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Boom Town (1940)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
30 August 1940 (USA) moreTagline:
Where Men Are Rough And Tough . . . And Like Their Women The Same Way ! morePlot:
Two buddies who rise from fly-by-night wildcatters to oil tycoons over a twenty year period both love the same woman. full summary | add synopsisAwards:
Nominated for 2 Oscars. moreUser Comments:
Would Have Preferrred Grubby Over Soapy moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Clark Gable | ... | Big John McMasters | |
| Spencer Tracy | ... | Jonathan Sand | |
| Claudette Colbert | ... | Elizabeth Bartlett McMasters | |
| Hedy Lamarr | ... | Karen Vanmeer | |
| Frank Morgan | ... | Luther Aldrich | |
| Lionel Atwill | ... | Mr. Harry Compton | |
| Chill Wills | ... | Deputy Harmony Jones | |
| Marion Martin | ... | Whitey | |
| Minna Gombell | ... | Spanish Eva 'Evie' | |
| Joe Yule | ... | Ed Murphy | |
| Horace Murphy | ... | Tom Murphy | |
| Roy Gordon | ... | Mr. 'Mac' McCreery | |
| Richard Lane | ... | Assistant District Attorney | |
| Casey Johnson | ... | Little Jack McMasters | |
| Baby Quintanilla | ... | Baby Jack McMasters |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
119 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColour:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Sound System)Fun Stuff
Soundtrack:
Polly Wolly Doodle moreFAQ
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Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Boom Town (1940)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| Gable/Tracy: Best Buddy Combo Ever? | ProfessorFate |
| time frame *possible spoiler* | dsklodginski |
| underrated | sightless |
| Wonderful | sallybally90 |
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There was something lacking in this film, not that I didn't like it: it just wasn't as good as it should have been. There was an intensity missing. I found it tough to get involved with the story and the characters.
The cast was terrific: Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Claudette Colbert, Hedy Lamarr, Frank Morgan, Lionel Atwill, Chill Wills - are you kidding me? That's an incredible cast.
Gable had the lead as the cocky oil wildcatter "John McMasters" and Tracy has his more controlled friend "John Sand." The latter is more than leery of his buddy which turns out to be prophetic as McMasters marries the woman Sands had his eyes on: "Elizabeth Bartlett," called "Besty" in the film and played by Colbert. However, he accepts it in a mature manner.
This romance angle comes and goes just like the oil fortunes of these two men. One day they're up; the next day, they're broke. Lamar enters the picture to give it another melodrama twist. That's probably why I was bit letdown in the end. The romances took over from the rousing man's adventure story I thought it was going to be, and looked like it was going to be in the first part of the story. However, I guess they figured women might not come to the theater if there were no complicated romance issues among the tales of two man grubby oilmen. I would have preferred the grubbiness, as this turned out to be a little too long and boring, despite those dynamic lead actors.