High, Wide and Handsome (1937) in Color — Starring Irene Dunne & Randolph Scott

High, Wide and Handsome (1937) — Buy This Classic in Color

High, Wide and Handsome (1937) is a sweeping musical drama set in 1850s Pennsylvania, starring Irene Dunne as a traveling show performer who falls in love with a pioneer oil driller, played by Randolph Scott, as he battles railroad tycoons trying to crush his dream. Directed by Rouben Mamoulian with songs by Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II, this professionally colorized version brings the lush period settings and spectacular musical numbers to vivid new life. Buy your colorized copy today for €15.00 and own this magnificent classic movie in color.

Plot Summary

Peter Doyle is a hardworking Pennsylvania farmer who strikes oil on his land and dares to dream of building his own pipeline to bring his discovery to market, bypassing the powerful railroad monopolies that control every barrel of oil transported in the region. Sally Watterson, a talented singer with a traveling medicine show passing through town, falls in love with Peter’s quiet strength, stubborn determination, and the honest ambition that sets him apart from every other man she has met on the road. But the railroad barons who control all transportation of oil view Peter’s pipeline as a mortal threat to their stranglehold on the industry, and they unleash a ruthless campaign of sabotage, intimidation, and outright violence against his fledgling enterprise, hiring thugs to destroy equipment, threaten workers, and terrorize anyone who dares to help him. The classic movie builds steadily from intimate romance to epic confrontation as Peter rallies the local farmers to his cause, pooling their resources and their courage to fight back against seemingly impossible odds. Sally, torn between her love for Peter and the pain of watching him risk everything, eventually employs the circus performers and strongmen from her old traveling show to join the battle. The spectacular, unforgettable climax — in which circus elephants help lay the final stretch of pipeline while an all-out fight rages against the railroad’s hired army — becomes a rousing, joyous fight for independence and the American dream itself. Jerome Kern’s unforgettable melodies weave effortlessly through the narrative, making every triumph feel earned and every setback resonate with genuine emotional power.

Cast & Crew

Director: Rouben Mamoulian

Stars: Irene Dunne, Randolph Scott, Dorothy Lamour, Charles Bickford, Akim Tamiroff, William Frawley, Raymond Walburn

Why Buy This Classic in Color?

This colorized version of High, Wide and Handsome transforms an already visually ambitious film into a genuine feast for the eyes. The original black and white photography captured sweeping landscapes and lavish production numbers, but the professionally colorized restoration reveals the rolling green Pennsylvania hills stretching to the horizon, the dark slick of oil against rich brown earth, the vivid costumes and bright banners of the traveling medicine show, the golden light filtering through barn doors and homestead windows, and the spectacular, chaotic climax with its elephants, acrobats, and brawling fighters, all rendered with frame-by-frame richness and detail. The musical sequences gain warmth and visual exuberance that perfectly complement Kern’s lush melodies. Now also available in colour.

Buy High, Wide and Handsome in color today for just €15.00. Your DRM-free MP4 download is available for instant access.

Historical Significance

High, Wide and Handsome was an enormously ambitious production that nearly bankrupted Paramount Pictures, combining the scope of a historical epic with a full Jerome Kern–Oscar Hammerstein II musical score that stands among the finest work of both legendary artists. The classic film anticipated the narrative ambitions of later Hammerstein works like Oklahoma! and Carousel by nearly a decade, pioneering the concept of blending song, story, and spectacle into a unified dramatic whole where the music serves the narrative rather than interrupting it. Irene Dunne delivers a radiant, multifaceted performance that balances vocal brilliance with genuine dramatic depth, while Randolph Scott proves there was so much more to his talent than the Westerns for which he became famous. Director Rouben Mamoulian, one of the most innovative filmmakers of the era, brought a visual fluidity and choreographic intelligence to every scene. The film’s thrilling climax — featuring real circus elephants helping to lay the pipeline — remains one of the most audacious and entertaining set pieces in all of 1930s cinema. The restored colorized version allows modern audiences to watch this pioneering musical epic with renewed visual grandeur and appreciate its crucial place in the evolution of the American movie musical.

Technical Details

• Format: MP4 digital download
• Resolution: HD restored
• Colorized: Professionally colorized from original black and white
• Audio: Original mono restored
• Runtime: Approximately 112 minutes
• DRM-free: Yes — watch on any device
• Instant download: Available immediately after purchase
• Price: €15.00

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Movie-Specific Questions

Q: Is the story based on real events?
A: It is loosely inspired by the real struggle of early Pennsylvania oil pioneers to build pipelines independent of railroad monopolies in the 1860s, though the story and characters are fictionalized.

Q: Are these the same Kern and Hammerstein who wrote Show Boat?
A: Yes — the legendary songwriting team of Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II wrote the score, including the standards ‘The Folks Who Live on the Hill’ and ‘Can I Forget You,’ songs that remain beloved classics today.

Q: Is this the colorized version of the full film?
A: Yes, this is the complete 112-minute feature, professionally colorized frame-by-frame from the restored original.

Q: Does the film really end with circus elephants?
A: Yes — the climax features Sally rallying circus performers and elephants to help complete the pipeline, creating one of the most unique and spectacular finales in musical film history.

Digital Download Questions

Q: What format is the download?
A: DRM-free MP4, compatible with virtually any device or media player.

Q: How much does it cost?
A: €15.00 for instant download. The colorization process ensures every scene looks stunning in color.

Q: Can I watch on multiple devices?
A: Absolutely. The file is DRM-free, so you can watch on your TV, tablet, phone, or computer.

Related Colorized Classics

• Born to Dance (1936)
• Destry Rides Again (1939)
• Song of Love (1947)
• Follow the Fleet (1936)
• I Remember Mama (1948)