A weakly scripted, largely unfunny comedy-western intermittently helped by Gene Wilder's then-considerable charm. Wilder plays a Polish rabbi who is making his way through the Wild West to lead a congregation in San Francisco. Victimized by sharpers and almost killed by outlaws and
Indians, he's repeatedly rescued by a grim-faced gunman (Ford) who inexplicably adopts this wandering Jew. Aldrich's direction is heavy-handed, recalling his earlier, equally leaden comic western FOUR FOR TEXAS. The only pluses here are Marsh's superior production design and Hauser's inventive
cinematography.
Released:
1979
Rated:
PG
Length:
122 mins