I thought this would be the silliest movie ever, so silly that I would turn it off. It was actually really cute, and I enjoyed it quite a bit. So, even if you think that a western spoof about an English gentleman who accidentally becomes sheriff of a lawless town and courts saloon madam Jayne Mansfield, won't be your cup of tea, give it a chance and get ready to laugh.
Kenneth More wins the audience over quickly the way Bob Hope did in The Paleface. He's a proper English gent who gets in far over his head by a giant misunderstanding. His family business in England (headed by his father, Robert Morley) is to sell guns, but when he accidentally shows his merchandise to the wrong people in the wild west, he's thought to be a fast gunslinger. All at once, he's feared and catered to, and the crooked mayor, Henry Hull, appoints him as sheriff of the town.
This is a very fun movie that enjoys making fun of itself without coming across as ridiculous. Jayne Mansfield is the stereotypical saloon girl, Henry Hull is the stereotypical crooked politician, and Bruce Cabot is the stereotypical outlaw, but everyone has so much fun doing it. No one seems like they're about to laugh or that they're so far above westerns they deserve to make fun of it. Henry is fantastic, adding class and professionalism to the silly movie. He makes the most of every opportunity and steals the scene away from the leads more than a few times. Jayne is cute as a button and gets to lip-synch to a couple of Connie Francis songs, making audiences wonder why Marilyn Monroe was such a big deal. I recently read that this movie was supposed to star Marilyn and Clifton Webb, which I'm sure would have been just as adorable!
Kenneth More wins the audience over quickly the way Bob Hope did in The Paleface. He's a proper English gent who gets in far over his head by a giant misunderstanding. His family business in England (headed by his father, Robert Morley) is to sell guns, but when he accidentally shows his merchandise to the wrong people in the wild west, he's thought to be a fast gunslinger. All at once, he's feared and catered to, and the crooked mayor, Henry Hull, appoints him as sheriff of the town.
This is a very fun movie that enjoys making fun of itself without coming across as ridiculous. Jayne Mansfield is the stereotypical saloon girl, Henry Hull is the stereotypical crooked politician, and Bruce Cabot is the stereotypical outlaw, but everyone has so much fun doing it. No one seems like they're about to laugh or that they're so far above westerns they deserve to make fun of it. Henry is fantastic, adding class and professionalism to the silly movie. He makes the most of every opportunity and steals the scene away from the leads more than a few times. Jayne is cute as a button and gets to lip-synch to a couple of Connie Francis songs, making audiences wonder why Marilyn Monroe was such a big deal. I recently read that this movie was supposed to star Marilyn and Clifton Webb, which I'm sure would have been just as adorable!