The Duchess and the Dirtwater Fox (1976)

A female hustler is chasing after rich men, but becomes repeatedly mixed up with a suave con man and card shark through a series of misadventures before falling in love with him.

Director:

Melvin Frank

Writers:

Barry Sandler (story), Melvin Frank (screenplay),

Stars:

George Segal, Goldie Hawn, Conrad Janis

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
George Segal	...	Charlie 'Dirtwater Fox' Malloy
Goldie Hawn	...	Amanda Quaid / Duchess Swansbury
Conrad Janis	...	Gladstone (Widdicombe's assistant)
Thayer David	...	Josiah Widdicombe (Mormon patriarch)
Jennifer Lee	...	Trollop
Sid Gould	...	Rabbi
Pat Ast	...	Music hall singer
E.J. André	...	Prospector (as E.J. Andre)
Richard Farnsworth	...	Stagecoach driver (as Dick Farnsworth)
Clifford Turknett	...	Mr. Weatherly (ticket aent)
Harlan Knudson	...	Cooper
Jean Favre	...	Drunk / Usher
Bill McLaughlin	...	Murdock
Richard Jamison	...	Waiter
Barbara Ulrich	...	Maisie

Storyline

It's 1882 on the Barbary Coast. Charlie Malloy aka the Dirtwater Fox, makes his living cheating at cards. His latest venture however is stealing $40,000 from a bunch of outlaws. Bluebird, a saloon performer and prostitute, wants an easy life. When a Mormon, Josiah Widdicombe, comes to town, Bluebird has the idea that being the seventh wife of a Mormon would be a good life - she only has to work once every seven days. She steals Malloy's bag with the money, unaware of the amount inside. She only wants enough to buy a dress to masquerade as a duchess for Widdicombe. The ruse works. On Bluebird's way to Salt Lake City, Malloy catches up with her. Although Bluebird still has every intention of becoming a Mormon wife, the two decide to partner on the scheme of Mormon riches. All the while, the outlaws are on their tail after their $40,000.

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Plot Keywords:

mormon | con man | pig latin | gambler | animal in title | 

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Taglines:

Once upon a time, If the rustlers didn't get you, the hustlers did.

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Genres:

Comedy | Western

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Hebrew French German

Release Date:

1 April 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Duquesa e o Vilão

Filming Locations:

Gilpin County, Colorado, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Publicity for this picture stated that it was the singing and dancing debut of actress Goldie Hawn.

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Goofs

When Amanda (Goldie Hawn) walks out of the saloon into the streets of the town you can see modern houses all along the hills.

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Quotes

Amanda Quaid/Duchess Swansbury: God, oh my God, you're hurt! Is there much pain?
Charlie 'Dirtwater Fox' Malloy: It doesn't even hurt. What did you think? That I'd fall apart with one lousy bullet?
Amanda Quaid/Duchess Swansbury: How many times have you been hit by bullets, Malloy?
Charlie 'Dirtwater Fox' Malloy: Including this one?
Amanda Quaid/Duchess Swansbury: Yeah.
Charlie 'Dirtwater Fox' Malloy: Once.

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Human Duplicators (1992)

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Soundtracks

"Fools Gold"
Written by Sammy Cahn, Mel Frank & Charles Fox

User Reviews

THEY DON'T MAKE THEM LIKE THIS ANYMORE!

This movie is a treat from start to finish. Fantastic writing is the main reason why, and terrific character actors at every turn. Not quite as bawdy, but reminiscent of Blazing Saddles in its depiction of the Wild West - I mean, one of the funniest characters is BlackJack, George Segal's loyal steed.

Highly recommended for laughing out loud - a real gem - can't wait for the DVD.

Don't be afraid to show it to the kid's either, just a bit of language to manage, but otherwise, funny for almost all ages. Wish Segal and Hawn had done more work together - a great team!

Enjoy!!