The Frisco Kid (1979)

A Polish rabbi wanders through the Old West on his way to lead a synagogue in San Francisco. On the way he is nearly burnt at the stake by Indians and almost killed by outlaws.

Director:

Robert Aldrich

Writers:

Michael Elias, Frank Shaw

Stars:

Gene Wilder, Harrison Ford, Ramon Bieri

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gene Wilder	...	Avram
Harrison Ford	...	Tommy
Ramon Bieri	...	Mr. Jones
Val Bisoglio	...	Chief Gray Cloud
George DiCenzo	...	Darryl Diggs (as George Ralph DiCenzo)
Leo Fuchs	...	Chief Rabbi
Penny Peyser	...	Rosalie
William Smith	...	Matt Diggs
Jack Somack	...	Samuel Bender
Beege Barkette	...	Sarah Mindl (as Beege Barkett)
Shay Duffin	...	O'Leary
Walter Janovitz	...	Old Amish Man (as Walter Janowitz)
Joe Kapp	...	Monterano
Clyde Kusatsu	...	Mr. Ping
Clifford A. Pellow	...	Mr. Daniels (as Cliff Pellow)

Storyline

A Polish rabbi wanders through the Old West on his way to lead a synagogue in San Francisco. On the way he is nearly burnt at the stake by Indians and almost killed by outlaws.

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Plot Keywords:

rabbi | indian | outlaw | bank robber | jewish | 

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Taglines:

This kosher cowboy hasn't got a prayer -- but plenty of laughs.

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Genres:

Comedy | Western

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Yiddish

Release Date:

13 July 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

No Knife

Filming Locations:

Colorado, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Warner Bros

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Noticeable in the trailer for this Warner Brothers movie was the use of footage of Gene Wilder from Wilder's earlier films such as Warner Bros' Blazing Saddles but also ones from Wilder's other studio pictures from 20th Century Fox, Silver Streak and Young Frankenstein.

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Goofs

Avram cocks his gun after tripping Matt Diggs during the gunfight in San Francisco but in the next shot, the hammer isn't pulled back.

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Quotes

Avram: Would somebody please show this poor asshole the way out of town.

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Connections

Referenced in Estrenos Críticos: ¡...con Phineas & Ferb! (2011)

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Soundtracks

"Waltz 'Gold and Silver'"
Composed by Franz Lehár

User Reviews

I LOVE THIS FILM!

I read all the commentaries and disagree with most, but particularly those who moan about this being "slow" for the first 45 minutes. Look. This is a classic. The story is great. A misanthropic rabbi comes to a congregation in San Francisco and get waylaid and falls into (mis)adventures with a seedy character. This unlikely duo make their way to SF undergoing a number of adventures. If you do not understand the yiddishekeit of this film, go take a look at the Marx brothers. The scene where battered Wilder sees the Amish and goes screaming in Yiddish only to discover the cross in the bible in one of the farmer's pockets and faints dead away, is worth the price of admission along. The voting scene at the Yeshiva where only the little boy votes for Wilder invoking the older Rabbi turning his eyes to heaven and saying, "It's going to be close!" is likewise great. This is zany Yiddish theater at its best. Wilder, always overacting, is SUPERB as the rabbi. Ford is merely great as the kindhearted outlaw. The bad guys are bad, the characters they meet along the way, Schiavelli and veteran character actor Ian Wolfe are great as the Trappist monks, even Joe Kapp is great as the Mexican RR worker. This is great watching and one of my favorite films. Don't knock it. It's hilarious. Check it out!