Customer Reviews

The Shakiest Gun in the West [VHS]

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

When Penelope "Bad Penny" Cushings (played by Barbara Rhoades) is captured after a stagecoach holdup, she is unexpectedly offered a pardon, if she will help the government by finding out who is running guns to the Indians. When her contact, who is to go undercover with her as her husband, turns up with a bullet through him, Penny needs a new husband and quick! She needs someone dumb and easily manipulated, someone like...Dr. Jesse Haywood (Don Knotts), a dentist dude from back East, who wants to spread the gospel of oral health in the West! Under Penny's watchful eye, Doc Haywood begins a life of danger and renown. Now, if only he can stay alive long enough to enjoy it. [Color, released in 1968, with a running time of 1 hour, 41 minutes.]

This is a very funny, family-friendly movie. Yes, as a fan of old movies, I always knew that this movie was a remake of Bob Hope's 1948 classic, The Paleface. But, this movie is distinct enough from that movie that a fan could equally enjoy both. I loved this movie as a kid, and am glad that I have been able to buy it, and share it with my children, who also loved it. We all highly recommend this movie to you!

The first time through it wasn't incredibly funny, however, after we watched it 10 times or so, we began to pick up on some of the funnier details and now it is frequent topic of conversation to invoke laughter. Thanks, Don, for another good one!

No one can shake like Don Knotts and he is at his shaky best in this movie. For those of us that like his brand of slapstick ( and there are many of us) this movie about a ninny dentist gone West is a real treat. The scene with the line "hands run in my family" makes this movie worth the price. Yeah it's corny...I say bring on the corn !!

I think this is a great Don Knotts film. He acts so utterly stupid and pathetic in this film but it's done in a way that's so utterly hillarious. I had lots of laughs all through the movie. Barbara Rhoades is the straight one in the pair and she does a great job as well. The looks on her face during the times she has to deal with Knotts are funny in themselves.

If you like silly slap stick humor I think you'll enjoy this movie.

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!

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.

This is a great film and all due to the wonderful Mr. Knotts. Where was I in the sixties and seventies during his film career? Anyway, I'm enjoying him now, ever since I caught him on "Biography". He is definitely in the same league as Charlie Chaplin, in fact, he's better !!!!

I bought this DVD for my husband's birthday. A favorite movie from his past that we had been trying to find. We sat down and watched together and had a great time. Fun clean family fun. Loved it!!!

I purchased this DVD for my Great Grand Children. the best buy i've made in a long time. The children just loved it, in fact they watch it over and over. You just can't go wrong with Don Knotts movies. I highly recomend this movie. Plus you get it at a great price.
Carol

This is a fun and funny movie for the entire family with no-one in the movie being victims of violent crimes like in R and PG-13 movies. One of Don Knotts better movies.