writers_reign
This was the third and last teaming of Clark Gable and Spenser Tracy after San Francisco and Test Pilot and whilst it's easy to dismiss the first entry both in terms of plot and leading lady the second and third are too close to call. Whereas Jeannette MacDonald was an insipid joke both Myrna Loy (Test Pilot) and Claudette Colbert here were both feisty ladies more than capable of holding their own against macho males and both had a knack of seeming perfectly cast opposite Tracy and Gable. As if that weren't enough we also have Frank Morgan and Chill Wills weighing in with the lighter stuff and Hedy Lamarr fleshing out the second hour as the obligatory femme fatale. Holds up well.
rbrb
This is a mildly entertaining tale though more comedy than anything else. Pure Hollywood slush. Set in the era of boom/bust oil wells we are treated to the saga of various characters who swindle their way to the top. When they lose it all they are more than happy to start all over again.The film preaches that lying, cheating and stealing is just fine as is exploiting others and ruining their businesses by fair means or foul.Mind you that ain't far from the truth as that is how the likes of crooks such as Bernard Madoff and his ilk got rich. And this picture seems to glorify behaving dishonestly to get ahead.In its' favor the movie does have some genuine superstars and I agree that Hedy Lamarr is the most beautiful woman on screen ever; then and now. Clarke Gable looks like the washed out selfish drunk that I am sure he always was. So if you like a half decent older movie with a certain political agenda and some big names in it then this is for you.4/10
weezeralfalfa
Along with "Call of the Wild", this is my favorite Gable film(including "Gone with the Wind, made the year before). They have the similarity that we are in a wildcatting situation, looking for some treasure: gold in one case, oil in another. There is an air of tremendous excitement and optimism, which Gable epitomizes. In the one case, Gable has wisecracking Jack Oakie and later gorgeous Loretta Young as companions in the search for gold in the Yukon wilderness. In the present case, Gable teams up with an enthusiastic Spencer Tracy, and later with gorgeous Claudette Corbert. This is also one of the last films Gable made before the tragic death of his wife Carol Lombard and his entry in to WWII service. After that, Gable seemed a changed man on screen. It is also the most autobiographical film Gable did, as before his film career, he joined his father as an oil man. This film, as an epic about wildcatting in the early oil industry, invariably invites comparison with the later film "Tulsa", with the same theme. Native Oklahoman Chill Wills is the only actor I am aware of that was in both films. In both cases, the excitement begins with a gusher. Later, there is a spectacular oil field fire that threatens to wipe out fortunes. But "Tulsa" lacks anyone with the sizzling chemistry between Gable and Tracy, and also lacks the befuddled humor of Frank Morgan. Don't get me wrong. If you enjoyed "Boomtown", you should definitely check out "Tulsa". Susan Hayward is the tough-as-nails wildcat in that story, with Chill Wills as the occasional narrator. But, it tends to drag in places.The initial meeting between Gable and Tracy, going opposite ways on a one way plank that serves as a bridge across a muddy water-soaked road in a wildcat town, reminds us of the initial meeting of Robin Hood(Errol Flynn) and Little John(Alan Hale) in "The Adventures of Robin hood", in which they try to knock each other off a log crossing a stream so that they may complete their crossing. In the present case, this incident results in a draw, as both dive into the mud when bullets start flying around them. Tracy's initial offense at being called "Shorty" by Gable is soon grudgingly accepted when they share a room for the night. But woe be to anyone who parrots Gable in calling him Shorty!Comparison with yet another Gable film, "Wife versus Secretary", is also in order. In both films, Gable acquires a knockout single woman, who nearly costs him his marriage, as an indispensable assistant in his business. The difference is in the personalities of the women. Harlow's character respects his marriage enough not to encourage an affair, though appearances sometimes fuel rumors. Heddy Lamarr's character is a snake who admits to Tracy that she is determined to seduce and marry Gable's character. Happily, Gable eventually dismisses Lamarr and wife Colbert forgives him. The ups and downs of Gable's and Tracy's oil businesses, together or separate, and their relationship, constitutes much of the substance of the film. Tracy makes a memorable epic speech at Gable's anti-trust trial, which serves as the basis of a reconciliation and a hopeful finale. This speech should have been quoted in T.J. DiLorenzo's book "How Capitalism Saved America", in which he argues that anti-trust legislation has done much more harm than good.I wonder why the color poster for the main feature on my DVD shows Gable smooching Lamarr rather than Colbert? and why the color poster for the special features shows Lamarr and Tracy together(which occurred for only a few minutes in the film)? Is Lamarr considered such a superior beauty that she totally outranks Colbert? Not to my mind.
Neil Doyle
BOOM TOWN can't decide whether it wants to be a buddy flick (CLARK GABLE and SPENCER TRACY) about wildcatters, a domestic romance with an "other woman" angle (CLAUDETTE COLBERT, HEDY LAMARR), or just a big brawling adventure epic about losers and winners amid gushing oil.Somehow, it manages to be all three--which makes for a rather uneven story that serves as a star-gazer for fans who like to watch the foursome go through their paces even though the script isn't strong enough to support them and their misadventures.Claudette is lovely in the chief romantic role as Gable's love interest, but it's HEDY LAMARR (who strolls into the story pretty late in the film) who dazzles with her close-ups and that amazing beauty.Gable is right at home in this get-rich-quick-scheme drilling for oil, since he was an oil rigger at one time before his movie days. He and Tracy are both in love with Claudette--but after she falls for Gable she regrets his close working relationship with Lamarr--and that's where the plot starts to thicken but loses credibility at the same time.Lamarr's role is so underwritten that she hardly has time to register strongly as a sophisticated woman attracted to Gable. The focus is hardly on the women involved, but instead the main thrust of the plot is carried by Gable and Tracy and their relationship.It's the sort of macho buddy film you'd think Gable's friend Victor Fleming would direct, but instead it's Jack Conway behind the reigns. He keeps the action flowing, but somehow none of the characters manage to be really involving and it runs a little too long, just short of tedium, since no new ground is explored.Summing up: Mainly of interest for Gable fans--he plays his blustery devil may care self in great style, fresh from his triumph as Rhett Butler.
