Buck Benny Rides Again

Mr. Benny is fabulous, as are Rochester, Phil Harris, Dennis Day, Andy Devine and the rest of this wonderful cast. My favorite scene: Jack recites a poem around the campfire at Andy's ranch. I won't spoil it; you've got to hear it for yourself, and the last line is possibly the best in any movie comedy EVER.

This is one of the best of the Jack Benny vehicles, based on his very popular radio character Buck Benny, itself a fond satire of the Lone Ranger. No pretensions here, no classy "schtick," just good escapist box office gold. The pace seems slow by modern standards, and I missed Cactus Face too. (OTR fans will know who Cactus Face is!). Enjoy.

This movie has the neatest 'look' to it. It's the visual equivalent to a warm bath. Silly and corny and all those other terms that add up to non-threatening, trouble-forgetting fun. Ellen 'the Body' Drew plays the hard to get singer in a sisters vocal group, also comprised of the cute and whimsical Virginia Dale and Lillian Cornell, who seems almost invisible, so little does she shine. The song, 'Say It' melts me every time i hear it, and it's in the film twice. Jack is an understated scream. When the girls tell him they're staying at a western-theme hotel, Jack, in his best western tone replies, "That's a little too 'delooxe' for me." His shiny, studded cowboy suits are overly done, a la Liberace! Phil Harris is great in his 'Well all Riiiight' hipsterspeak way, and Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson handles a great deal of the dialog. Great for a 'nothing-to-do' night, but don't think it ever came out on VHS. I taped it. If you get the chance, see it!

What makes this film unique is it is one of only two that contained characters from the Benny Radio shows, bandleader Phil Harris, Eddie Rochester Anderson, Dennis Day, and voice cameos with Mary Livingstone and Fred Allen. The plot is a spoof of the radio Westerns of the day. If you are not familiar with Benny's career and the old radio shows you may miss much of the humor in this film. But it is still a fine film if you can find it. I was lucky to find it on Ebay as it is unavailable anywhere else. Ellen Drew is perfectly cast as the Dame who is the object of Benny's facination. Eddie Rochester Anderson sings MY, MY, in the film which became a huge international hit at the time. Benny's next film after this one was " Love Thy Neighbor " opposite Fred Allen, you must have both these films in your collection.

This film was made during the pre-TV era. Hollywood B films filled the theaters every few days with quickly-made comedies and action films that took the place of the eventual sitcoms and action shows that would begin in the 1950s on television. This film is an example. Benny would eventually have his own successful TV show (after several successful years on radio). This is merely an extended skit set in the West. But it is still more entertaining than most modern comedies. The cast of the Jack Benny Show joins him in his adventures.