![]() ![]() Instead, it’s silly enough and with enough “misunderstanding” plot devices to qualify as a farce that barely clears the entertainment bar. It’s all pretty lightweight fun-not sharp or observant enough to be a parody, nor combined with enough serious adventure or romance to be a comic Western. Other gags revolve around Baldasar’s European habit of greeting people, Sam’s scheming to get close to Phoebe Ann, Kronk’s deadpan one-liners, and Rodney’s repetitious cavalry command. But the reaction shots of the other braves is more of a failure as one of the main running gags. In other words, Texas Across the River has enough plots and side plots weaving here and there to keep one step ahead of the film’s running jokes that tend to stumble more than they run.Īn Indian chief seems so devoted to his son (“Best brave will shoot a flaming arrow to signal the start of the attack”) that he tends to overlook the fact that the “boy” is a massive failure. Baldasar saves a Commanche woman (Tina Marquand as Lonetta), who in turn tries to help him realize his dream of owning a cattle ranch. Rodney Stimpson (Peter Graves) is riding all over the West trying to catch up with Baldasar, and a war party of Commanches led by Iron Jacket (Michael Ansara) shadows the settlers for most of the film, waiting for the right moment to attack. Meanwhile, a company of cavalry under the command of Capt. His path crosses with that of Sam Hollis (Martin) and his deadpan Indian companion Kronk (Bishhop), who are in need of a sharpshooter to help them protect a wagon train of settlers. One thing leads to another, and Baldasar finds himself needing to get out of town. and neglected to tell him that she was no longer interested. It’s the plot that’s fun because it’s a little different from the standard Western fare.Īlain Delon gets second billing as Don Andrea Baldasar, a Spanish nobleman who shows up for his wedding to a Louisiana belle (Rosemary Forsyth) only to discover that she was previously engaged to an army officer. ![]() Neither film was successful, though the latter is the stronger one-the kind of gentle farce that appeals to children and people in the mood for something silly because of the level of humor-even though some of the material is very slightly risqué. Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin teamed up in 4 for Texas (1963), while Martin paired with Joey Bishop in Texas Across the River (1966). And likable TV everyman James Garner charmed audiences with his Maverick-style antics in Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969).īut when members of the Rat Pack tried their hand at the comic Western, the screenplays they were given leaned more toward farce than fans of the genre seemed to prefer. Then Jerry Paris and Mel Brooks scored bulls-eyes with Evil Roy Slade (1972) and Blazing Saddles (1974), but those were true parodies that poked fun of the genre while also clearly admiring it. Dustin Hoffman and Faye Dunaway had a runaway hit with Little Big Man (1970), a comic epic of the Old West that fell into the revisionist category because of its more favorable treatment of Indians. ![]() Wayne himself starred in two successful Western comedies- North to Alaska (1960) and McLintock! (1963)-but both of those were comic Westerns that still leaned heavily on Western conventions. Well, they do not score a clean hit with Texas Across the River.” Either you score a clean hit on that first shot or it’s goodnight you. In his 1966 review of Texas Across the River, Bosley Crowther of The New York Times wrote, “Trying to make fun of Westerns is an aberrant Hollywood stunt that’s as fraught with folly and possible disaster as challenging John Wayne to draw. ![]()
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