The gorgeous Blythe Danner has been given a delicious case of laryngitis in this film which adds spark to her rifle toting cowgirl (daughter of judge Harry Morgan) who wants to take con artist partners Larry Hagman and Lou Gossett in for the crime of a train robbery they were most likely too bumbling to commit. It's after the civil war, and Gossett, as an educated born free man from New Jersey, is teamed up with Hagman to commit various money making scams, and they end up as bounty hunters which is like the coyote and Bugs Bunny joining together to catch the wanted roadrunner.
Preposterous, nonsensical plot, but executed so entertainingly that it becomes irresistible from the start. It's supposedly a sequel to the 1971 Western comedy "Skin Game" that starred James Garner and Gossett, and Hagman's easy-going personality makes him a perfect replacement. You can see the winking wheels turning in his eyes as he engages the audience as an amoral character who obviously influenced his characterization of J. R. Ewing.
This is a far cry from the glamorous roles that Danner usually plays, and it's nice to see her being extremely fussy and rough around the edges then lady like and high born or quietly suffering. The only thing she suffers here is no fools, and it's obvious she's enjoying being cast against type. Gossett speaks as if preparing for "Othello" but adds on a sly grin that makes him completely likeable as well.
Overloaded with wacky and not too intelligent characters, this is a ton of fun that could have you in stitches. The script seems to be winking at itself too, having characters talking about the possibilities of what could happen and other characters coming up and indicating without having heard the conversation that it will. The fact that it's not taking itself at all seriously and is enjoying pulling the audience in to have fun along with it makes this one of the top TV movie comedies of the '70s. In fact, it's nearly on the level of Mel Brooks' masterpiece, "Blazing Saddles", right down to the beans without the sounds that go along with it.
Preposterous, nonsensical plot, but executed so entertainingly that it becomes irresistible from the start. It's supposedly a sequel to the 1971 Western comedy "Skin Game" that starred James Garner and Gossett, and Hagman's easy-going personality makes him a perfect replacement. You can see the winking wheels turning in his eyes as he engages the audience as an amoral character who obviously influenced his characterization of J. R. Ewing.
This is a far cry from the glamorous roles that Danner usually plays, and it's nice to see her being extremely fussy and rough around the edges then lady like and high born or quietly suffering. The only thing she suffers here is no fools, and it's obvious she's enjoying being cast against type. Gossett speaks as if preparing for "Othello" but adds on a sly grin that makes him completely likeable as well.
Overloaded with wacky and not too intelligent characters, this is a ton of fun that could have you in stitches. The script seems to be winking at itself too, having characters talking about the possibilities of what could happen and other characters coming up and indicating without having heard the conversation that it will. The fact that it's not taking itself at all seriously and is enjoying pulling the audience in to have fun along with it makes this one of the top TV movie comedies of the '70s. In fact, it's nearly on the level of Mel Brooks' masterpiece, "Blazing Saddles", right down to the beans without the sounds that go along with it.