[Inspector Abberline]

The Paleface

1948 Directed by Norman Z. McLeod

Jane Russell as Calamity Jane is busted out of prison by the governor and offered a pardon if she will go undercover and find out who is selling illegal guns to the Indians.Unfortunately, the man who was to be her partner in uncovering this is shot in the back.Bob Hope is Painless Potter a rather incompetent dentist who gets chased out of town for pulling the wrong tooth on a cowboy.Before you know it Calamity Jane has shot three outlaws, knocked out Painless Potter and then convinced him to marry her.Surprising for a zany Bob Hope comedy the plot and storyline is pretty good (Carry on Cowboy (1965) used a similar story except Jim Dale was a plumber, not a dentist). This was Bob Hope's first colour movie and probably one of his most famous from his solo career, featuring his hit song "Buttons and Bows" which won an Academy Award for Best Song that year. Bob Hope is at his most likeable in Paleface and Jane Russell, well even wearing a cowboy outfit can still look sexy as hell. Hope's mixture of a cowardly but arrogant wise cracking loser,is not a million miles away from Bruce Campbell ,Ash character from the Evil Dead films.
The Paleface is a colourful and fun comedy western that seemingly crams as many cowboy film cliches into its running time as possible. Its probably not often that I have a Ruggero Deodato flashback while watching a Bob Hope movie,but when the Indians tied Hopes legs to two tree's,I was reminded of poor old John Steiner's death in Cut and Run ( Inferno in diretta ),luckily for Mr Hope he does not suffer the same fate as Mr Steiner does, luckily when the ropes are cut Painless Potter shoots out of his cowboy boots and is slung up a nearby tree.Paleface is good old fashioned family friendly comedy with a great little gag at the end.