Customer Reviews

Son of Paleface [VHS]

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Maybe because I saw "The Paleface" after I saw "Son," I couldn't help but find the latter to be a much more satisfying and entertaining film. Bob Hope, in his inimitable style, is aptly sarcastic, witty, bumbling, crafty, and just plain funny as the son of the character from the original. Jane Russell seems to parody the sexy image of which she was so famous. Roy Rogers enjoys being the brunt of some of Hope's jibes about the cowboy's "squeaky-clean" persona. Technicolor has never made Trigger look better.

A great enjoyment for the entire family is this classic farce. Mel Brooks must have been influenced when he made "Blazing Saddles" decades later.

The movie, "Son of Paleface", which stars Bob Hope, Jane Russell, Roy Rogers, and Trigger (of course), is a fast talking, laugh-a-minute riot from start to finish. I myself have seen it about 30 times or more and I have never found myself bored. "Son of Paleface" is about Junior Potter (Hope), the son of Paleface Potter, "The Man Who Won The West". Although Paleface won the west, he didn't win the hearts of the people in Sawbuck Pass- he died owing a lot of money to a lot of people in that town. So after Junior Potter graduates as a Harvard man all decked out in his school spirit apparel, he drives out west to collect his father's "fortune" which had been willed to him. But after finding that his father's fortune was nothing more than the chest in which the money was supposed to be, Junior is not only dumped by his girlfriend back at Harvard, but he is forced to fake being in shock of the sight of all that money so he wouldn't be killed by the people to which the money was owed. Russell plays a crook on horseback- known as 'Mike' to Junior, who is slowly falling for her, and 'The Torch' to the government. And that's where Rogers comes in. He is assigned to capture 'The Torch', with Trigger's help as always. All 4 of these actors put on superb performances- yes, 4. I say 4 because in various scenes in the movie, Trigger shows off his talents as an actor wonderfully. What a horse! "Son of Paleface" is the sequel to "The Paleface" in which Hope played Paleface and Russell played his wife. Although that movie was funny, it in no way compares to "Son of Paleface". I think this is just about the only time that I can recall where the sequel is a million times better than the original. What makes "Son of Paleface" such a terrific movie is not only the storyline, the actors and the performances, the script couldn't be any better. The way Hope throws out those punch lines, you almost have to see the movie multiple times to catch all of them. You're just too busy laughing to hear them all! And in the middle of all this, Hope, Russell and Rogers throw some great songs in there, too. The movie also manages to incorporate a cameo by Bing Cosby, who co-starred with Hope in several 'Road' movies, and an appearence of penguins in the desert. Now, even though the movie is very unbelieveable, as you will discover at the end, the whole movie is fun and entertaining...even the 30th time through! I wholeheartedly recommend "Son of Paleface" to everyone. You can't find a better comedy movie out there.

The Brentwood DVD is an excellent way to watch this fun comedy.The picture is razer sharp from 35mm, and the colors are pure and brilliant. I wondered about the low price but the quality is there! And the movie is great, as the other reviewers had said.

SON OF PALEFACE is a sequel, of sorts, to Bob Hope's 1948 hit PALEFACE. It reunites Hope with Jane Russell (Calamity Jane in the previous movie, Mike `The Torch' Delroy in this one.) Singing cowboy Roy Rogers rounds out the lead roster as Federal Agent Roy Barton.
Hope plays Peter `Junior' Potter Jr., a recent Harvard grad who travels west to claim his inheritance. Russell plays a masked bandit and Rogers the Fed investigating a series of stagecoach holdups. There's a search for a cache of gold hidden by Junior's father but beyond that the plot doesn't get in the way much at all. If it did, you'd wonder how the masked Torch is able to keep her identity a secret. Yeah, she's wearing a mask, but the hip-hugging jeans and tight blouse she wears when a-robbing make it kind of obvious who it is under the mask.
Not that it matters much. The plot is just thick enough, thank you. Russell and Rogers play it straight and provide Hope with strong foils to play against. By 1952, when SON OF PALEFACE was made, Bob Hope had the blustering coward schtick down cold. Teamed here was director and former Warner Brothers animator Frank Tashlin things get a little wacky. Non sequiturs, snappy one-liners and mugging close-ups are the rule here. Tashlin throws in some very cartoon-y gags, as well. Hope drinks an impossibly tall drink in a bar. After a moment the pipe he's smoking straightens out and spits fire. The H on his Harvard shirt curls. The pipe curls and his nose is caught in the bowl. Smoke hisses out of Hope's ears. His head spins rapidly, then his body. His head sinks into his coat and his hat covers the neck hole. Russell lifts the hat and peeks in....
You get the idea. It's all good family fun with just a scene or two that might zoom past the uninitiated. For instance, when Hope drives his roadster across the desert two vultures perch on the rumble seat. At one point Hope turns on them and says "Hey! Martin and Lewis! Beat it!" Fortunately, the visual and verbal gags come at such a rapid-fire rate we aren't forced to mull over such mysterious references. Before we're given a chance to think about it Hope has driven through an ice-rink desert mirage and the vultures have changed into penguins.
SON OF PALEFACE is one of those rare movies that will appeal to almost everybody and offend almost nobody.

