The Paleface (1948)

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

An enjoyable comedy western featuring the formidable, if different talents of its leads Bob Hope and Jane Russell. Hope plays his customary cowardy-custard character, a travelling dentist of all things named "Painless" Potter alongside Russell's mannish Calamity Jane as they seek to foil the baddies' nefarious plan to arm the Red Indians, but pay no attention to the plot just like the stars and instead enjoy the fun romp they rampage through.Filmed in glorious Technicolor, the film makes ample room for running gags, like Russell's hammer-like kisses and Hope getting pulled out of his wagon-chair every time he gees up the horses, but is best served by Hope and his ad-libs and one-liners (sample:- Hope trying to act tough at the bar - "Give me four fingers of red-eye - and throw in a thumb too!"). The funniest extended scene is probably when Hope and a hot-shot rival stalk each other around town before their shoot-out. The humour trails off somewhat in the last third when the comedy gets too cartoony and slapsticky but there's still some compensation as Russell's glacial heart melts towards her oafish husband.Sure the treatment of the Red Indians is about as un-PC as you can get, but the real villains are the white guys and along the way Hope gets to sing the catchy singalong "Buttons and Bows". Popular enough to beget a sequel "Son Of Paleface" a few years, this is one of Hope's best comedies sans-Crosby and also demonstrated Russell's comedic talents at the same time.

Martha Jane Canary-Burke and Ernestine Jane Russell not only had the same middle name but also preferred to be known by it. It was therefore perhaps appropriate that one of them should have played the other in this comedy Western. Ms Canary-Burke was also portrayed in (among other films) "Calamity Jane" where she was played by Doris Day, but Ms Russell's interpretation is very different. Although the script of "Calamity Jane" tells us that the heroine is a tough frontierswoman she is played by the ultra-feminine Day (in a deliberate piece of miscasting for comic effect) as a sweet young thing who looks far more at home in a pretty dress than in her buckskins. Here she is certainly physically attractive (what character played by the fair Ernestine could ever be anything else?), but also rough and hard-bitten. The film opens with Calamity in jail, charged with some unspecified offence. She is offered her freedom if she can perform a task for the government, namely to discover who's been illegally selling guns to Indians. In this task she has the assistance of Peter "Painless" Potter who has been trying to earn a living out west as a dentist, despite an almost total lack of aptitude for that profession. (His self-awarded nickname is far from appropriate). Painless's professional incompetence is only equalled by his cowardice and general ineptitude, so he is perhaps not the most suitable companion for Jane in her mission. Nevertheless, Painless acquires the reputation of a crack shot and brave hero because Jane (who needs to keep her identity a secret) allows him to take the credit for her own deeds. For reasons too complex to go into here, Jane and Painless end up married to one another and (in the best romantic comedy tradition) they of course fall in love.As with most comedy Westerns, this one relies for a lot of its humour on its ability to send up classic Western situations. That duel between Painless and a local ruffian is a comic version of every Western in which a fearless lawman cleans up a lawless town, such as "Dodge City" and "My Darling Clementine" which had come out two years earlier. I am not particularly familiar with Bob Hope's work in the cinema, having previously seen only a handful of his films, but he was clearly a talented comic actor, and his sense of timing and his facial expressions both contribute a lot to the humour, making lines or scenes seem funny even when they would not seem very amusing on the printed page. He also receives good support from the lovely Jane Russell in only her third film. The film was made in Technicolor, but unlike many colour Westerns from this period and the following decade (such as, for example, "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon") it was not filmed on location but in a studio. As a comedy it has stood the test of time fairly well, except in one important respect. For a humorous film there is a surprisingly high death toll as Calamity ruthlessly guns down her enemies, with Painless taking the credit. With a few exceptions such as the aforementioned ruffian, most of the dead are Native Americans or, as they would have been referred to in 1948, Indians, who are mocked as comically savage villains, (and who can therefore safely be shot dead even in a comedy without anyone worrying). To say this is not anachronistic political correctness. By the late forties Hollywood's attitude towards Indians was starting to change, they were being portrayed with more respect and dignity (again "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" is a good example) and "Broken Arrow", that great pro-Indian Western, was only two years away. The way they are shown in this film is, to say the least, regrettable and the main reason I feel unable, despite some genuinely funny scenes, to give it a higher mark. 6/10

The movie, as I recall, was a smash hit, along with the catchy "Buttons and Bows" musical number. It's also one of Hope's best roles. He's Painless Potter, dentist extraordinaire; just don't let him anywhere near your teeth, or anything else, for that matter. As bumbler-in-chief of about everything, Painless muffs one funny challenge after another, as fashioned (in part) by the imaginative Frank Tashlin. There's also a couple of Bob's gag writers credited, so the one-liners fly as fast as Tashlin's sight gags (for example, the occasional comic strip blurbs cartoonist Tashlin was noted for). At the same time, the complicated plot is just a handy rack for Hope to hang his polished shtick on. And catch that final gag with Bob's breaking character with an aside to the audience that just about sums things up.But instead of Crosby to pair up with, Bob has the luscious Jane Russell, and while she may not be as funny as Bing, I love it when Painless mistakes an Indian for her on their wedding night. (Note how the screenplay marries them early on, thereby avoiding censorship problems. Note too how her buxom measurements are downplayed, likely a concession to the expected family audiences.)I don't know if there's a downside since it's a funnyman romp all the way. Maybe, for me, a downside is finding out from IMDb that Iron Eyes Cody, such a great Indian, is not an Indian at all, but was instead born in Italy. Oh well, it's all Hollywood make-believe anyway, so who cares since it's a darn amusing movie, Italian Indians or no.

There are so many wonderful moments in this gloriously silly movie, that it would be impossible to mention more than a few. Hope's timing, the verbal and sight gags combined, a fairly bawdy undercurrent,involving Painless Potter's unsuccessful attempts to bed his new bride, and probably the funniest parody of the classic showdown ever filmed, add up to a very entertaining movie.Some of the most priceless moments go by very quickly, and may not be obvious at first. Painless Potter is smilingly massaging the bald head of a tough dental patient, and they both begin chuckling uncontrollably, due to a leak in the laughing gas machine. Painless Potter is shaving outdoors, with a small mirror hung from a tree branch. An arrow whizzes by, and he remarks that he must be shaving too close. A very obvious man ,trying to conceal himself behind a bush, comes closer, and Potter remarks with a sort of deadpan whimsy, " Must be a Virginia Creeper." When another arrow nearly hits him, he examines it curiously, and muses aloud on who it is that shoots arrows. He lists the possibilities, including Cupid and William Tell, before shrieking " Indians!" and running for the blockhouse. When he tries to get wife Jane to let him in, he hollers, " Help, help, there's a million Indians out here against one coward!"Viewers who can let themselves get immersed in the wisecracks and sight gags, along with just about every western cliché you can think of, will have a good laugh with this delightful film.And, the scene where Painless Potter serenades his sleepy wife with a concertina, singing " Buttons and Bows", as their covered wagon moves slowly along the trail, is absolutely charming. There's something very tender about the way the naive husband sings the funny little song to his drowsy bride.