My Take:

“The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire, we don't need no water, let the mother***er burn.” And so goes the story of Brant Royal (Gary Cooper), the cigarette baron of Kingsmont, Old White Man Country. You could create a drinking game based off of how many times Brant utters the word burn towards the end of the film. Brant wasn't always the kingpin of Kingsmont though; Major Singleton, the local cigar czar in the area, once drove Brant out of town for making out with his daughter (Patricia Neal) in the sugarcane fields, or copping a feel in the pasture, one of the two. Now, Brant is back to make the Major pay for what he done by funding the world’s first cigarette machine.

As it turns out, both Cooper and Neal were having an affair off-screen, carried over from the previous film they made, but it was ended after Cooper failed to leave his wife. Check out Neal's bio, she was a very fascinating woman.

What I Liked:

The late great Lauren Bacall as a local prostitute who has a soft spot for Brant and helps bankroll the smoky venture.

What I Didn't Like:

The film wore like an overstuffed shirt, no levity whatsoever.

What I Learned:

How much Neal and Bacall look and sound alike, especially the bedroom eyes.