I know, I know, this one isn’t on video. I’m beginning to wonder if it might not be a bad idea to include movies that are not on video but deserve to be. If the word gets out and people are interested, maybe the studios (in this case, Paramount) will get their act together and give us some more of these old treasures.

The premise of this story—man of God comes to frontier town and things change for the better—is not new. It is well executed though, particularly by the great comedian Charlie Ruggles, who plays the town of Panamint’s mayor.

A rich gold mine has the town of Panamint thriving. They even have a beautiful new church. What they don’t have is a pastor. Charlie Ruggles takes it upon himself to go to St. Louis to try and find a minister appropriate for their town, one who is not too uptight and believes in ‘brotherly love’. Convinced he will not find anyone with the right combination of moral leadership and practicality, Mayor Charlie gives up looking and winds up in a brawl outside the hotel where he is staying. A young minister by the name of Philip Pharo just so happens to be looking for a job and has heard of the Mayor’s search. He comes upon the scene in time to rescue Charlie from a possible shooting, thus indicating that he is no weakling.

The young man is indeed hired and brought to Panamint and almost immediately makes his mark. He is kind to the ‘bad’ people (drunks, saloon girls, etc.) and does not fawn over the ‘good’ people (bankers, judges, etc.). As events unfold the young minister kills a man in self-defence and stands trial. He is found guilty and is about to be hanged. Then, at the last minute, Mayor Charlie intervenes with a rousing speech that helps bring about the film’s conclusion.

The word for this film is charming. I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. Free of worldly cynicism, the filmmakers were not afraid to extol positive virtues like forgiveness and ‘brotherly love’. The film is well acted, perhaps has one musical interlude too many for my tastes, and has a colourful array of characters.

Arguably, this type of film has been done better. HELLFIRE with ‘Wild Bill’ Elliott is a superior film in my estimation, I think because it leans more towards drama and features a believable conversion scene. THE TWINKLE IN GOD’S EYE starring Mickey Rooney is perhaps a less successful version of a similar theme (but still enjoyable). Maybe the best ‘preacher comes to town’ film is STARS IN MY CROWN, which benefits from a performance by Joel McCrea that just radiates integrity. STARS has one particularly brilliant scene where preacher McCrea faces down a lynch mob intent on hanging an innocent black man. You have to see it to believe it. Just thinking about it brings a lump to my throat. (All three of these films are available on video).

THE PARSON OF PANAMINT has one major flaw. Typical of Hollywood, the theology expounded is very watered down. If the parson is supposed to be a dedicated man of God then it is doubtful he would answer, when questioned ‘How many roads are there to Heaven?’ with ‘Many. That’s why we all need help to get there.’ An evangelical Christian minister would have a more specific answer. Of course the film’s intent was to entertain, not preach, so I can accept this flaw, although to my mind it undermines the film’s integrity.

I finished watching this film with a smile on my face. While there is an innocent quality about it, THE PARSON OF PANAMINT does not shy away from serious issues. It is well worth the viewing time. If your curiosity is piqued, I’d encourage you to contact Paramount and demand a video release! Personally, I would buy this film.

Jon Ted Wynne