I watched "Blazing Saddles" a few weeks ago and had completely forgotten about that quick melodic tribute to Randolph Scott sung by the townspeople in a reverent tone. It was the Randolph Scott of "Comanche Station" they were memorializing, the stoic Western cowboy trying to do the right thing in a lawless land. Once again events conspire to avert him from the primary mission of finding his wife, kidnapped ten years earlier and presumably dead. Cody's (Scott) response to Nancy Lowe (Nancy Gates) when she questions him about her fate with the Comanches show him to be a man of principle and integrity, well before we learn of his true quest.
Even the film's outlaws maintain a certain respect for Cody, with Ben Lane (Claude Akins) sharing a tarnished past with his former military officer. The stage is set early for their eventual show down, and then it's a matter of time until one or the other suffers a misstep. The story deals with Lane's two young gun companions first, portrayed by Skip Homeier and Richard Rust. The movie's best serious conversations involve Frank and Dobie talking about 'amountin' to somethin' and 'honest work'.
The movie is gorgeously rendered amid the rugged beauty of California's Lone Pine country, at times I felt caught up in the scenery at the expense of the story. Attention is brought back quickly though by Indian attacks and Ben Lane's impending confrontation with Cody. Although you never doubt the success of Cody's mission, the unexpected twist at the finale leaves one slightly disoriented. What's not to be questioned is why Cody never brought up the issue of a reward for the return of Mrs. Lowe. It's just understood that in the end, Cody amounts to something.
Even the film's outlaws maintain a certain respect for Cody, with Ben Lane (Claude Akins) sharing a tarnished past with his former military officer. The stage is set early for their eventual show down, and then it's a matter of time until one or the other suffers a misstep. The story deals with Lane's two young gun companions first, portrayed by Skip Homeier and Richard Rust. The movie's best serious conversations involve Frank and Dobie talking about 'amountin' to somethin' and 'honest work'.
The movie is gorgeously rendered amid the rugged beauty of California's Lone Pine country, at times I felt caught up in the scenery at the expense of the story. Attention is brought back quickly though by Indian attacks and Ben Lane's impending confrontation with Cody. Although you never doubt the success of Cody's mission, the unexpected twist at the finale leaves one slightly disoriented. What's not to be questioned is why Cody never brought up the issue of a reward for the return of Mrs. Lowe. It's just understood that in the end, Cody amounts to something.