Unless you really love Wallace Beery, you're not going to like Bad Bascomb. He stars as an outlaw who hides out in a Mormon wagon train to elude the sheriff. While he dodges the romantic attentions of both Marjorie Main and Connie Gilchrist, he bonds with young Margaret O'Brien. Margaret softens his gruff exterior, and Wallace's buddy and fellow outlaw J. Carrol Naish isn't too happy about the change in his pal.
In Lost Angel, Margaret O'Brien falls hard for the handsome James Craig, and while the crush is cute, it almost gets serious enough to upset the rest of the plot. In this movie, when she flirts around with the rumpled Wallace Beery, it feels a little awkward. She gets hurt feelings that he doesn't notice her new dress, asks if he has anyone special in his life, and then requests a kiss. When he kisses her forehead, she says, "That's not a real kiss!" before planting a smack-a-roo on his cheek. It's all innocent of course, but if you're not a Wallace Beery fan, you probably won't find it as cute as the movie wants you to.
Then again, who doesn't love a story about a grumpy, crusty curmudgeon who learns to care for an innocent little child? This one isn't the best of that genre, because it does get a bit saccharine, but there are a few sweet moments between the two leads, especially when Margaret gets sick and Wallace sits by her bedside holding her hand.
In Lost Angel, Margaret O'Brien falls hard for the handsome James Craig, and while the crush is cute, it almost gets serious enough to upset the rest of the plot. In this movie, when she flirts around with the rumpled Wallace Beery, it feels a little awkward. She gets hurt feelings that he doesn't notice her new dress, asks if he has anyone special in his life, and then requests a kiss. When he kisses her forehead, she says, "That's not a real kiss!" before planting a smack-a-roo on his cheek. It's all innocent of course, but if you're not a Wallace Beery fan, you probably won't find it as cute as the movie wants you to.
Then again, who doesn't love a story about a grumpy, crusty curmudgeon who learns to care for an innocent little child? This one isn't the best of that genre, because it does get a bit saccharine, but there are a few sweet moments between the two leads, especially when Margaret gets sick and Wallace sits by her bedside holding her hand.