Rustler's Rhapsody - 1985

Paramount Pictures, Impala, Tesauro S.A.

Written and Directed by Hugh Wilson

Cast:

• Rex O'Herlihan – Tom Berenger
• Peter – G. W. Bailey
• Miss Tracy – Marilu Henner
• Colonel Ticonderoga – Andy Griffith
• Railroad Colonel – Fernando Rey
• Colonel's Daughter – Sela Ward
• Bob Barber – Patrick Wayne

Story: A tribute to the serial westerns of the silver screen. Sort of. Rex O'Herlihan is the Singing Cowboy who rides into town to save the day from the evil cattle baron and his henchmen. He's not psychic, but he seems to know exactly what will happen in every town he rides into. Peter, the town drunk, is enthralled by Rex's smooth manners and fast draw, not to mention his exceptional wardrobe. He soon signs on with Rex as his sidekick, and together they fight for the rights of the townspeople and the sheepherders against Colonel Ticonderoga and the Railroad Colonel. All the thrills and suspense of the Saturday morning matinees of the late 1930's and 1940's, without the bloodshed or death.

Review: I was born in 1952, so I must have been about 10 years old when my brother and I were dropped off at the local theater in Waukegan along with a couple of hundred other kids to watch the Saturday morning matinees. In our days it was Flash Gordon, Sky King, and Commander Cody, all legendary “cliff hangers”, which meant they would always end the episode with the hero in danger and you would have to come back next week to see what happened. In the 1930's and '40's, the theme was the American West, and the heroes all rode stallions of white or gold, had two guns, sang and played guitar, and wore white hats. Tom Mix was the silent movie hero, then came Gene Autry, Randolf Scott, and later Roy Rogers. This well written parody takes all those memories and rolls them up in a pleasingly benign story that incorporates the old and the new. Language and sexuality are not an issue, so the kids can watch without worry. While there is a lot of innuendo, nothing is explicit enough to warrant anything more than a PG rating, and I think that is a little excessive. Not necessarily a collectible, but worth a viewing on a Saturday morning with the kids, just before they head out to play.