Review of Bad Bascomb (1946) by Lanning : — 02 Oct 2011

Margaret O'Brien is one of the most adorable and articulate child actors ever, and her chemistry with anyone on screen is always magical. Here with Wallace Beery -- his love interest, so to speak -- that chemistry is unmistakable.

Despite the copious amounts of bloodshed in this one, it is still a comedy. O'Brien heals Beery with her child's amorous ways, reforming him and transforming him from a hard-boiled outlaw to an altruistic, self-sacrificing human being.

Oddly enough, the ending is not a typically comic one. We are left with the impression that Beery's optimism about his return may actually be just that, and he might actually never return.