Scandalous John (1971)

That was an excellent one.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

I can certainly see what attracted Brian Keith to the part of John McCanless in Scandalous John. It's a great chance to chew several furniture factories of scenery and not be accused of overacting. It's an actor's dream.Scandalous John is the story of a man who has completely retreated into the legends of the old west of which his family played a part. He's only got granddaughter Michele Carey to bring him back to reality every once and a while.This modern day Don Quixote finds his Sancho Panza in Alfonso Arrau an illegal alien who wanders on to Keith's ranch. After Carey saves Arrau from a promiscuous shooting Keith, the two become fast friends as Arrau kind of goes with the flow of Keith's delusions.There's a great where Keith says that they're going on a cattle drive, only his 'herd' consists of one scraggly longhorn. Seeing the two of them driving this one longhorn to market is really a bit much. There's a bit of Romeo and Juliet in the plot as well as Don Quixote as Carey falls for Rick Lenz who is the son of Simon Oakland who is trying to take over Keith's spread one way or another.There's a bittersweet ending to this film which I won't reveal, but Scandalous John is recommended for fans of Brian Keith and people who love outrageous overacting.

Unfortunately I have found a Disney movie that I just absolutely hated. This is a version of Don Quixote set in the late 60's early seventies. It has none of the charm or whimsy that Disney live action movies had previous to this soiled gem. This is one of Ron Miller's wonders.I bought the movie because of Brian Keith. I think he is handsome, funny and has a great air about him. Here he plays a sort of crazy old drunken codger who thinks he is a cowboy in the old west. He mumbles, rambles, and talks to himself and anyone who will listen. I guess it could be considered a strong performance, but it annoyed me.His cohort is an illegal Mexican. Well, in the current economy when this is viewed, an illegal worker is not a character that I am interested in watching or being friends with. Then there is the foreclosure issue in the story that just hits home for too many. Additionally, there were sub plot story lines that I guess I didn't quite get involving him.I love Disney live action movies pre 1980's, but this one just had Ron Miller's hand on it, you can sense it. It was trying to be too adult without being crude and stay entertaining to younger viewers, which it's not. This was all around disappointing!

This film started out pretty slow for me and probably for most who are used to quicker comedy prominent in other Disney movies of the time (such as Million Dollar Duck which was released a week after Scandalous John in 1971). But after the characters grew on me, particularly John & Paco, I found myself laughing out loud. I wasn't really pleased with some of the other actors, but they weren't so bad that they detracted from the overall film. Brian Keith makes it look fun to be a crazy old man. As the movie goes on, it gets better, so have a little patience if you're not used to this slightly slower style."It's Lilac Tweed. A MAN'S cologne."Haha!

Scandalous John is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. The crazy adventures that John McCanless lives with his ranch worker Paco while taking John's only cow to sell it and get money to save his home are hilarious.Brian Keith is terrific as the loud and unpredectible John McCanless. This movie is the story of Don Quixote set in the early 1970's of the American West, with John McCanless has the crazy Don Quixote and Alfonso Arau has his sidekick Paco Martínez. If you want to see a great comedy and have a great time, watch Scandalous John.