Finding this by accident on YouTube, I was excited because I vaguely remembered watching it on TV, 'way too many years ago.
I had not remembered it as a Phil Silvers special, for some reason. But watching it and him, I was again reminded what a really fine actor he was.
Yes, he generally played the similar kind of bluff con man, but watch his face. Watch his body. He was incredibly expressive, so very much in control.
Jack Benny also very much played his well-known character, but, again, watch him, closely. He really could be a good actor. And was in this funny story.
Then we were given some of the very best villains ever filmed, including Bob Wilke and Lee Van Cleef and Jack Elam. And they and all the others were so excellent in their portrayals, I can't help wondering why this little gem of a TV movie is not better known and presented more often.
It has one flaw: That intrusive and annoying laugh track. There is absolutely no good reason for such interference.
But I highly recommend "The Slowest Gun in the West" for a less-than-an-hour's entertainment
