Fast-talking con-man and grifter Candy Johnson rises to be the corrupt boss of Yellow Creek, but his wife's alcoholic father tries to set things right.
Acting
Gable's grin could sell snake oil to saints.
Costume
Turner's wardrobe changes signal every power shift.
Writing
Pre-Code edge squeaking past 1941 censors.
Director
Jack Conway
Clark Gable
"Candy" Johnson
Lana Turner
Elizabeth Cotton
Frank Morgan
Judge Cotton
Claire Trevor
"Gold Dust" Nelson
Marjorie Main
Mrs. Varner
Albert Dekker
Brazos Hearn
Henry O'Neill
Daniel Wells
Chill Wills
The Sniper
Veda Ann Borg
Pearl
Douglas Wood
Governor Wilson
Lew Harvey
Blackie
Betty Blythe
Mrs. Wilson
Harry Worth
Harry Gates
Erville Alderson
Man with Rail (uncredited)
Hooper Atchley
Senator Ford (uncredited)
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was Gable and Turner's second pairing; their first, 'Somewhere I'll Find You' (1942), was delayed so MGM could rush this 'Boom Town' cash-in into theaters.
The tar-and-feathers sequence caused censorship battles despite being historically accurate—Hays Office found vigilante justice too 'encouraging' for 1941 audiences.
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