Son of Paleface

IMHO this is probably Bob Hope's best comedy. He is ably supported by an excellent cast, especially Jane Russell - who I think was always more gorgeous,sexier and a better actress than Monroe. Some fantastic one-liners make it a hoot from start to finish and it works on several levels. I loved this when I was a kid and still love it now 40 some odd years on. Seen it lots of times and it never gets stale. It made me a Bob Hope fan and I forgave him a lot of later rubbish because of it. A special mention for Trigger - steals several scenes - whoever trained him (Roy Rogers?) did a wonderful job. A little off the subject, but how come Kelsey Grammar has never done Bob Hope in a biopic-he is absolutely a natural for it.

Federal Agent Roy Rogers is on the trail of a mysterious bandit known as The Torch and little does he suspect at first that The Torch is that powerful piece of pulchritude, Jane Russell.

Of course gumming up his investigation is tenderfoot Bob Hope, who is the son of famous frontier scout Paleface Potter. Hope's not inherited much from his father's side. Therein lies a lot of the comedy in Son of Paleface.

The original Paleface film had the Academy Award winning song Buttons and Bows. This one has a whole load of musical numbers in it, better to utilize the talents of the three stars. One of them, Am I in Love was nominated for the Academy Award that year, but lost to Three Coins in the Fountain.

Best scenes in Son of Paleface involve the smartest horse in the west, Trigger, constantly outsmarting Hope. Well if Bing Crosby could constantly do it in every Road picture.................

The original "Paleface" feature was pretty good, but this sequel is actually better, in large part due to the addition of Roy Rogers and Trigger. Rogers and Bob Hope are two of the most likable performers that the movies have seen, and together they seem like old friends who have stopped by for an enjoyable visit. Jane Russell is also back from the original movie, though in a different role.

The story is good fun as long as you don't take it seriously. It's actually rather well-written, in that it accommodates all three stars with material well-suited for them. Hope gets plenty of one-liners and similar gags, and he pulls off even the goofiest of them with energy and aplomb. Rogers gets the chance to do some singing and to have some action sequences, and Trigger gets several good moments. Russell is given a character that allows her to stay within the role of the tough, glowering beauty.

There are enough connections to the first movie to add to the enjoyment if you have seen it, but "Son of Paleface" could also easily stand on its own, and in fact overall it probably is actually a little bit better.

Bob Hope plays Potter, returning to claim his father's gold, but it can't be found. Mike, played by Jane Russell, is a leader of a gang of thieves, and Roy Rogers as a federal marshal hot on the trail of thieves. It is very funny and lots of gimmicks, and the musical numbers are very good. I never realized that Roy Rogers had such a good singing voice. Jane Russell and Bob Hope do their own songs which are enjoyable, but not as memorable as "Buttons & Bows" from the original. One of the funniest scenes is with Trigger, Roy Roger's horse sleeping with Hope. 7/10

This is one of Hope's best movies. Along with its precursor, PALEFACE, it would make a great part of a double feature...an evening in front of your vcr or dvd. Russell's affectionate/condescension towards Hope works like a charm. The presence of Roy Rogers in this film is a stroke of genius. He plays a perfect lampoon of his own screen image here...and it may very well be his only film appearance in a movie not strictly in the Western genre (you could argue that DARK COMMAND was not only a Western, but a civil war film, but it hardly matters). Roy has a perfect sense for his part of the chemistry of the film and he plays it to the hilt...which is so much fun to see. It was one of the last movies Roy made (as he was now focused on becoming a TV cowboy star), and (with his entire film career supporting this appearance) watching him onscreen here not only makes you laugh, but tugs at your heartstrings as well. This makes SON OF PALEFACE a special movie on many levels. My favorite scenes: Hope trying to impress Russell in the saloon in the beginning; Roy Rogers on Trigger to the rescue as Hope's jeep runs amuck without a wheel; any scene where Trigger is bothering Hope.