mark.waltz Giving perhaps his greatest performance, veteran character actor Edward Arnold plays a bombastic owner of a logging camp who eventually becomes the powerful head of a huge lumber company. Along side him throughout his journey is the noble Walter Brennan, a Swedish immigrant who married the lovely barmaid Frances Farmer after Arnold married a stuffy society matron. Years go by and the now widowed Brennan introduced his softer daughter (also Farmer) to Arnold, leading to a romance between Arnold's son (Joel McCrea) and the young Farmer."Yumpin' Yimminy!" are the repetitive words which won Brennan the first ever Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Actually, it is more than just that, but if I were to play a drinking game every time he said it, I would be Schbockered pretty fast. Unlike the annoying El Brendel, Brennan is much note tolerable and less stereotypical. Farmer is terrific in the opening sequence, but her second character is not as interesting, a standard movie heroine who is rather bland. The song that re-appears through the film does indeed have the same music as the Elvis Presley hit "Love Me Tender" with old-fashioned style lyrics. For me, the highlight is the logging sequence at the very beginning, although it is sad to see all those trees chopped down. A bar brawl turns comical due to the addition of frisbee like trays.Among the supporting cast are Mary Nash ad Arnold's cold-hearted wife, Andrea Leeds as Arnold's lovely daughter, Mady Christians as the younger Farmer's companion, and the always fun Cecil Cunningham as Arnold's acerbic secretary. Arnold is likable in spite of his patriarchal personality, repeating the movie title over and over with such passion, even when he is sad.

MartinHafer COME AND GET IT has a very strange cast. Having the reliable and talented supporting actor, Edward Arnold, in the lead is strange--especially since this rotund and rather doughy guy is cast as, believe it or not, a lumberjack when the film begins! Seeing him supposedly fight and beat up tough guys seemed pretty funny--especially since Arnold looked as if he'd have had a hard time beating up Frances Farmer--let alone burly lumbermen!! Additionally, having him play a very flawed hero who has a penchant for a very young lady (Frances Farmer) make it an unusual film.The film begins with Arnold being made the foreman of a logging company. However, his ambition is huge and he immediately has his sights set on running the entire company. So, to do so he agrees to marry the boss' daughter even though he could care less about her. Additionally, he'd just fallen in love with a spunky saloon singer (Frances Farmer--in a dual role). Regardless, his ambition is primary and he dumps farmer on his pal, played by Walter Brennan (who received an Oscar for his performance as a nice Swedish guy).Years pass. You see that Arnold's wife is a bit of a cold fish, though they did have some kids and they now own the company. Arnold just happens to visit his old pal Brennan and finds that through the magic of Hollywood clichés, Brennan's daughter (played by Farmer again) is the spitting image of her deceased mother. Arnold is an old lecher and takes her under his wing--with the intention of recreating the relationship he'd had with her mother. When his oldest son (Joel McCrea) finds out, he goes to confront the lady but falls for her instead. Naturally, this sets the son and hard-driven father against each other.Considering that this is based on an Edna Ferber novel, it isn't surprising that the film is about a man building an empire as well as infidelity--recurring themes I've noticed in several of her other films that were filmed during the era (such as CIMARRON, GIANT, SHOWBOAT and SO BIG). As a result, the film has a big and rather sweeping quality about it but is also a study of a hard-driven man who is deeply flawed.Overall, the movie is exactly what you'd expect from such a film--good acting, big scope and a lot of romantic tension. Nothing extraordinary here, but it's enjoyable and competently made. I can't, however, understand how Brennan got an Oscar, as this was far from one of his best performances. Perhaps it was a slow year.

Stephen Alfieri I know all of the history behind "Come and Get It". From the stories about Frances Farmer, and the whole Howard Hawks incident. I know that it's the first film that won the best supporting actor award. I know it's supposed to be a classic.But in the end, it was a story that I just couldn't stick with. Yes, the acting was very good, and the montage of the mills and lumber industry were excellent, but the first forty-five minutes were almost painful, at times. I couldn't stand to see Edward Arnold ( a wonderful actor) stuffed into clothes that were two sizes too small for him( to quote The Honeymooners, "...He looked like two pounds of baloney in a one pound bag). To me, Walter Brennan was incredibly annoying to listen to, with his insulting Swedish accent. And Frances Farmer, while very beautiful, was not that interesting to watch.The confines of the film itself hurt this movie. This could have been a big, sweeping epic like "The Big Country", or "Giant", but as written, it's just not interesting enough.5 out of 10

drednm Old fashioned to be sure, but this film version of the Edna Ferber novel boasts some great film acting by Edward Arnold and Frances Farmer (in a dual role).Story has the ruthless Arnold working his way up in the Wisconsin lumber business, grabbing at everything in sight, including saloon gal Farmer. He seems to care about nothing but getting ahead. When he gets the chance to marry the boss' daughter (Mary Nash), he dumps Farmer and moves on.Twenty year later, he has it all plus two children: Joel McCrea and Andrea Leeds. By chance he runs into old pal (Walter Brennan in his first Oscar win) who married Farmer. She's dead but her daughter (Farmer again) lives with him along with a niece (Mady Christians). The daughter is a dead ringer for the mother, and Arnold decides to move in on her (in a last gasp at youth).But when the daughter meets McCrea, it's all over for Arnold. The father and son have a confrontation and the old man sees the light.This film offers some of the best acting of any 30s film. Edward Arnold is superb, and his final scene is just plain chilling. Farmer is glorious in her dual role, her best chance at film stardom (that never happened). Also solid are McCrea, Brennan, Leeds, and Nash. Supporting cast offers Cecil Cunningham as the wise-cracking and wise secretary.The film may set a Hollywood record in listing THREE directors. Both Howard Hawks and William Wyler are listed as co-directors while Richard Rosson is credited with the timber scenes (which are great).Worth a look for Frances Farmer and Edward Arnold!