Son of Paleface

For me this is one of the rare occasions where a sequel trumps the first and previous instalment, comedy as we all know his very varied and we all see different things that make us laugh, and until now I have only given the highest rating I can to a handful of comedies, but this film is just flawless comedic entertainment to me, a laugh riot indeed.

Here Bob Hope plays the son of Painless Peter Potter from the first film, and the plot involves him going West to claim his Fathers inheritance. Naturally he gets involved in a number of shenanigans that sees him being hounded by the whole town for his Fathers debts. He gets embroiled in the midst of a wanted gang of robbers, and of course he has the sizzling Jane Russell making his heart go giddy up. On and on it goes as the film delivers for laughs every cliché from the Western genre, lynch mobs, Indians on the attack, ghost town, hidden gold, sexy gals, heroes and villains, it's all in there for a laugh a minute satirical piece of work. Added bonus here is we get Roy Rogers and the irrepressible Trigger joining in the fun, in fact Trigger steals a scene of Hope and himself in bed,! yes it's that sort of film. The gags are faster than the rifles on show and the film only pauses for breath for us to sample some quite wonderful tunes; California Rose, Wing-Ding Tonight, What A Dirty Shame, Four Legged Friend, Am I In Love and a brilliant reworking of Buttons & Bows from the first film, it's as good a 95 minutes entertainment I could wish to have from a film, 10/10 for me always.

Bobe Hope, RIP legend.

A terrifically funny movie. Bob Hope's wisecracking persona and writer-director Frank Tashlin's cartoon-like gags make a perfect blend. And anyone who enjoys Jane Russell has to check out her opening shot in the movie, in which the camera pans up her gorgeous legs while va-va-voom plays on the soundtrack.

Top-notch comedy in every department

IMHO this is probably Bob Hope's best comedy. He is ably supported by an excellent cast, especially Jane Russell - who I think was always more gorgeous,sexier and a better actress than Monroe. Some fantastic one-liners make it a hoot from start to finish and it works on several levels. I loved this when I was a kid and still love it now 40 some odd years on. Seen it lots of times and it never gets stale. It made me a Bob Hope fan and I forgave him a lot of later rubbish because of it. A special mention for Trigger - steals several scenes - whoever trained him (Roy Rogers?) did a wonderful job. A little off the subject, but how come Kelsey Grammar has never done Bob Hope in a biopic-he is absolutely a natural for it.

The original "Paleface" feature was pretty good, but this sequel is actually better, in large part due to the addition of Roy Rogers and Trigger. Rogers and Bob Hope are two of the most likable performers that the movies have seen, and together they seem like old friends who have stopped by for an enjoyable visit. Jane Russell is also back from the original movie, though in a different role.

The story is good fun as long as you don't take it seriously. It's actually rather well-written, in that it accommodates all three stars with material well-suited for them. Hope gets plenty of one-liners and similar gags, and he pulls off even the goofiest of them with energy and aplomb. Rogers gets the chance to do some singing and to have some action sequences, and Trigger gets several good moments. Russell is given a character that allows her to stay within the role of the tough, glowering beauty.

There are enough connections to the first movie to add to the enjoyment if you have seen it, but "Son of Paleface" could also easily stand on its own, and in fact overall it probably is actually a little bit better.

Federal Agent Roy Rogers is on the trail of a mysterious bandit known as The Torch and little does he suspect at first that The Torch is that powerful piece of pulchritude, Jane Russell.

Of course gumming up his investigation is tenderfoot Bob Hope, who is the son of famous frontier scout Paleface Potter. Hope's not inherited much from his father's side. Therein lies a lot of the comedy in Son of Paleface.

The original Paleface film had the Academy Award winning song Buttons and Bows. This one has a whole load of musical numbers in it, better to utilize the talents of the three stars. One of them, Am I in Love was nominated for the Academy Award that year, but lost to Three Coins in the Fountain.

Best scenes in Son of Paleface involve the smartest horse in the west, Trigger, constantly outsmarting Hope. Well if Bing Crosby could constantly do it in every Road picture.................