Hot Lead and Cold Feet

Enjoyable.

'Hot Lead & Cold Feet' is good fun. The premise is bonkers but in a positive way, while the humour is much improved on what Disney usually produce in these sorta films. I actually liked every bit of the story, even if it is a tad all over the place. The only real issues I have with this are the effects and some of the pacing, the latter is quite slow around the midway mark.

Moving onto the cast. Jim Dale does a great job playing not one, not two but three characters! It's actually rather impressive, though the effects used for when Billy and Eli are 'next to each other' are rather poor. Still, big credit to Dale.

The film is basically split into three viewpoints: Billy & Eli, Jasper (Dale) & Mansfield (John Williams) and Sheriff (Don Knotts) & Rattlesnake (Jack Elam). Surprisingly, they make it work. I liked following all the shenanigans that they each got up to.

I also rate the music used. All in all, an entertaining film that I would definitely recommend.

Much of the movie is not very realistic, some of it's rather crazy, especially the constant shooting, fighting and destruction. They are constantly shooting, but not hitting each other. They're also constantly getting knocked out or injured, but are completely normal again shortly after wards. But it's entertaining and a lot of fun, they must have gone through a lot of work and money to achieve all this. The acting is pretty good, and rather funny. It's impressive that Jim Dale played 3 separate roles, you can't tell that it's him when he plays the old man.

It's great comedy, and while it's not very realistic, there are some good lessons with it. I like the unity and fearlessness of the children, and that helping Eli is all that matters to them. It kind of gives a sense that helping others is much more important than money.

Hot Lead and Cold Feat belong with Don Knott's better films but maybe not his very best. With that out of the way, maybe Don Knotts and Jack Elam's characters could've been the most entertaining and downright hilarious pleasures to this film.

The film follows the story of two twin brothers who don't know of each other's existence and are summoned to inherit a reward by their father. Complete opposites, the two brothers learn of each other and engage in a contest to win the inheritance.

The film is definitely a classic for its genre and watching even at this day, is quite entertaining. However, if the audience doesn't have similar nostalgia for it as others who grew up with this family fun time, laughs may be in short supply. The script includes some unbelievable dialogue and plot holes that genuinely leave the viewer scratching their head. In addition to the sometimes cringe-worthy flaws, the movie suffers from an outrageous dependency on unnecessary slap-stick humor that becomes a little tiring.

Despite the holes and obvious problems, Hot Lead and Cold Feat is undeniably a fun time and indeed quite rewatchable. Although many characters feel unnecessary to the progression of the plot, each performance is handled very well and with enthusiasm. It's genuinely fun watching these performances and it's quite impossible to refrain from smiling.

Hot Lead and Cold Feat is a guilty pleasure and is for most people. However, it's not the guiltiest of fun bad movies. It's a good time and it's a good time especially for the whole family.

British comedian Jim Dale was starring in a lot of Walt Disney films that Dean Jones was apparently unavailable for in the Seventies. One of them was this western comedy Hot Lead And Cold Feet where Dale got to play three different roles where he tread on Alec Guinness territory.

Dale plays a father with two twin sons, one of them taken by their mother when she split from Dale. The one who stayed with Dale became a notorious gunfighter, the other was raised in Philadelphia and served in the army that General Booth started. I imagine that there were legal technicalities that prevented Disney Studios from outrightly saying it was the Salvation Army.

In any event the father fakes his own death and there is a will that leaves the holdings of an entire town to the winner of a race that the two sons have to participate in. So the missionary Dale finds out when he goes west with two young orphans Debbie Lytton and Michael Sharrett. It's a kind old west marathon with a pentathlon of sorts involved as well. Gunfighter Dale of course is ready to do in his missionary brother. But a certain divine hand of Providence seems to be watching over the missionary. Definitely has to be because he's also getting new school teacher Karen Valentine in the bargain.

Don Knotts as the sheriff and Jack Elam a notorious former outlaw whose best days are behind him provide a few laughs. Ever since Knotts was Barney Fife he was always being cast as comic authority figures. And there's Darren McGavin who has his own ideas about the Dale fortune should be used for.

With so many familiar and talented faces in the cast of Hot Lead And Cold Feet you know it's going to be good. Dale does a wonderful job investing the father and three sons he plays with a certain individuality in each role. This film is still good family entertainment.

Hot Lead and Cold Feet was one of the last comedy westerns that Disney made in the 70s, starring Don Knotts. Also starring Darren McGavin, Jack Elam and Jim Dale; who were essentially Disney regulars by this time. The story is quite interesting, about a town founder (played by Jim Dale) leaving his fortune behind to his two sons (both played by Jim Dale). The only problem, his son Billy doesn't know he has a brother, therefore competition for the inheritance.

The film is filled with gags and funny lines, delivered by Don Knotts and Jim Dale mostly. Darren McGavin also plays a good villain in the form of Mayor Ragsdale. And the ending of the film has a twist, but watch to see. It's a great family film, no bad language or adult situations.