: He refuses to carry a gun, preferring to disarm enemies with long-winded anecdotes and quiet logic.
is the rare classic that successfully rewrote the rules of the Western genre while it was still being defined. By blending sharp wit, subversive gender roles, and a pacifist hero, it saved the Western from the "B-movie" doldrums of the 1930s. The Reluctant Hero: Tom Destry Jr. Destry Rides Again
: Despite his peaceful exterior, he is a crack shot, demonstrating his lethality only when pushed to the limit. : He refuses to carry a gun, preferring
: This role proved Stewart could handle rugged action, paving the way for his later gritty Westerns like The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance . The Power of Frenchy subversive gender roles