Movie Review: Yankee Fakir (1947)

Synopsis: A traveling peddler, Mergatroyd Barthlomew "Yankee" Davis, arrives at the border town of Mystic, Arizona with his partner, Professor Newton, and boards with a border patrol officer and his daughter, Mary. When Mary's father dies, and the death is ruled an accident, suspecting murder, Yankee and Professor Newton investigate and stumble upon a smuggling ring.

Who's in it? The movie stars Douglas Fowley, Joan Woodbury, Ransom M. Sherman, Clem Bevans and Frank Reicher.

Review: I came across Yankee Fakir on Starz last night after scrolling through dozens of other movies. It sounded interesting so I added it to my list and wound up watching it this morning. While it wasn't quite what I was expecting, it was still pretty good.

The overall plot is an interesting one, with a powerful smuggling ring controlling the local authorities and being run by an unknown mastermind. This made it easy to cover up the initial murder and to make it difficult for Yankee (Fowley) to investigate, even going as far as having Yankee and Professor Newton (Sherman) arrested for selling gin without a license.

Yankee's plan to get out of jail by having a gold prospector, Shaggy (Bevans), pretending to be his wealthy uncle and using the town's greed to get a witness come forward was a bit complicated but entertaining. It had a good mix of comedy and made me wonder about just how the plan would play out. I also wondered if Shaggy's life was in danger, especially when Yankee portrayed himself as the heir to his fortune.

Another thing I found I liked was Yankee himself. There was a good mix of charm, seriousness and comedic talent (something that was a bit surprising since every time I've seen Fowley in a movie, he's been the villain). I also liked how the film established his honesty by insisting Shaggy see a doctor (leading to their friendship) rather than rely on the snake oil he was selling.

In terms of negatives, the movie does tend to get off track at times. Some of it paid off, I especially loved how Shaggy was using his fake persona to attract women. Other stuff just felt unnecessary, like the musical number with about 20 minutes remaining.

Also, considering their dad was murdered, both Mary (Woodbury) and her younger brother (Tom Bernard) didn't seem to be overly emotional about it. It kind of cheapened the romance between her and Yankee as a result because you would think there would be some period of mourning, even if it was for the sake of appearance.

Final Opinion: I would have liked to seem some of the extra stuff cut out to keep the focus on the main plot, but the overall movie was entertaining, with a good mix of comedy and a bit of mystery. I enjoyed watching it and would recommend it.

My Grade: B+