The Paleface

Jane Russell plays Calamity Jane who is offered pardon on a ten year sentence if she tracks down the culprits who are selling weapons to the Indians. She hitches up with a dim-witted dentist, Bob Hope, so that she can trick the bad guys into thinking that he is the federal agent tracking them down, instead of her. Hope is conned into thinking that he has killed a dozen or so Indians, in one of the funnier scenes. Hope is extremely funny in this comedy western as he struts his stuff through the old west. Most jokes hit their mark, and Russell is as much fun as Calamity Jane as well. The catchy Oscar winning tune "Buttons and Bows" is given a voice by Hope early in the film.

The Paleface one of the funniest films Bob Hope ever did was a godsend to the career of Jane Russell. Take a look at her film credits and see how few there were during the Forties. She did The Outlaw which kept going in and out of release every time Howard Hughes re-edited it. She did a film called The Young Widow which she hated and was a box office flop and then The Paleface.

Although Howard Hughes kept messing around with The Outlaw and kept Russell off the screen for most of the Forties, the man did know about publicity and certainly kept her name before the public. But a movie star has to make movies. So even Hughes realized that and I'm sure he exacted a good price for Russell's services to Paramount for The Paleface.

Hope of course is his usual character. A recent graduate of a dentistry college, he's gone west to seek fame and fortune, Hope the schnook gets tangled up with the notorious Calamity Jane.

Of course Russell is Calamity Jane, she's being offered a pardon in order to trap some no good outlaws selling weapons to the Indians. When her contact is killed and she nearly is also, she picks up Hope and they get married and join a wagon train.

Of course the some of the funniest stuff in The Paleface when Russell does some fancy shooting and let's Hope take the credit for it, giving him an undeserved reputation for fearlessness. One of my favorite bits is when Iron Eyes Cody gets a hold of some of Hope's laughing gas and Hope thinks he's Russell behind a barrier.

Bob Hope got to introduce his second Oscar winning song in The Paleface, Buttons and Bows by the Paramount contract song writers, Jay Livingston and Ray Evans. He sold a few records of it, but the real big hit was done by Dinah Shore. It's now become identified with Russell as well, but she sings it in Son of Paleface, not here.

This was Bob Hope's first trip to the American west in search of laughs and it was a successful expedition.

*** out of ****

This is a comedy of endless gags and one-liners. You will either find them funny or you won't. I found most of them funny, so I liked it. The highlight is Bob Hope singing "Buttons and Bows".

This works pretty well as a showcase for Bob Hope's comedic and other talents. While it's hardly anything to take seriously, it allows the ever-likable Hope to be himself and to make use of the opportunities for one-liners, sight gags, and a song or two, including his "Buttons and Bows". The story is exaggerated enough to render moot most questions of believability or character motivation.

Hope is in good form, delivering his lines well and in a style that keeps things light-hearted while not pushing it too far. His role as 'Painless' Potter suits him well, and he is able to carry much of the movie by himself. That is fortunate, since most of the rest of the movie is rather slight. Jane Russell starts off well enough, but it's not long before she has little new to offer, and her character is left with some unfulfilled potential. The other characters are mostly one-dimensional to begin with.

Then again, this kind of feature is not really meant to be analyzed. It gives Hope a chance to deliver his easygoing style of comedy, and should just be taken as such. It also worked well enough to provide the basis for a pretty good sequel.

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.