TaryBiggBall
It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.
Taraparain
Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.
Zlatica
One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.
weezeralfalfa
Twice, Bob Hope's character('Painless' Peter Potter),forgets to hitch the horses to the wagon before cracking the whip, resulting in a 'drag race' for the person holding the reins.Jane Russell, as Calamity Jane, is busted out of jail by some agents of the governor, to hopefully round up some renegades who are selling rifles and explosives to the hostile Indians. If she succeeds, she will receive a full parson of her 10 year sentence. She's supposed to acquire a male partner, but finds him shot dead in his office. So, she runs into Hope, as a quack dentist, who makes merry with his patients: one of the comedic highlights. They soon marry and join a wagon train(not clear why?).Jane tries to make it look like Hope, not she, is a federal agent. She establishes his reputation as a dead eye gunslinger by secretly killing eleven Indians in a row, attributed to Hope, hiding behind a barrel. Also,secretly killed his opponent in a formal duel. I will stop here in my summary.Although it can hardly be considered a musical comedy, there are 2 notable songs. Hope sings "Buttons and Bows" while supposedly driving a wagon. It actually won the Academy Award for best original song! Then,saloon girl Iris Adrian sings "Meetcha 'Round the Corner". The sequel to this film: "Son of Paleface", is much more of a musical farce. It's generally rated as a more interesting film, and includes Roy Rogers and Trigger, as well as Hope and Jane.It's available at YouTube, in Technicolor.
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.
MartinHafer
Of all of Bob Hope's films, this is among his best. In fact, the film was so well received when it debuted that the song "Buttons and Bows" went on to be a bit and a sequel came out four years later. In the sequel, of sorts, Jane Russell and Bob Hope return--but as different people (Hope plays the son of the man from this film). Why is this film so good? Well, part of it is that the music (which they seemed to always shove into 1940s comedies) isn't bad, the script quite good and the characters quite enjoyable.The film begins with Calamity Jane (Jane Russell) being broken out of jail. However, this is no ordinary prison break--it was organized by the government because they wanted Jane to do some undercover work. But, they staged it so that her partners in crime wouldn't suspect she'd made a deal to help out in exchange for a pardon.Soon after agreeing, she meets up with Bob Hope--who is a rather addled dentist. She pretends to fall in love with him and marries him to create a cover for herself--not because she has any interest in being married. And, considering that Hope is annoying and a wimp, you'd think he's realize he's being used. But, he's pretty dumb and has no idea his wife is a special agent or that they aren't making love. Every time she kisses him, she whomps him over the head--and he thinks she's so hot that is why he passes out! Eventually, the trail of the baddies leads to an Indian camp and Hope's prowess as an Indian fighter will lead to his dying a horrible death. That's because Jane has, on the sly, done all the trick shooting that everyone thinks Hope has been doing--and taking credit for throughout the film! Will they get out of it alive? Will love bloom for real? Will Bing Crosby make a cameo? Tune in to see.Overall, while the film ain't exactly subtle, it's pleasant fun from start to finish. Nothing brilliant here, but it is quite good and the sequel is also quite nice as well--plus it co-stars Roy Rogers in addition to Hope and Russell.
Spikeopath
Bob Hope is in his element in this type of role, here he plays a dopey dentist named Painless Peter Potter, he is the kind of dentist that pulls the wrong teeth and gets high on his own laughing gas. Here he manages to get involved with Calamity Jane {a positively smouldering Jane Russell} and a caper set around rouge Cowboys selling guns and dynamite to the Indians. After mistakenly being taken for a hero after repelling an Indian attack and killing a number of them during said attack, we are taken on this delightful journey as Potter the coward transforms himself into a bravado gun slinger whilst not realising it's actually Calamity pulling his strings and shooting the pistols. It's a smashing comedy that perfectly showcases Hope's immeasurable talent for delivering one liners, in fact few comedians in history can deliver a quip better than Hope could. The chemistry between Russell and Hope is as sharp as the writing, and to cap it all off we get the delightful song Buttons & Bows to hum along to, smashing uplifting comedy, 8/10.
