The Dude Goes West (1948)

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Go in cold, and you're likely to emerge with your blood boiling. This has to be seen to be believed.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

A King Bros. Production. Locations filmed in California's High Sierras.Copyright 30 May 1948 by Allied Artists Productions, Inc. No New York opening. U.S. release: 30 May 1948. U.K. release through Pathé: 9 May 1949 (sic). Never theatrically released in Australia. 87 minutes.SYNOPSIS: Mild-mannered gunsmith moves from the Bowery to Arsenic City, Nevada, to cash in on the outlaw boom. Time: early 1870's.COMMENT: A delightful western satire which proves that even a normally pedestrian director like Kurt Neumann can occasionally excel. Of course he was handed a very entertaining script to begin with; and then had the services of a first-rate cast and the run of a large budget. The King Brothers unit aimed for both economy and quality. No doubt they persuaded some of the major studios to allow them to use standing sets that were otherwise idle (which explains the lack of an art director credit). In any case there is no sign of penny-pinching on the screen. Neumann's direction is relaxed, allowing such inventive touches in the script as the speech over the sign language (which is highly effective) and the delightful soliloquies to shine through. Another admirable feature of the screenplay is its excellent characterization which gives a splendid array of supporting players meaty opportunities that stay amusingly in mind long after even Karl Struss' skilled photography is forgotten. The plot itself is neatly constructed and allows Eddie Albert to exploit a side of his talent rarely utilized on the screen - his guitar-playing and singing. His three delightful songs alone make The Dude worth seeing.The Sales (Richard and Mary) were to tap this vein of western humor again in A Ticket to Tomahawk.

Daniel Bone (Eddie Albert) is a New York gunsmith. Seeking greener pastures, Bone heads to a Wild West town appropriately called Arsenic City. Along the way, he meets a woman named Lisa Crockett (Gale Storm) who is also headed west seeking her fortune. She has a map that leads to her late father's goldmine. But there are others who want Crockett's map and they will do anything to get it. Fortunately for her and whether she likes it or not, Bone saves her skin time after time. At it's absolute worst, I'd still call The Dude Goes West harmless enough and a bit of fun. At it's best, however, it's often quite funny and gives Eddie Albert a chance to shine in a leading role. His character, Bone, is a fish out-of-water and this often leads to the funnier bits. It's very reminiscent of his character, Oliver Wendell Douglas, that he'd play 20 years later. There's a scene where Bone is lecturing the townspeople about the importance of the American judicial system that sounded straight off of Green Acres. All it needed was a fife playing in the background. Albert is joined by a very able cast featuring Storm, Gilbert Roland, and Barton MacLane. The films's pacing is nice and at only 86 minutes, it never feels tired. While the plot is often predictable, it's still fun to watch the events unfold. Some of the comedy may seem corny by today's standards, but it works just fine to me. Overall, a 7/10 from me.

One of my favorite films of the 40's. This mild mannered comedy western hits all the right notes. One might have imagined it made by Bob Hope and a Paramount lovely like Gail Russell or Diana Lynn. But instead it sneaks under the radar with a minor cast of Eddie Albert and Gale Storm who both deliver their best ever film performances. I can't prise this highly enough. It is a must see film for movie lovers. You will thank me. I recall seeing this in 1948 and thinking at the time how good it was and why didn't it make more of an impact. There are just certain films that time treats kindly and this is one of them. Small films that stay with you like THE GREAT DAN PATCH, THE LUCKY STIFF, OUT OF THE BLUE and IVY.

Kind of a cross between "Destry Rides Again" and Bob Hope's "Paleface" series, this little sleeper of a film takes a good-hearted book-learned innocent whose skills with a gun (learned for his job, that of gunsmith) are no more important than his wisdom and mind.Considering this movie was made in the late 40's it's quite revolutionary in its approach to the Western traditions -- the roles of indians, women and "bad guys" being held up and examined in very interesting ways. In that respect its comedic sensibilities make it a very good time indeed.Make no mistake about it -- this isn't a very deep film. However it will make for a very enjoyable 90 minutes whether you like Westerns or not. Eddie Albert and all the supporting cast turn in very credible performances. It made me wish they had had made the sequel this was so obviously setup for (they didn't).