Son of Paleface
| Son of Paleface | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Frank Tashlin |
| Written by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Harry J. Wild |
| Edited by | Eda Warren |
| Music by | Lyn Murray |
Production company | Hope Enterprises |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 95 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $3.4 million (USA)[1] |
Son of Paleface is a 1952 Western comedy film directed by Frank Tashlin and starring Bob Hope, Jane Russell, and Roy Rogers. The film is a sequel to The Paleface (1948). Written by Tashlin, Joseph Quillan, and Robert L. Welch, the film is about a man who returns home to claim his father's gold, which is nowhere to be found. Son of Paleface was released in the United States by Paramount Pictures on July 14, 1952.
Plot
Peter "Junior" Potter (Hope) has graduated from Harvard and now heads west to the town of Sawbuck Pass to claim his Daddy's fortune. Driving into town in a jalopy and wearing a comical plaid suit, he splashes mud all over a crowd of townspeople. He also discovers to his horror that practically everyone in town claims to be owed a debt, and that his father's treasure chest is empty.
Junior stalls the townfolk for as long as he can, continually making allusions to his wealth. He makes the acquaintance of a singing cowboy named Roy (Rogers) and a sexy saloon performer with the masculine name of Mike (Russell), who has to fend off Junior's persistent advances. A grizzled local character also befriends Junior and continues offering him advice, eventually finding the hiding place of his father's hidden fortune. Meanwhile, a mysterious masked bandit known only as "The Torch" has been leading midnight raids.
What the wise-cracking, clueless Junior doesn't know is that the object of his affections, Mike, is in fact The Torch, and that Roy is a government agent with a Smith & Wesson Model 320 Revolving Rifle hidden in his guitar case, bent on capturing her.
Cast
- Bob Hope as Peter "Junior" Potter Jr.
- Jane Russell as Mike "The Torch" Delroy
- Roy Rogers as Roy Barton
- Trigger as Trigger, Roy Barton's Horse
- Bill Williams as Kirk
- Lloyd Corrigan as Doc Lovejoy
- Paul E. Burns as Ebenezer Hawkins
- Douglass Dumbrille as Sheriff McIntyre
- Harry von Zell as Mr. Stoner, the banker
- Iron Eyes Cody as Chief Yellow Cloud
- William 'Wee Willie' Davis as Blacksmith
- Charles Cooley as Charley
- Sylvia Lewis as Saloon Dancer
- Jean Willes as Penelope
Cecil B. DeMille had a cameo role as a photographer in the film
Production
The first choice Bob Hope wanted for the female lead was Maureen O'Hara but she turned the film down.[2]
Reception
The film was the third most popular movie at the British box office in 1952.[3]
References
- ^ "Top Box-Office Hits of 1952", Variety, January 7, 1953.
- ^ http://www.users.qwest.net/~aknot/chathighlights.htm
- ^ "COMEDIAN TOPS FILM POLL". The Sunday Herald (Sydney, NSW : 1949 - 1953). Sydney, NSW: National Library of Australia. 28 December 1952. p. 4. Retrieved 9 July 2012.
