The Paleface 09/05/20

Bob Hope is the fearless frontier dentist Painless Potter; and Jane Russell is Calamity Jane, a secret agent for the Federal government. In between gags with dynamite and an Indian torture to draw and quarter Painless (well, draw and halv him maybe), we’ve got smirking comedy, the attractive Ms. Russell in Technicolor and the Oscar-winning song “Buttons and Bows.” Howard Hughes had Jane on a painfully short leash that effectively stalled her career progress, but this lucky loan-out became a hit. What did she have to do to get permission from Howie? — I’ll bet there’s a story in that. Hey, the movie was co-written by Frank Tashlin, so have fun pointing out the gags that would work in a comic strip. Reviewed by Charlie Largent. On Blu-ray from KL Studio Classics.
09/5/20