Synopsis for
Destry Rides Again (1939) More at IMDbPro »

Destry rides again! Destry, Jr.(Jimmy Stewart) is the Sheriff without a gun. He believes the law and public opinion is the answer to outlaws and gun fights. Bottleneck is a lawless town run by bad guys and gun slingers. The bad guy Kent (Brian Donlevy), gun slingers, corrupt Judge Slade (Samuel S. Hinds), crooked gamblers and dishonest Saloon Gal Frenchy (Marlene Dietrich) were cheating, stealing, and forcing farmers to sell them their land against their wills in order to have control of all the land when the railroad comes through the territory. The bad guys kill the old sheriff because he is wise to their game. In order to keep law and order out of Bottleneck Judge Slade appoints the town drunk Washington Dimsdale (Charles Winninger) to be the new sheriff. Charles sobers up to discover he is the new Sheriff of Bottleneck. Before he was a drunk he had been deputy for Sheriff Tom Destry Sr. who was the roughest toughest Sheriff of all times. Destry Sr. used his fists and his guns to cleanup Destry's Sr. lawless town - and was Sheriff there until gutless outlaws shot him in the back. His son Destry Jr. took over as town Sheriff. Bottlenecks new Sheriff DImsdale wires for Destry son ...Thomas Jefferson Destry Jr.; the fastest gun in the west since his fathers Death to come clean up Bottleneck. The Bad guys hear about Destrys reputation and decide to meet his stage in Bottleneck and give Destry a short lived welcome. When the stage arrives in bottleneck to everyones surprise DESTRY (Jimmy Stewart) is carrying a bird cage and parasol because he is helping a female passenger (a sweet bottleneck girl he fancies) debark from the stage. The entire town roars with laughter at the sight of the new sheriff who appears to be a cup cake. The outlaws welcome Bottlnecks new Cupcake Deputy with jokes and laughter. Destry is agreeable and unconcerned about the fun. Later he goes to the Saloon. Destry does so without any guns. He tells the town and outlaws he doesnt believe in them. This only encourages the outlaws to make fun of him again. He meets Fenchy, who has a cat fight with a Russians wife who comes to claim her husbands pants from Frenchy who won them in a fixed poker game earlier. Destry stops the fight ..pouring a "mop bucket of water ontop of Fenchy", Frenchy goes balistic with Destry and the attraction begins - they soon too get in to it -Their conflict causes Frenchy to fall in LOVE with Destry soon after. Destry makes the Russin a deputy and the three friends decide to trick the outlaws to find out who killed the Sheriff and why. They make an arrest. The Outlaws and town people soon learn there is more to their Cupcake Deputy Sheriff than friendly talk, a brunch of cute little stories about his friends - ( I once had a friend who..), a twiddling napkin maker (he is always twiddling napkin holders throughout the film), and a gun-less deputy; especially after his friend the sheriff Dimsdale gets shot in the back while guarding the new prisorner in the jail. Destry is being kissed and woooed by Frenchy at her house because she doesn't want Destry near the jail when the outlaws go to spring their friend and shoot the sheriff. Destry puts on his guns and goes looking for the outlaws who murdered his friend Dimsdale. Frenchy in the end saves Destrys life when she jumps in front of Destry in the middle of a gun fight - she takes a bullit ment for Destry in her back. Destry kills all the outlaws and cleans up Bottleneck. In the end, it's a quiet town. The Russian gets his pants and Destry gets the sweet innocent girl from the stage who he still fancies - and Destry rides again!