Quite seriously (in a manner of speaking!) this is the best of all of Bob Hope's movies. Although the Road To.. films are classics and will forever feature in the Comedy Hall of Fame, this little-known gem is a real riot! This probably comes closest to Road to Utopia in terms of zaniness.
A sequel-of-sorts to the hugely inferior The Paleface, this movie lays it's cards on the table from the very beginning as we are introduced to the titular 'hero' through a very witty narration ("This girl has just the kind of lips I like to kiss - one on top and one on the bottom") that includes the almost obligatory Bing Crosby cameo. Following this is a few minutes of plot development (and, strangely, this film has more plot than most straight westerns) before Junior Potter (Hope) bursts into town. Great one-liners abound ("I'm an innocent man and if you have any justice in you, you'll accept my bribe") but the real beauty of the film is the surreal, almost cartoon-like direction. Of course the direction has every right to be cartoon-like - it's directed by Frank Tashlin who started in Hollywood directing Porky Pig! Wild action includes Hope's reaction to a Micky Finn, Hope's attempts to blend in with his cowboy costume, Hope and Trigger sharing a bed and talk (tastefully done!) and a crazy chase finale involving banana skins!
Supporting players Jane Russell, Roy Rogers and, of course, Trigger do extremely well in the shadow of Hope who pulls out all of the stops for a career-best performance. The songs, including Buttons and Bows with a twist, are great and the script, apart from the few straight seems which are kept to a minimum, compares well with the Marx Brothers at their best.
Don't believe me - watch it and see for yourself!

I bought this dvd for my father for Father's Day, and decided to watch it myself. I loved it as did my 4 year old daughter. The picture and sound quality are fine. Bob Hope is very funny, but I think Trigger the wonder horse steals the show! Trigger dances, fights with Bob over the covers, and just generally one ups Bob at every turn. If you want to see why Roy Rogers loved this horse, watch this movie. Great for the entire family.

For me I love Bob Hope so I loved this movie!I also really admire Jane Russell with her eyes that really speak for themselves! I recommend this movie to anyone and I cannot forget Roy Rogers and his sidekick Trigger the horse! Trigger really makes this movie,what a talented animal!!!!!
The story is cute and kind of corny but it's Bob Hope and he can get away with about anything!Oh and of course Bing also has a cameo!!!!!
So to all who read this,the movie is well worth seeing!

"Son of Paleface" was my introduction to Jane Russell, who really burns up the screen in her role as the saloon girl/outlaw leader - and it's a great Bob Hope flick too. A worthy sequel to "The Paleface", it pairs Hope with Russell and the duo of Roy Rogers (a good straight man who ends up as the third point in the movie's love triangle) and Trigger. Lots of music - including a reprise of the Oscar-winner "Buttons and Bows" - and sight gags!

Paramount Pictures presents "SON OF PALEFACE" (1952) (95 min/Color) -- Starring Bob Hope, Jane Russell, Roy Rogers, Bill Williams, Lloyd Corrigan & `Trigger'

Directed by Frank Tashlin

A sequel to Bob Hope's 1948 box-office success The Paleface, 1952's Son of Paleface is a superior product in every way, thanks largely to the spirited, creative direction of Frank Tashlin.

