Which 1939 Western comedy stars James Stewart as Tom Destry Jr.?

The 1939 Western comedy starring James Stewart as Tom Destry Jr. is Destry Rides Again.

Directed by George Marshall, the film casts Stewart as Thomas Jefferson “Tom” Destry Jr., a newly appointed deputy in the corrupt frontier town of Bottleneck. Rather than presenting a conventional gunfighter, the story makes Destry a calm, principled lawman whose reluctance to use violence becomes central to the comedy and drama.

Marlene Dietrich co-stars as Frenchy, the saloon singer, while Charles Winninger plays Sheriff Washington “Wash” Dimsdale and Brian Donlevy portrays the saloon owner Kent. Dietrich’s musical performances, especially “See What the Boys in the Back Room Will Have,” became closely associated with the film.

The title can cause confusion because Universal had already released another film called Destry Rides Again in 1932, starring Tom Mix. The 1939 version is a separate production and was Stewart’s first Western. It was later remade by George Marshall as Destry in 1954, with Audie Murphy in the title role.