Arizona

(1931)

70 minutes

Director: George B. Seitz

Cast: John Wayne, Laura La Plante, June Clyde, Forrest Stanley and Nin Quartero

Drama / Romance / War

aka Men Are Like That

Lt. Bob Denton (John Wayne) is an all star football player for West Point, and his career is looking bright indeed when he gets involved in a romance with Evelyn Palmer (Laura La Plante). Before Denton’s graduation, he dumps Evelyn, and she turns to Denton’s mentor and commanding officer, Colonel Frank Bonham (Forrest Stanley), eventually marrying him. Although married, Evelyn still harbors quite a grudge against Denton, as becomes obvious when Denton begins to take interest in Evelyn’s younger sister Bonita (June Clyde). A woman scorned takes out her fury on the Duke in an effort to destroy his career and protect her sister.

Note: As this was so early in John Wayne’s career he was actually billed behind Laura La Plante in this feature. Early studios had the ability to assign talent to various roles, and this movie is seen by critics to attempt to place John Wayne in a romantic vehicle to see how it would be accepted by audiences. Citadel Film Series notes this movie titled as “Men Are Like That” in their book “The Films of John Wayne”.