The Brothers O'Toole (1973)

Director:

Richard Erdman

Writers:

Marion Hargrove (writer)
Tim Kelly (screenplay)

Release Date:

16 May 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Western | Comedy

Plot:

The brothers, a couple of ne'er-do-wells, turn a sleepy mining town upside-down in their search for quick riches. |

Plot Keywords:

Independent Film | Character Name In Title

Cast

John Astin	...	Michael O'Toole / Desperate Ambrose Littleberry
Pat Carroll	...	Callie Burdyne
Hans Conried	...	Polonius Vandergeit
Richard Erdman	...	Judge Quincey P. Trumball
Allyn Joslyn	...	Sheriff Ed Hatfield
Richard Jury	...	Harmon P. Lovejoy
Lee Meriwether	...	Mrs. Paloma Littleberry
Jesse White	...	Mayor
Steve Carlson	...	Timothy O'Toole
Miranda Barry	...	Bonnie Lou MacCalanahan
Francelle Fuller	...	Prudence Burdyne
Ted Claassen	...	Gurnie Burdyne
Harlan Knudson	...	Dexter the Banker
Leon Inge	...	Hard Rock
Jacques Hampton	...	Attorney

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:G | USA:Approved

Filming Locations:

Buckskin Joe Frontier Town & Railway - 1193 Fremont County Road 3A, Canon City, Colorado, USA

Company:

American National Enterprises

Quotes:

Michael O'Toole: I have, in my time, visited three political conventions, four sessions of congress, and two homes for the criminally insane. I have known army generals, steam doctors, vegetarians, prohibitionists, and a female suffragette. But never, even in an Orangeman's Day parade...
[...]

THE BROTHERS O'TOOLE (Richard Erdman, 1973) **

Simplistically, this offbeat concoction may be described as a Western spoof but it is just too uneven to be truly successful as a comedy. This is perhaps explained by the fact that director Erdman was mostly a veteran character actor and only stepped behind the camera a handful of times. The opportunity allowed for fellow character actors to have a field-day can be, likewise, excused as it gives the proceedings a glorified home movie ambiance and does, on occasion, provide the viewers with flashes of amusement.

Most prominent in the cast are TV stars John Astin (in a dual role, no less) and Lee Meriwether (as the embittered wife of Astin’s bandido character) but equally notable are Hollywood veterans Jesse White (as the Mayor of a sleepy Western hamlet with an unpronounceable name), Allyn Joslyn (as the Sheriff) and Hans Conried (in a very belated cameo as an oil tycoon); as was to be expected, director Erdman also contrived to give himself a small but fun role as a bemused Judge.

The bulk of the narrative sees cardsharp Astin being mistaken for bandido Astin and cardsharp Astin’s no-good younger brother is more often a hindrance to his pleas of innocence than anything else. The incarcerated Astin’s eventual trial, then, requires his alter ego to dress up conspicuously as an old man but this middle section of the film is also where it really drags and sags badly. The film does get back into shape (relatively speaking) with the appearance of Conried and, especially, the climactic foulness contest – where participants of every size and shape are awarded for their prowess in belching, spitting and cussing (don’t ask) – which, for better or worse, only serves to reinforce my afore-mentioned claims of the film’s inherent “home movie” quality.