Peter `Junior' Potter (Bob Hope) is a Harvard-educated dude who heads West to claim the inheritance left him by his gunslinger father. Much to his chagrin, Junior discovers that his dad has left him nothing but debts. To stave off Potter Sr.'s angry creditors, Junior pretends that his father has salted away a fortune somewhere in the hills. This arouses the attention of curvaceous saloon owner Mike Delroy (Jane Russell), who doubles as a mysterious masked bandit known as The Torch. Meanwhile, federal agent Roy Barton (Roy Rogers) keeps tabs on Junior, hoping that he'll lead him to The Torch and her gang. True to form, ex-cartoonist Tashlin fills the screen with a wealth of inventive sight gags and inside jokes.

Hope & Russell get to reprise of The Paleface's Oscar-winning "Buttons and Bows," this time performed with the help of Roy Rogers.

Best scenes in Son of Paleface involve the smartest horse in the west, Trigger, constantly outsmarting Hope

A side splitting film. Bob Hope's wisecracking persona and writer-director Frank Tashlin's cartoon-like gags make a perfect blend. And anyone who enjoys Jane Russell has to check out her opening shot in the movie, in which the camera pans up her gorgeous legs while the band plays on, with Hope and Rogers looking on.

Oscar nominated for Best Song ("Am I in Love")

Special footnote: -- Check out my review on The Paleface (Bob Hope) The Paleface

BIOS:
1. Frank Tashlin (aka: Francis Fredrick von Taschlein] (Director)
Date of Birth: 19 February 1913, Weehawken, New Jersey, USA
Date of Death: 5 May 1972 - Unknown

2. Bob Hope (aka: Leslie Townes Hope)
Date of Birth: 29 May 1903 - Eltham, London, England, UK
Date of Death: 27 July 2003 - Toluca Lake, California

3. Jane Russell (aka: Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell)
Date of birth: 21 June 1921 - Bemidji, Minnesota
Date of Death: 28 February 2011 - Santa Maria, California

4. Roy Rogers [aka: Leonard Franklin Slye]
Date of Birth: 5 November 1911 - Cincinnati, Ohio
Date of Death: 6 July 1998 - Apple Valley, California

5. Trigger (the Smartest Horse in the Movies)
Date of Birth: 1932
Date of Death: 3 July 1965

Mr. Jim's Ratings:
Quality of Picture & Sound: 5 Stars
Performance: 5 Stars
Story & Screenplay: 5 Stars
Overall: 5 Stars [Original Music, Cinematography & Film Editing]

Total Time: 95 min on DVD/VHS ~ Paramount Pictures ~ (November 21, 2000)

After the huge success of 1948's "The Paleface", which starred Bob Hope and the very beautiful Jane Russell in a hilarious farce set in the old west a sequel was a logical idea and this time around the jokes and general scenario were even better. Relying on the usual Hope format of jokes about current events (for 1952), a good natured jibe at pal Bing Crosby, and with him often stepping out of character during the story, to deliver some of his memorable quips, "Son of Paleface", is one sequel that really does work better than its parent. Apart from the beautiful Jane Russell returning in this sequel playing a different character from the first film, Bob Hope is teamed here also with western star Roy Rogers and his wonder horse Trigger. This makes for some great comedy and the laughs come thick and fast as Bob Hope good naturedly sends up Roy Roger's squeaky clean image and also has some memorable run ins with Trigger that have to be seen to be believed. I generally love the Bob Hope humour of his best films and while this effort comes much later in his illustrious career than such classics as "The Ghost Breakers", and "My Favourite Blonde", it is a memorable effort nevertheless that deserves the classic status that audiences have bestowed on it.

You certainly never go into a Bob Hope comedy like "Son of Paleface", expecting realism and nor should you. What we do get here however is a laugh filled few hours of great comedy, tremendous gags, and often quite a bit of adlibbing. By the early 1950's Bob Hope had his cowardly, wise cracking persona down pat and his Juniour Potter character here is one of his best ever ready with a fast one liner or wry observation about his own cowardly manner. Silly and not to be taken seriously for one minute "Son of Paleface", may be but it is just the movie experience guaranteed to drive away any blues you may be feeling. It's been a very long time since a movie experience has been capable of really doing that and great credit must go to Hope, Jane Russell, Roy Rogers and Trigger for this great piece of old fashioned comedy entertainment that is always worth another viewing of. Enjoy!