw's heart.Beery as Bascomb is a leader of a large band of outlaws with J. Carrol Naish as his second in command. The film opens with the Governors of three territories in conference about how to get him with federal government agent Donald Curtis. They almost do get him, trapping him like they did Jesse James in Northfield, Minnesota. But as the James Brothers escaped from that trap, Beery and Naish do likewise and hide undercover in a Mormon wagon train heading for Utah. It's there that Beery meets up with little Margaret and her grandmother Marjorie Main. And he starts to change his evil ways. There's a whole lot of action in this film for those who want their westerns to emphasize that. The ambush of Beery's gang, the posse chase and a serious Indian attack. One scene I did find a bit much though was during that Indian attack, Margaret O'Brien using her peashooter against the Indians. Kind of dumb in my humble opinion.But the chemistry between Main and Beery and O'Brien is on full throttle here. And that's reason enough to watch Bad Bascomb.

C.K. Dexter Haven By all accounts, Wallace Beery was a coarse and miserable A-hole off camera. It's no surprise the man lacked refinement, just look at him, but I hope he wasn't quite the jerk biographers have painted him since his death in 1949. I've always enjoyed watching Wallace Beery movies, if his personality was something less than desirable in real life you'd never know it from many of his films, where the man is just simply...lovable. And if it was only that way on screen, then that's all that really matters I guess. Beery played a persona that made him a good living, and he always delivered the goods once the cameras rolled.In Bad Bascomb, Beery is hilarious. He spits as many mouthfuls of funny dialogue as he spits his food. He also shows himself to have been a far better actor than he's remembered for as he emotes menace, sweetness, redemption and morosity with his craggy mug as good as any actor of his day. I defy anyone to dislike Beery in this film.The movie itself is at times unbalanced...moves between a children's film and a more conventional western, with all its back shooting nastiness, a little unseamlessly. But it was all shot outdoors on location and as Wagon Train movies go, this one has a fairly authentic look to it.Maybe not a great western, but it's great fun to watch Beery and Margaret O'Brien play off each other. The kind of sweetness reminiscent of Edmund Gwenn and Natalie Wood in Miracle in the 34th Street. One of Beery's must see roles. Well worth your time if you come across it on TCM.

Silents Fan Sure, this is just another horse opera, but who cares?Wallace Beery is more entertaining just being Wallace Beery than most actors are with sparkling dialogue and auteur direction.Magararet O'Brien: Shirley Temple she ain't! When people talk about child stars, they usually mention Jackie Coogan and Jackie Cooper; Mickey Rooney and Dickie Moore; Baby Peggy and Hailie Mills. Give me Margaret O'Brien any day.Marjorie Main could lick her weight in Marie Dresslers, any day.Pure entertainment!

smorose I found this a very interesting movie, and enjoyed Beery in his role. I was just surprised with the ending, I was expecting the Federal Officer to turn his back and let Beery return to the Wagon Train, but it ended with him riding off with the Officer. Not a traditional ending. Hope I didn't blow the ending for anyone.