jc-osms
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.
oscar-35
*Spoiler/plot- Paleface, 1948. In the Western USA Territories, Calamity Jane goes under cover with a traveling dentist to find badmen selling dangerous contraband guns & liquor to the Indians that leads them on the warpath against wagon train settlers.*Special Stars- Bob Hope, Jane Russell.*Theme- Hope and Russell have great screen chemistry.*Trivia/location/goofs- Comedy film. Some outdoor parts filmed in Chatsworth CA "Iverson Movie Ranch". Paramount Pictures made film.*Emotion- A fun & light film romp with two funny comedians post WW2.*Based On- US western pioneer lore.
sddavis63
I've always been a little bit underwhelmed by Bob Hope. I grew up in a home that watched all of his TV specials with family who thought he was the greatest and funniest comedian ever. I never quite got it. I find him low-key in the extreme; sometimes amusing in a mild, quiet sort of way but nothing to write home about. That also sums up my reaction to "The Paleface." It's OK. Sometimes amusing, and if it's mild and quiet it has some good writing - I'm thinking of Painless Peter Potter (Hope) trying to keep all the advice he had received about his gunfight with the local quick draw artist straight ("he leans to the right so shoot to the left," and so on) as well as the fun song "Buttons and Bows" (sung by Hope.)Potter is a hopeless dentist trying to make his way in the Old West when he gets caught up with Calamity Jane (Jane Russell) - who's been recruited to work as a government agent trying to find out who's getting guns to the Indians. She hooks up with Potter, tricks him into marriage and manages to turn him into the gunfighting hero so that no one would notice her. Russell was fine in the role, but like Hope she didn't overwhelm me.I would say that this was better than the 1960's movie "The Shakiest Gun In The West," which had essentially the same sort of plot with Don Knotts in the role as the dentist. Hope played the role straighter than Knotts would do 20 years later, and that perhaps made it a little easier to take the movie seriously - as comedies go, of course. (5/10)
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.
AD
