Customer Reviews

Alias Jesse James [VHS]

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"Alias Jesse James" (1959) is the last and least of Bob Hope's Western spoofs. Even with director Norman Z. McLeod at the helm, this Technicolor farce lacks the sharp pacing of the comedian's better efforts. Luckily, the film improves as it moseys along - climaxed by a hilarious star-studded shootout. In the words of a famous crooner, Old Ski Nose "needs all the help he can get." The cameos save the movie, yet Hope's cinematic decline began shortly thereafter.

Bob Hope stars as an inept insurance salesman who sells the outlaw Jesse James a 100,000 dollar life insurance policy with hilarious results.This is a classic Bob Hope Comedy along with a great cast.By the way ,Happy 100th Birthday,Mr. Hope and thanks for the memories,we all love you!!

There's just something so inherently likable about Bob Hope. Maybe it's the quick wit and comedic timing. Maybe it's the self-effacing "just one of the guys" mannerisms. Maybe it's the basic decency of the man shining thru. I don't know, but he's my favorite film comedian, bar none. Alias Jesse James is just another fine example of Bob exercising his immense comedic talents to their fullest.

Having just been being fired from the Plymouth Rock Insurance Company, bumbling New York insurance agent Milford Farnsworth (Bob Hope) attempts to get back into his company's good graces by selling a life insurance policy worth $100,000 to a T. J. James (Wendell Corey), who is "well known in banking and railroad." His boss, however, is outraged to find out that T. J. James is actually the notorious killer and infamous outlaw Jesse James, and sends Farnsworth scampering out West after James to recover the policy. But until he gets that policy safe in his own hands, Farnsworth must do all he can to ensure that the gunslinging varmint comes to no harm. While he's at it, Farnsworth might as well go after James' lovely gal - and beneficiary of the life insurance - Cora Lee (Rhonda Fleming).

Bob Hope once again does his patented cowardly hero schtick, and does it to perfection. This time out, he utilizes his contemporary brand of humor and his arsenal of slapstick and sight gags to up-end the western genre riotously on its head. Western spoofs are nothing new for old Ski-nose; he's done it before in The Paleface, Son of Paleface, and Fancy Pants. But it never gets old, as Bob once again pokes fun at Wild West conventions. An example of the Hope witticism: An admiring Indian princess tells Bob, "Your eyes - they should be on a woman." To which, Bob replies, "They usually are."

Even Wendell Corey has a chance to crack a joke: a suspicious Jesse James comes busting in on Farnsworth and Cora Lee with his gun drawn, looks at Farnsworth, and says, "I'm sorry, Milford. I thought I saw a man." Corey effectively plays a savvy Jesse James, cunning and conniving, and someone definitely not to be trifled with. Red-headed Rhonda Fleming is devastatingly gorgeous, sings a good song, and manages to keep a straight face at Bob's shenanigans. The "Buttons and Bows" moment comes when Bob and Rhonda duet with "There's Something Else Entirely on my Mind."

The rousing finale is great for its many cameo appearances of television and film western stars: Hugh O'Brien as Wyatt Earp, Fess Parker as Davy Crockett, Jay Silverheels as Tonto, Roy Rogers as himself, James Arness as Marshal Matt Dillon (Gunsmoke), James Garner as Bret Maverick, and Gary Cooper. Oh yeah, and Bing Crosby ("That boy needs all the help he can get.")

Hopefully, whenever the dvd version comes out, the powers that be will make it worth the wait in terms of transfer quality and bonus features. But for now, we still have the VHS tape and the occasional showing on cable tv. They'll have to do.

Greatly enjoying Bob Hope's "lovable coward", characterizations that he played so well in many films in different settings I found the very funny "Alias Jesse James", set in America's old West one of the comic's best. Having already used a western setting to great effect in his earlier comedy classics "The Paleface", and especially "Son of Paleface", it was the ideal setting for Bob Hope's brand of comedy where his nervous non heroic characters always contrasted superbly with the hard drinkin', hard shootin' rugged men out on the frontier. In "Alias Jesse James", Hope has one of his most memorable characters to play in bumbling, inept insurance salesman Milford Farnsworth who through an unlikely set of circumstances finds himself up close and personal with notorious outlaw Jesse James to who he unknowingly sells an insurance policy which ultimately will involve more than just signing on the dotted line. The crazy situations that Bob Hope gets into make for a most amusing film which is rich in the expected sly references to current events which became an expected and much anticipated feature of all the Hope vehicles.

