jc-osms An enjoyable comedy western featuring the formidable, if different talents of its leads Bob Hope and Jane Russell. Hope plays his customary cowardy-custard character, a travelling dentist of all things named "Painless" Potter alongside Russell's mannish Calamity Jane as they seek to foil the baddies' nefarious plan to arm the Red Indians, but pay no attention to the plot just like the stars and instead enjoy the fun romp they rampage through.Filmed in glorious Technicolor, the film makes ample room for running gags, like Russell's hammer-like kisses and Hope getting pulled out of his wagon-chair every time he gees up the horses, but is best served by Hope and his ad-libs and one-liners (sample:- Hope trying to act tough at the bar - "Give me four fingers of red-eye - and throw in a thumb too!"). The funniest extended scene is probably when Hope and a hot-shot rival stalk each other around town before their shoot-out. The humour trails off somewhat in the last third when the comedy gets too cartoony and slapsticky but there's still some compensation as Russell's glacial heart melts towards her oafish husband.Sure the treatment of the Red Indians is about as un-PC as you can get, but the real villains are the white guys and along the way Hope gets to sing the catchy singalong "Buttons and Bows". Popular enough to beget a sequel "Son Of Paleface" a few years, this is one of Hope's best comedies sans-Crosby and also demonstrated Russell's comedic talents at the same time.

blanche-2 I confess a weakness for the Bob Hope of the '40s - cute, funny, and guileless. His cowardly persona played well in many films."The Paleface" is the story of Calamity Jane (Jane Russell) being broken out of jail and offered a full pardon by the government if she can track down who is running guns to the Indians. Unfortunately, the man who is to accompany her on the wagon train to investigate is murdered. While running from people out to get her, she ends up in the office of Painless Peter Potter, a dentist who has to use a manual when he's working on a patient. He has his own wagon; Jane recruits him to marry her and join the wagon train.Hope and Russell are great together. She's gorgeous in color wearing a variety of costumes. Hope is very funny, and he gets to introduce the song "Buttons 'n' Bows." One of the best scenes is Painless Peter trying to pull a tooth; another is an Indian who inadvertently inhales Peter's laughing gas.Not exactly politically correct by today's standards, but it's still fun and wonderful to see these classic film stars, whose number is dwindling with alarming speed.

Boba_Fett1138 This is really one great fun comedy, that can be seen as an early parody of the western genre.Parodies actually weren't quite common yet in the '40's. Besides, westerns themselves also weren't that popular anymore at the time, so this movie seemed a bit like an unlikely one and a bit of a gamble that paid off very well in the end.It's a real fun movie to watch, thanks to its humor. As a comedy this movie is just great and does definitely has some funny moments in it. Not just physically but also it's writing and acting from Bob Hope is what's making this movie often so fun to watch.I must say that Bob Hope was really one great comedy actor, who know how to handle its slapstick as well as its dialogs. A real actor who just seemed to be made for the genre. He adds quite a lot to this movie and often makes scenes that otherwise wouldn't had been very funny hilarious to watch. Too bad that Jane Russell impresses less. She just wasn't being a very great actress in this movie and it doesn't seem like a big wonder that her career never got off the ground and mostly played her film roles in the '40's and '50's only. There also is absolutely no chemistry between her and the Bob Hope character, not even in the sequences when there really is supposed to be. She must hate the character for most part of the movie though luckily, which still makes her performance a bit bearable for some parts of the movie. Oh well, at least the movie knew who to put it's main focus on though; Bob Hope.It was kind of weird though seeing Bob Hope blast away all those Indians with his guns, just for the comic effect of it all. I don't know, it just didn't felt right. The whole thing just had a bit of a racist thing over it.It was a good choice this shoot this picture in full color. It makes the movie a bright one to watch obviously, which adds to the fun feeling of the overall movie. It also makes the movie perhaps a bit fake and campy looking but again, this also adds to the overall feeling of the movie and seems suiting for an early genre movie such as this one.Still they could had spend some more time on its story. Now the story is mostly being dull and hard to follow, simply because it's such an uninteresting one. They tried to put in perhaps a too serious main plot-line, which is in huge contrast with the movie its comedy and the reason why the story just never becomes compelling. The movie is best to watch while switching your brain off and when you're just not wondering too much what the movie is all about, who all these characters are and what their motivations all are. No, just sit back and enjoy this movie please!A surprisingly great and funny western parody from the late '40's!8/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

mozli Bob Hope has a way with murder and mayhem. It just goes down extremely easy with the guy. Jane Russell is eye candy but is a one note actress if I've ever seen one. The villains are bowling pins to be knocked down and the movie doesn't have a racial tolerant bone in its body. Frank Tashlin understood how to stage his films with the most extreme cartoon-like aspects. Very broad but without depth. The final punch line, however, revealed a dark humor that was played out on the edges of the story. Whenever I look at a western these days I immediately try to imagine what David Milch could have done with it."What were you expecting? A happy ending?"