The Frisco Kid (1979)

Director:

Robert Aldrich

Writers:

Michael Elias (written by) &
Frank Shaw (written by)

Release Date:

13 July 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Western

Tagline:

The greatest cowboy ever to ride into the Wild West. From Poland.

Plot:

A Polish rabbi wanders through the Old West on his way to lead a synagogue in San Francisco. On the...

Plot Keywords:

Rabbi | Jewish | Wild West | Jewish Humor

Cast

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)

Also Known As:

No Knife (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

Yiddish | English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:12 (f) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Colorado, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

According to Gene Wilder's autobiography, John Wayne was offered the part that was eventually played by Harrison Ford. The Duke loved the role and was willing to star with Wilder. However an agent tried to offer Wayne less than his usual fee and the legendary actor turned the film down.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When the native Americans are manhandling Tommy at their village, one of the Indians is clearly wearing a gold wristwatch on an expanding metal strap. See it at 1:03:12 on the Region 1 DVD.

Quotes:

Avram: [voiceover] It says in the Torah to find thyself a teacher. This I have done. There were times, however, when I feared my teacher would find another student.

Soundtrack:

Beautiful Dreamer

The Most Underrated Comedy of All Time

Of course I'd have to be crazy to call _The Frisco Kid_ the best movie ever made, but it's certainly a strong contender for the flick I love the most (an opinion shared by my parents, brothers, cousins . . .). From the premise -- a Polish rabbi in the Wild West -- you'd expect a *spoof* a la _Blazing Saddles_, but in fact this is played absolutely straight, the comedy arising 100% from the believable human situations the characters are thrust into.

Because of this, the first third of the movie is much devoted to setting up what follows, and might strike the first-time viewer as a bit slow (actually, it's subtle and as deliciously re-watchable as the rest). Patience will be rewarded, though, because once the pieces are in place, and especially once our hero meets Harrison Ford's bank-robber with a heart of gold, there's just one indelibly great scene after another.

It's important to note that this is much, much more than a comedy. It's episodic, of course, but an early story element returns unexpectedly (more than once); you think you've been watching just an entertainment and you gradually realize there's a real (and genuinely moving) *point* to all this, as is rarely seen in movies this funny. Rabbi Avram Belinsky (played, of course, with pure magic by Gene Wilder) starts off the movie as a well-meaning schlemiel, someone as ineffectual as he is nice, and ends as a mensch, as a moral force to be reckoned with. (Typical and classic moment along the way: when he's forced to explain the nature of God to a bunch of Indians, he is downright Talmudic in his wisdom -- but the Talmud was never hysterically funny!) The final, genuinely dramatic scenes raise issues about faith, friendship, and personal identity and destiny that are downright profound (at least on repeated viewings) -- without ever missing a comedic beat. Extraordinary.

This is a movie that does for faith and friendship what "Manhattan" and "Tootsie" did for romance and gender roles. Can they please get this out on DVD while my folks are still around to enjoy it?