Customer Reviews

Evil Roy Slade [VHS]

5 star:		(45)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This cult classic has finally made it to video. Every western movie cliche is lampooned in this made for TV movie starring (among others) John Astin, Milton Berle, Mickey Rooney, and Dick Shawn-- with cameos by then unknown actors such as Ed Begley, Jr, Penny Marshall, Pat Morita, John Ritter, and Dom Deluise.

Evil Roy Slade falls for Miss Betsy Palmer who tries to reform Slade, unsuccessfully. Slade even tries to change his name. "Evil John Ferguson? Nah. Evil Lee Rich, yeah, that's good, that's good."

Dick Shawn plays the "Paladin" type character, Ding Bell, hired to put an end to Slade. Rumor has it his outfits were created by Liberace's personal wardrobe designer.

Bing Bell likes to sing and play his guitar as he rides along to "keep my mind off the smell of the horse".

The puns and one liners come so quick and often, that you will probably miss half of them the first time through. But that's OK because you will want to watch this film several times.

This film is great fun for the whole family.

I had been looking for a copy of this video for years. I had first viewed this movie while I was in high school and it was a movie made for TV. It is probably the funniest movie I have ever watched. When I watched it again, I was laughing so hard, I fell off the couch! My daughter enjoyed watching it, and so have all of the people who have watched it. I am now waiting for this to come out on DVD, so that I can buy another copy, in case my VHS doesn't get returned or simply wears out.

This movie was made in a time when family-viewing films were more common. I would place it into the same category of many of the Disney films of the era.

A gunfighter is attempting to reform himself for the love of his life. The Evil Roy Slade trys real, real hard to become a member of society. My favorite scenes are when he becomes a shoe salesman. People working with the buying public will understand his frustration with the customers.

Again, a wonderful, funny look at life for the entire family.

If Evil Roy Slade did not exist, I don't think it could be invented today. It has a great story, and it is very funny, and it is all PG, since it originally ran on TV.

Simply put, this movie IS the laidback type of line after one line comedy that many studios and directors put a lot of effort into recreating. Only Evil Roy Slade exudes effortless charm, and has some of the best and hammiest performances of all time.

If Evil Roy Slade had been released theatrically in the last ten years, it would have had the same effect on moviemaking as Nirvana's Nevermind had on music. In other words, there would have been no Armageddon, no Batman Forever, well you get the picture.

This film cannot be bought for love nor money over here in the U.K. So finally after something like 25 - 30 years of searching I have finally got a copy coming from the States(thankfully my VCR is NTSC compatable).
I only have ever seen this film once when I was about 10 or 11 back in 72/73....to say it has stayed in my memory ever since says a lot about it!!! I thought it was the funniest film I had EVER seen (and still do), and though I never ever saw it again I was always scouring the TV listings .... the closest I got to seeing it for a second time was whilst holidaying in Canada..I saw it listed but we could'nt get the T.V. station!!!
I have to agree with the other reviews at Amazon (I have read every one!!) and say this has to be the best comedy film ever made, and although I was only small when first watching it the film has stuck with me throughout my life. At last my friends who thought I was nuts will get to see it!!!
Can't wait!!!!

This movie is hillarious, disrespectful, and well-made all at the same time. John Astin is joined by such notables as Mickey Rooney, Henry Gibson, and Milton Berle in this way off-beat western that begs to be watched repeatedley just to pick up all the one liners and subtleties. Unlike much of today's comedy, Evil Roy doesn't include profanity or nudity. It is viewable by all age groups.

In case there are those among us who would dismiss this movie as a bit on the silly side, they are probably the same ones who pretended that the Emperor was actually wearing clothes. For those with open eyes and minds, this movie is a treasure and has made me a John Astin fan for life.

By the way, I, too, have an old t-shirt I'd like Pamela Austin to try on later!!

I used to watch this on tv years ago and had tears of laughter in my eyes every time. Astin is hilarious as Evil Roy. Original comedy western.

Most people are going to remember comic actor John Astin for his role as Gomez Addams on THE ADDAMS FAMILY television series. As Gomez, Astin swaggered onto the stage and delivered one-liners and off-beat dialogue with impeccable timing.

However, I remember him most vividly in the title role of EVIL ROY SLADE, a made-for-TV movie that came out back in 1972. On that first viewing, that movie became my favorite comedic Western, even outstripping James Garner's SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHERIFF. It's really unfair to group the two movies together in some respects. SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHERIFF tells a real story and Garner plays the character straight.

Some might want to throw Mel Brooks's BLAZING SADDLES into the pot for consideration, and that's fine. I just preferred the with and quick turns of my two personal favorites. I enjoyed BLAZING SADDLES, just not as much.

