I grew up on a steady diet of cowboys & Bob Hope, & I fondly remember this one from my teenage years at the local theatre. While it is not as great as "The Ghostbreakers", or "Son of the Paleface", it is still a very enjoyable and hilarious romp through the "old West". There are sight-gags & pratfalls galore, & some really witty dialogue & joke routines from Hope (even Wendell Corey manages to be funny in this one...quite a change from the stalwart Mountie in "The Wild North"!) I especially loved seeing the drop-dead beautiful Rhonda Fleming at the height of her career. When she kisses Bob, I had to grind my teeth in jealousy that it wasn't me instead. The ending is really an inspired bit of nostalgia, with many of the great cowboy stars from 1950s TV Westerns showing up in cameo roles. About the only ones missing are Paladin, Hopalong Cassidy, & the Lone Ranger (Tonto is there though...I think this was filmed during the time that Clayton Moore was in a salary dispute with his TV producers...maybe that explains his absence?). Gene Autry was in the theatrical release but was cut out of the version that plays on TV now...probably because his widow wouldn't give legal permission. I found it really sad that we were deprived of seeing him because of mere money. Gene was always one my favorite cowboy stars...sigh. Anyway, if you enjoy family-friendly films & classic comedy routines, then you'll love this movie.
Review of Alias Jesse James
