Grade: D+
Synopsis: A Kentucky militiaman (John Wayne) falls for a general’s daughter and helps thwart land grabbers with the help of his friend (Oliver Hardy).
The Fighting Kentuckian is a sub-par John Wayne western adventure due in large part to the inclusion of Vera Ralston and writer-director George Waggner.
As in their earlier pairing, Dakota (1945), Ralston and Wayne have zero chemistry, and while she’s not quite the grating pain to watch that she was in that earlier film, Ralston still hams it up to no end.
Writer-director George Waggner is no help either. Despite showing potential some years earlier when he helmed The Wolf Man (1941), Waggner turns in an uninspired effort here. Though he undoubtedly had little wiggle room when dealing with Ralston given that she was having an affair with studio head Herbert Yates, Waggner’s uninspired direction and formulaic script ultimately seem better suited for television and do little to compensate for Ralston’s blundering.
The Fighting Kentuckian is at least notable for Oliver Hardy’s presence. There’s a genuine chemistry between the Duke and Hardy that could have formed the basis for a great adventure-comedy, but, unfortunately, Wayne and Hardy never worked together again. Fortunately, neither did Wayne and Ralston.
