Boom Town

This would be the 300th DVD I've watched and reviewed this year, for the record.

Boom Town. 1940 MGM/Turner Entertainment.
Starring: Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy, Claudette Colbert, Hedy Lamarr, Frank Morgan, Chill Wills, Lionel Atwill
Director: Jack Conway
Available from Amazon as a single DVD or as part of the Clark Gable Signature Collection.

Big John McMasters (Gable) and Square Jonathan Sand (Tracy) work in the oil industry. Both of them are having troubles, so they team up, stealing drilling equipment from another wildcatter, Luther Aldrich (Morgan) because they don't have enough money. Their first well is a bust, and the duo flees when Aldrich shows up with the police to reclaim his stolen property. They regroup and make enough money to partially pay Aldrich, cutting him in for a percentage of their next well to get his backing. The third time proves to be the charm.

The new partnership is not destined for a long life, especially after Betsy Bartlett (Colbert) enters the picture. McMasters ultimately marries her, unaware that Sand is also in love with her. Sand accepts this, wanting Betsy to be happy, but it only takes a year for he and McMasters to fall out, and they flip a coin to see who gets the entire oil field.

Separately, McMasters and Sand go through oil booms and busts. McMasters moves to New York to expand his holdings into refineries and distribution, competing against a former customer, Harry Compton (Atwill). McMaster hires Compton's adviser Karen Vanmeer (Lamarr) to learn inside information about business rivals. Sand sees the two of them getting too close for comfort, and he offers to hire Karen, even proposing to her (she declines). After a miserable Betsy attempts suicide, Sand attempts to bankrupt his old friend McMasters if only to save her life. This fails, and Sand goes bankrupt. McMasters only comes to his senses after he is asked by Sand to give Betsy a divorce.

After McMasters is prosecuted for violating the Sherman Antitrust Act, and loses everything, Sand rushes to his old friend's aid, and they reconcile, poor, but happy. Betsy is happier, and Aldrich again supplies our heroes with drilling equipment, which begins the whole cycle once again...

Good movie. Recommended.