With EVIL ROY SLADE, the humor is over-the-top and moves at a purely frantic slapstick pace. If you don't pay attention to EVIL ROY SLADE you're going to miss a snappy comeback, an offhand remark that is delicious, or a bit of physical comedy mugging for the camera that is to die for.

Where else can you get math problems like:

Betsy: Evil Roy, if you had six apples and your neighbor took three of them, what would you have?

Evil Roy: A dead neighbor and all six apples.

Or:

Evil Roy: My definition of a nine-to-five job? Nine guys robbing five guys!

Or:

Poker Player: I got jacks with an ace.

Evil Roy: I got threes...with a gun.

Poker Player: You win! Wow, you are lucky!

The laughs are often deft puns and plays on words, with Astin mugging his way through them in true vaudevillian style. No one else could have played Evil Roy Slade.

Until the DVD arrived and I sat down to watch it with my son, I didn't know that Garry Marshall and his long-time writing partner Jerry Belson had written the script. Looking back through the movie, it's easy to see Marshall's trademark of working with people he enjoys. He gave roles to his younger sister Penny Marshall (and later created LAVERNE & SHIRLEY for her) and Pat Morita (and later cast him in the role of Arnold in HAPPY DAYS).

Anyone familiar with Marshall and Belson's work (on THE DICK VAN DYKE, THE LUCY SHOW, and the television adaption of Neil Simon's THE ODD COUPLE to name a few) will recognize the snappy patter and quick play on words. No one did it better than they did.

The movie has a familiar plot, bad guy falls in love with pretty woman who tries to make him turn good, but the unrelenting, quick pace of the humor transcends the rather staid storyline. EVIL ROY SLADE quite simply takes no prisoners.

Mickey Rooney plays Nelson Stool, the railroad tycoon chasing Evil Roy. Dick Shawn stars as Ding Bell, the singing cowboy marshal Stool sends for. Henry Gibson plays Stool's ne'ver-do-well nephew. Edie Adams stars as the woman scorned by Evil Roy. Milton Berle plays a shoe salesman who tried to help Evil Roy go straight. In a hilarious role, Dom Deluise stars as a psychiatrist. In an uncredited role, Ed Begley has a brief walk-on that's funny. This talented cast all add to the timing and pacing of the movie.

If the rejoinders or the wry observations don't get you, then the visual gags or Astin's constant preening and monologues will. The actors and actresses move like clockwork throughout the movie. Even when you get ahead of the plot and see something coming (like Evil Roy getting stuck riding a Shetland pony with his boots dragging the ground), the sight of it being played out is goofball hilarious.

This is one of the most perfect family movies I've seen in a long time. There's no profanity, no nudity, no innuendo. It's just slapstick comedy at its purest form.

If you haven't seen EVIL ROY SLADE, you're in for a treat. And if you have seen the movie, treat yourself to a return bout with the best comedic Western film ever made.

I found this movie purely by accident one morning at 1:00 am when I couldn't sleep. I have since passed it on to several friends who all agree it is the best comedy they've seen.

The classic souvenir bank pen, black smith, big fiddle under the chin and therapy session scenes are worth the price of admission on their own and the arrest by, and escape from the midget sherriff is absolutely brilliant.

Watch for Bing Bell (is that the door) and his final scene.

It's corny and slapstck but good clean fun. It's worth buying and you'll watch it again and again.

If you like the Mel Brooks type films you will love this, it was shown on TV back in the seventies and a few of us lucky ones managed to see it. Once seen never forgotten! I have tried to track down a copy of this film ever since and finally managed last year to have a rathe fuzzy personal copy sent to me from Canada! Now the real thing is available do not miss it.

My husband and I saw this movie shortly after we were married. It was probably around 1973-74 (we married in 1970). We never laughed so hard over a movie like this one! After seeing it, it seemed like it would play on New Years Eve for the next two to three years. Since then, we have looked every week under cable and TV Guide listings, but it is never there. We checked books on what is available to buy, it wasn't there either. We have asked every video store if they can get it, and the answer is always "it's not in our book, sorry!" Our kids are now 22 and 23 and have never gotten to see it but have heard about it their entire lives. FINALLY, WE GET TO SEE IT AGAIN!!! While checking e-mail I thought it would be a long shot to find it, but hit the jack pot in no time at all! Thanks for having such a vast library of movies. I can't wait to get it in the mail. Again, thanks and I wish everyone could have the opportunity to see this movie. John Astin is so funny in this movie, more than any others we have seen, and all of them are great too. This is comedy beyond belief. ! bye