Cast overview: | |||
Jack Oakie | ... | Jennifer / Vance Kilroy | |
Stuart Erwin | ... | Chester Carr | |
Eugene Pallette | ... | Judd / Black Jed | |
Mitzi Green | ... | Alice Merridew | |
June Collyer | ... | Susan Meadows | |
Charles Sellon | ... | Spruce Meadows | |
![]() |
Cecil Weston | ... | Mrs. Merridew |
George Webb | ... | Burson | |
Guy Oliver | ... | Simonson | |
James Crane | ... | Blaze Denton |
Chester Carr, owner of a dude ranch in the Rockies, caters to guests seeking the thrill of the Wild West. Among his guests are the wealthy Spruce Meadows and his daughter Susan. But the West isn't wild anymore and most of Carr's guests are bored and about to leave. He is in despair when a caravan carrying a broke-down-and-out troupe of actors---Jennifer, Judd, Mrs. Merridew and her daughter, Alice---crashes down the hill and wrecks the hotel sign. Carr offers to board and lodge them free for a week if they can provide enough excitement to keep Meadows and the other guest from leaving. The actors agree. They have the properties and costumes for a Western melodrama,"Vance Kilroy's Revenge", which they proceed to adapt real-life for the occasion. That evening a woman (Mrs. Merridew) rushes into the hotel lounge with her little daughter (Alice), begging to be saved from the whip of her brutal husband Black Jud (Judd). He comes after them with a whip but the heroic Vance Kilroy (Jenifer) ... Written by Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>
Stu Erwin is the manager of a financially strapped Dude Ranch. Jack Oakie's acting troupe happens by, and they are in the same predicament. They agree to work for food, and stage a drama which is meant to be a real life drama for the clientele, who are bored due to lack of excitement. As the phony drama unfolds, the guests are spellbound and decide to stay for a while longer. At the same time a group of gangsters checks in. They are planning to rob a local bank but try to blend in with the guests.
Predictable hi-jinks ensue, all too tiresome to recount. The movie tries too hard to please, and so does Jack Oakie. The result is a painful comedy which is mercifully short at 71 minutes - but seems longer. It is staggering to see both Mankeiwicz brothers listed as writers for this picture. At best it is a harmless way to spend one's time, and it has its moments. A young June Collyer is the female lead and resembles Mary Astor. Played at Capitolfest, Rome, N.Y., 8/12/16.