"Life Begins at 40" features Will Rogers as Kenesaw Clark, a newspaperman in a small town. It seems that a Lee Austin spent some time in jail for a bank holdup and having just getting out he is now ostracized by most of his townsfolk. But we are shown by Will's instinct that he may have an idea who may have really done it. He tries to help out Lee with a job and get him out of the scrape he's in with the rest of the town. Will Rogers' humble and easy-going disposition really helps to accentuate the hometown feel of this film, and it certainly has a good support by Rochelle Hudson, Jane Darwell, George Barbier, and Slim Summerville to name a few. With a combination of humor, romance, and hijinks, this has just about something for everyone and is one of Will Rogers' films. Some of the Will Rogers films feel a bit old, creaky, and dated, especially when black actor Stepin Fetchit were in them with his schtick; the others' treatment of Stepin and his 'yessuhs' got old. But "Life Begins at 40" is simply one of the best Will Rogers films there are. Watch this and "Too Busy to Work" and you'll enjoy one of America's favorite people of the 1930s films and you'll understand how Will Rogers became part of out American heritage with his wit and understanding of the human race.
Review of Life Begins at 40
