Senteur As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Donald Seymour This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

jacobs-greenwood This is one of the many entertaining pairings of Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy; it's about two "wildcat" oil friends who become competitors and also get involved with two beautiful women, Claudette Colbert and Hedy Lamarr. Frank Morgan also figures prominently as a competitor and partner.Directed by Jack Conway, with a screenplay by John Lee Mahin that was based on James Edward Grant's story, this slightly above average adventure romance drama received Academy Award nominations for its B&W Cinematography and Special Effects. Lionel Atwill and Chill Wills also appear.The plot is light fare: Gable is a tough guy who literally runs into tough guy Tracy, but the two become fast friends and scheme to drill for oil using someone else's money (Morgan's). If I'm not mistaken, this film features the scene where the two compete to see who can punch someone the farthest!They eventually strike it rich, and even partner with Morgan. Gable meets, falls in love with, and marries Colbert without realizing that she was Tracy's girl. But Tracy sucks it up and the two become big time oilmen until Gable's treatment of Colbert doesn't meet with Tracy's standards, and the partnership breaks up.Years later and successful again, Gable, still with Colbert, is working in New York with the beautiful Lamarr in his employ as a spy; Tracy has made his own success as well.Tracy also arrives in New York, visits his old flame Colbert, goes to Gable's office and assesses Lamarr, and then brawls with Gable to make him realize what he's got in Colbert. Tracy also testifies in court to help Gable out of a jam. Gable returns to Colbert and has this memorable, double entendre exchange:Gable: "you're going to stay here with me if I have to lick ya" Colbert: "of course I'll stay ... you can lick me if it'll help"The two, then the three (Tracy), and finally the four (Morgan) reconcile and are planning to work together to find oil again as the film closes.

wes-connors In an oil-rich 1918 Texas town, manly wildcatter Clark Gable (as "Big John" McMasters) meets fellow prospector Spencer Tracy (as Jonathan "Shorty" Sand). "Don't call me Shorty," advises Mr. Tracy. "Why not, Shorty?" asks Mr. Gable. Although they smack each other around, Gable is allowed. The guys bond while washing up in their long underwear and decide to become partners. Gable and Tracy steal some oil equipment and strike it rich. Tracy's well-dressed girlfriend Claudette Colbert (as Elizabeth "Betsy" Bartlett), who sells ladies' underwear, arrives and goes to bed with Gable. They also make it legal. Very predictably, this starts a long rivalry...Gable and Tracy win some, and they lose some..."Boom Town" starts out exciting and turns into a one-note soap opera that doesn't impress. Mainly, this is due to a boring love story between the three stars. Rather late in the story, beautiful Karen Vanmeer (as Hedy Lamarr) enters as a second love interest for Gable. This makes two for Gable and zero for Tracy. Maybe it's because he's short. It might have been better to show Tracy becoming involved with either of the women, or even another woman. The parts about the oil industry are nicely produced, but proceed with sketchy logic and intrigue. Despite being hollow, "Boom Town" is a classy and engaging production from a studio with the staff to make it happen.***** Boom Town (8/30/40) Jack Conway ~ Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Claudette Colbert, Hedy Lamarr

gazzo-2 This one has it all-great cast(Spencer, Clark, Hedy, Claudette), rousing action(check that oil well fire scene), over-use of montages, boom and bust cycles, beautiful women(esp. Hedy), fistfights, etc. A typical big budget, big star feature of the times.I donno how much I bought the soap opera angle-clearly Claudette and Spencer should have gotten back together at the end, w/ Gable taking off w/ Hedy. She was easily more his type. The movie is quite superficial-they gain and lose fortunes at a seeming moments notice, bounce back easily and keep on plowing ahead. Gable and Tracy carry this, esp. Gable. It's likable, somewhat overlong and tends to drag a bit in the second half. Frank Morgan and Chill Wills help keep it lively. Look out for a neato Curt Bois cameo too. Think 'Casablanca' and 'Vipers'.*** outta ****, you will like it if you like the two leads.

Neil Doyle BOOM TOWN can't decide whether it wants to be a buddy flick (CLARK GABLE and SPENCER TRACY) about wildcatters, a domestic romance with an "other woman" angle (CLAUDETTE COLBERT, HEDY LAMARR), or just a big brawling adventure epic about losers and winners amid gushing oil.Somehow, it manages to be all three--which makes for a rather uneven story that serves as a star-gazer for fans who like to watch the foursome go through their paces even though the script isn't strong enough to support them and their misadventures.Claudette is lovely in the chief romantic role as Gable's love interest, but it's HEDY LAMARR (who strolls into the story pretty late in the film) who dazzles with her close-ups and that amazing beauty.Gable is right at home in this get-rich-quick-scheme drilling for oil, since he was an oil rigger at one time before his movie days. He and Tracy are both in love with Claudette--but after she falls for Gable she regrets his close working relationship with Lamarr--and that's where the plot starts to thicken but loses credibility at the same time.Lamarr's role is so underwritten that she hardly has time to register strongly as a sophisticated woman attracted to Gable. The focus is hardly on the women involved, but instead the main thrust of the plot is carried by Gable and Tracy and their relationship.It's the sort of macho buddy film you'd think Gable's friend Victor Fleming would direct, but instead it's Jack Conway behind the reigns. He keeps the action flowing, but somehow none of the characters manage to be really involving and it runs a little too long, just short of tedium, since no new ground is explored.Summing up: Mainly of interest for Gable fans--he plays his blustery devil may care self in great style, fresh from his triumph as Rhett Butler.