Way Out West (1930 film)
| Way Out West | |
|---|---|
Ralph Bushman | |
| Cinematography | Henry Sharp |
| Edited by | Jerome Thoms William S. Gray |
| Music by | Joseph Meyer |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date |
|
Running time | 71 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $413,000 |
| Box office | $497,000 |
Way Out West is a 1930 American
Plot
Windy, a sideshow barker, cheats a group of cowboys out of their pay, but is then robbed himself. When the cowboys discover they have been cheated, they initially decide to hang him, then decide to make him work off his debt. He falls in love with ranch owner Molly, and when he saves her life after she is bitten by a rattlesnake, he wins her heart.[2]
Cast
- William Haines as Windy
- Leila Hyams as Molly Rankin
- Polly Moran as Pansy
- Cliff Edwards as Trilby
- Ralph Bushmanas Steve (as Francis X. Bushman Jr.)
- Vera Marshe as La Belle Rosa
- Charles Middletonas Buck Rankin
- Jack Pennick as Pete
- Buddy Roosevelt as Tex
- Jay Wilsey as Hank
- Catherine Moylan as Carnival Show Girl
Production
Way Out West was made on a budget of $413,000, one of the more expensive William Haines vehicles.[3]
Response
The New York Times deemed Way Out West "an impertinent, moderately comic affair tinctured with slapstick and romance".[2] The film made a profit of $84,000, making it one of the less profitable of Haines's films of the period.[3]
Gay film historians, noting the homosexuality of William Haines, suggest that Way Out West is "one of the gayest films ever made".[4] Haines biographer William J. Mann cites latent homoeroticism and inside gay humor throughout the film. In one particular example, viewed in light of the Pansy Craze that was beginning to reach Hollywood, Windy is mistaken for the cook Pansy. When called by her name, he replies "I'm the wildest pansy you ever picked!"[5] Richard Barrios, author of Screened Out: Playing Gay in Hollywood from Edison to Stonewall, concurs: "For anyone seeking gay text or subtext in any of Haines's movies, this is the one to study."[6]
References
- ^ Way Out West (1930)
- ^ a b THE SCREEN; Triumphant Impudence.
- ^ a b Mann (1998), p. 169
- ISBN 0-8065-2563-0. p. 161
- ISBN 0-670-87155-9. pp. 167—168
- ISBN 0-415-92328-X, pp. 47—48
External links
- Way Out West at the Internet Movie Database
- Way Out West at Turner Classic Movies
- Way Out West at AllMovie
- Way Out West at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
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