The story opens with Milford Farnsworth being declared the worst of his company's insurance sales team with the record of having sold no policies in the last year. Just as it looks like curtains for Milford he chances upon a meeting with a certain "T. J. James",(Wendell Corey), a "gentleman", who he is led to believe is "well known in banking and railroad circles", unaware he is in actual fact the notorious bandit Jesse James. Desperate for a sale Milford manages to sell Jesse a life insurance policy (!) for $100.000. The super slick Jesse however sees all his luck coming at once in that this dope of a salesman would invest money in a man who is worth considerably more dead than to the authorities!. Naming his lady friend Cora Lee Collins (Rhonda Fleming), as his beneficiary Jesse concocts a plan to fake his own death and then later through Cora Lee collect the pay load from Milford's company. When Milford's boss (Will Wright), realizes just who Milford has made the sale to and that there is a very high likelihood of the money being collected considering Jesse James' line of "work", he makes Milford travel out west to keep an eye on their investment and to see that Jesse stay alive. Realizing what he has to do Milford exclaims "But I'm liable to get killed", to which his infuriated boss declares "Don't try and cheer me up!". Of course once Milford arrives in town Jesse sees the perfect lame duck to take his place in the faked murder so that he can collect the insurance money. Milford promptly falls in love with Cora Lee who is feed up with being at Jesse's beck and call and Jesse then sees a double reason for disposing of the unwelcome salesman. However Milford doesn't prove to be an easy target to kill and after a train robbery when Jesse and the gang try to shoot him Milford proves that he definitely has nine lives when the bullet proof vest he has on deflects all his bullets. Milford realizes that Jesse is out to get him and once Jesse pushes ahead with his marriage plans to Cora Lee Milford decides to rescue her from the bandit. Dressed in Jesse's clothes Milford manages to get Cora Lee away however the whole gang comes after them and once they reach town in the buggy Milford and Cora Lee are involved in a last ditched shootout with the entire gang. The amazingly sudden appearance of some very "unexpected", help however covers up for Milford's total lack of any skill with rifles and the day is saved so that Milford and Cora Lee can be together.

After a viewing of "Alias Jesse James", it is possible to see that Mel Brooks may have got some inspiration for his classic "Blazing Saddles", from this little Hope Epic. I found myself laughing out loud at times through this very funny spoof on every western movie and television series we have ever seen. Bob Hope was born to play Milford Farnsworth, the nervous non entity who becomes the hero of the piece. His famous quips and drool observations about what is happening along the way are guaranteed to raise more than just a chuckle. His character is the exact opposite of everything that we have come to expect in a western "hero", and that is what makes "Alias Jesse James", such great viewing. Bob Hope films were always famed for their beautiful leading ladies and here Rhonda Fleming works well at keeping up with Hope's fast one liners which was no easy task for any actress. Like Jane Russell in the "Paleface", movies Fleming does as well as can be expected as Hope's female foil and makes a superb effort of staying in character when she is dealing with what look and sound suspiciously like ad libs from Hope. The scenes where Milford interacts with the tough guys in the saloon, playing poker or drinking hard whiskey and especially when he encounters the gun cleaning "Ma" James (Mary Young), at the James ranch provide much of the best humour in the screenplay. The justly famous final shoot out is a comic masterpiece where Milford never hits one of his targets but through the timely surprise intervention of numerous western movie and television hero's of the day including Gary Cooper, James Arness, Ward Bond, Roy Rogers and of course a very funny piece by Bing Crosby, the comics bacon is saved again and Milford is hailed the town's hero! Veteran director Norman Z. McLeod who directed some of the "Road", pictures was a regular part of Bob Hope's movie career over many years and the pair always worked well together . He manages to keep the action flowing at a fast pace and never once lets the character get in the way of Hope's unique comic style and delivery.

Enjoyable farces not to be taken seriously don't come much better than in "Alias Jesse James". With the cowardly Bob Hope mixing it with cold blooded killer Jesse James this story was a comedy natural and he milks the comedy for all it's worth. With the usual quota of "out of story" references to current events, the expected Bing Crosby in-jokes and plenty of slap stick you know you are in for a real treat. For me the hilarious "guest cast", appearances at the stories climax allowing many western celebrities to send up their own established screen images are a stroke of genius and are guarenteed to really get you laughing out loud. A comedy western tends to be a bit of a rarity, certainly nowadays and this particular one I find seems to get better with each viewing. Enjoy a screening of "Alias Jesse James", soon where a cowardly Bob Hope fleeing bullets and badmen while trading hilarious quips is guaranteed to give you a good belly laugh.

Alias Jesse James is one of Bob Hope's "funny," more straight-forward classics, as opposed to his sillier films. (which are great too, but some people don't enjoy "silly.")
As a bumbling insurance salesman who has just lost his job, and then sells an expensive policy to the notorious Jesse James to convince his boss to hire him back.....well, you can imagine the uproarious situations that arise. Hope's masterful comic timing and a great and innovative script make this a "must see" for his fans, as well as fans of great comedy.
Co-star Rhonda Fleming is perfect in her role, as well as drop-dead beautiful, and Wendell Corey makes for a super Jesse James.

The video was recived in a timely manner and was in great condition. Very pleased.