Film #033 - Son of Paleface (1952)
Now, I’ve been a big fan of Bob Hope since the days of my youth, when the local independant station used to show his movies every saturday or Sunday morning. (This is also the cause of my love for Godzilla and Blondie movies.) But ever since then, my favorite has been Son of Paleface.
I don’t know, there’s just something about it. Sequel to Hope’s 1948 film The Paleface (which introduced the Academy Award-winning song “Buttons & Bows”), Son is a fish-out-of-water Western, with Hope as the fish. He’s Peter Potter, Jr., a Harvard man, come to the Old West to acquire his inheritance, only to find there’s no money (or if there is, no one knows where it’s stashed). So he sets his sights on local entertainer Mike Delroy (don’t let the name fool you - it’s Jane Russell - woof!) as a potential source of funds. But she’s got her own tricks up her sleeve in her attempts to find Junior’s money. Meanwhile, Federal lawman Roy Barton (Roy Rogers) is hot on both their trails as he tries to solve a series of local heists.
Woo doggy, there’s plenty going on here! The jokes fly fast and furious, as they always do in Hope comedies, but, somewhat surprisingly, never at the expense of the story. And while there are several Hope comedies where the songs seem shoehorned in just for the sake of it, Son of Paleface actually feels like a musical in some ways and the songs seem like a natrual outgrowth of the presentation. They certainly played to the strengths of the actors. Hope isn’t expected to stretch too much and Roy doesn’t move outside of his comfort zone. But all the songs are great, including a very funny re-working of the by-then classic “Buttons and Bows”.
I honestly don’t know when I’ve seen Roy Rogers better. He was never a great actor, but was always amiable and when used well could be very entertaining. Here, he is not only used well, it’s as if he was optimized to his absolute peak. He never seems the slightest bit stiff or (perhaps more expected) outclassed by his co-stars. He holds his own in an arena quite different from what he was undoubtedly used to. Hope and Russell are great, of course (they had real chemistry and Hope was in his prime), but it’s Roy who surprises and steals a lot of scenes.
Another thing I love about Son of Paleface is something you don’t get enough of in modern wacky comedies: death. Now, I don’t mean I want characters to die, but it’s a Western. It’s what happens in Westerns. So it’s nice to see that, like all great parodies, the plot would work just fine if the jokes were removed. And no one is let off the hook for the sake of a happy ending, either. (They get a happy ending, of course, just not let off the hook.)
Son of Paleface was a huge hit in its day and it’s easy to see why. It can appeal to a wide range of potential audiences and satisfy on every level. Want wacky comedy? Got it. Want romantic ballads? Got it. Want action and adventure? Got it. And all these diverse elements (and many more) co-exist in perfect harmony with each other, complimenting each other and never getting in each other’s way.