The Shakiest Gun In The West
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Movie Reviews of The Shakiest Gun In The West
Movie Review: Come, join the club...
Summary: 4 Stars
Since I am not a fan of the political parody that was `Blazing Saddles' I must admit, I was a little skeptical about another western comedy, but after my wife twisted my arm I sat down to witness, what I expected to be a travesty, `The Shakiest Gun in the West'.
What I got was far from the mess I expected.
`The Shakiest Gun in the West' is actually quite hilarious, and while it is not a smart comedy in the fact that it is not a satire and does not carry any distinct political message (at least not a blatantly as some other comedies) but it is a smart comedy in that it really makes the effort to consistently deliver jokes that actually land, no matter what year your watching it (one of my main irritations with `Blazing Saddles' is that the film hasn't aged well since its political and racial jabs are not really relevant in today's society).
The film follows Jesse W. Heywood; Dr. Jesse W. Heywood; as he commits to traveling out west to help fight the war against oral ignorance. Yes, Heywood is a dentist. His plans are somewhat garbled when he meets Penelope Cushings, an outlaw who was captured by the law and given a chance at a pardon; if she can find the people responsible for supplying the Indians with guns. When the man who was supposed to pose as her husband gets shot she needs an easily manipulated sap to marry her so she can do her job. That sap turns out to be Heywood. Oblivious to the obvious, Heywood marries Penelope and they begin the journey out west.
Don Knotts made a string of successful comedies and was known for his comedic talent. He doesn't disappoint here either. His portrayal of the nervous and socially retarded Jesse W. Heywood is a joy to watch. His every awkward move adds more and more laughs to the pot. Barbara Rhoades is equally as important to the outcome of the film, for she serves as the offset to Knotts, delivering a more serious (yet ultimately comical) performance that is less outlandish, more subtle. Supporting performances by Donald Barry and Jackie Coogan add to the hilarity (if not the stereotypes).
The film takes a turn for the hilarious as a slew of events make Heywood look like a town hero (when of course Penelope is the real hero) and his head becomes bigger than his britches.
So, while the film is not as good as other comedies, and it surely does not have the following that some lesser worthy comedies have (`Blazing Saddles', `Caddy Shack' ~ don't hate me MKIA) `The Shakiest Gun in the West' is a lot of fun and a load of laughs. It deserves a following, so consider me the fan club president, and you can all be members. Just click `helpful' (hehehe) and leave me a comment!
Movie Review: Paradigm Shattering!!!
Summary: 4 Stars
It's easy to overlook the societal importance of "Shakiest". Most academics consider it a vapid re-make of a "superior" Bob Hope film. However my consensus is that Hope's movie simply Overemphasized the comedic aspects of the story and downplayed the sociological importance and mythical underpinnings of it. I don't fault Hope since his comedic talents are such that only his fully grasping of the genre and paradigm in its epistomological sense would allow him the proper frame/reference to "dim" his comedic talents enough to let the nuances of the story's deeper meanings emerge. Not so with Don Knotts. His performance is neo-subtle in the sense that he draws attention to the pre-Scorsesian templates of story entwined with yet seperated from, meaning, by overexagerating Hope's performance to a Vonnegutian level. Example; his performance as Painless Jesse in the film's opening sequences underscore the relationship of Man the Creator with Man the Destroyer and Man the Dentist. In Barb Rhoades we see an equal but lesser voice representing tenets of Post-modern imperialism as well as Proto-Schwarzeneggerian grandiosity. Yet, it is Knotts, initially passive who redeems himself in the end, triumphing over Rhoades and all she symbolizes as well as echoing the pan-universal theme of the hero transformed by "plumbing" his own depths. This is shown particularily in the mine scene, where we read "mine" as "Subconscious Id". Simply put, not sense "The Incredible Mr. Limpett" has Knotts blended Transformational Mythology with Wellesian Cinematography and Jerrylewisian slapstick. BRAVO!
EDIT; This review is just for fun,guys. No need to take it seriously.
Movie Review: Don Knotts turns up a Bad Penny in the Old West
Summary: 5 Stars
The Shakiest Gun in the West is yet another classic Don Knotts comedy from the late 1960s. This time around, Knotts plays a newly certified dentist who decides to spread oral hygiene throughout the wild, wild West; after all, Philadelphia is already covered up with dentists - there are at least seven already plying their trade there. Jesse Heywood is a little wiry guy, of course, and his courage is just as shaky as his gun-wielding hands, but he manages to make a great big splash out on the frontier. Right after being bamboozled by a merchant and his Chinese assistant (played by Pat Morita, although I didn't realize it was him until I saw the credits), a fiery little redheaded filly comes to him with a toothache, and before he knows what is happening he's a married man. He doesn't know that Penelope "Bad Penny" Cushings (played by the vivacious Barbara Rhoades) is only marrying him because it's her only way to hitch a ride on the wagon train leaving town, nor does he know that his new beloved is a wanted cattle rustler and thief who agreed to help the government find out who is smuggling guns to the Indians in exchange for a pardon. Events play out in such a way that Jesse becomes BMOF (that's Big Man on the Frontier), famous for his shooting and Indian-killing skills. That whole wedding night thing doesn't really work out the way he planned, though.
Naturally, our supposed hero has to rise to the challenge and prove himself in the end, and then we learn how the West was really won - dentistry, of course. I should note the fact that Don Knotts is forced to don women's clothing at one point, and you know that is bound to be funny. There's also a great scene featuring Heywood drunkenly lamenting his long list of failures in life. Knotts is joined by some other familiar faces: along with Pat Morita, look for William Christopher (M*A*S*H's Father Mulcahy) in a small role, while Uncle Festus himself (Jackie Coogan) stars as one of the gun-smuggling desperadoes.
The Shakiest Gun in the West isn't my favorite Don Knotts movie, but there is a lot of Barney Fife in this shaky gunfighter, and the film is consistently funny from start to finish. It is also, needless to say, true family entertainment which can be safely enjoyed by the young as well as the old. Don Knotts is truly a national treasure.
Movie Review: Better than taking a sleeping pill.
Summary: 3 Stars
If you liked Don Knotts in The Incredible Mr. Limpet (1964), The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966), The Reluctant Astronaut (1967), you might like him in this silly western-comedy. A Philadelphia man graduates from denistry and tries to head out to California. He ends up in the wild west, in Big Spring.
The idea in this town is how are the Indians getting the guns. barbara Rhodes (NBC past serial, Generations) is just a scamp who tries to make the goodies on Don Knotts. He's on his way west and she intends to go along with him to get there as well. Even if it means forcing the man to marry her.
Not the best of Don Knotts films, but might be better than taking a sleeping pill.
Also in the cast: Ruth McDevitt, Pat Morita and William Christopher.
Movie Review: Great re-make of Bob Hope film Paleface!
Summary: 5 Stars
Re-makes are not always good, this one is great! First Bob Hope did this in Paleface, now Don Knotts takes over the roll with his own slant on the character.Unless you own the Laserdisc or saw it at the theaters, this will be your first experience of the full impact of this WIDESCREEN movie. Pans and cuts seen on television, or the previous VHS tape, will be replaced with single shots that include everything from side to side.
THE GHOST AND MR.CHICKEN was Don's only other WIDESCREEN movie for Universal.