Saturday, March 14, 2009

The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again (1979)

The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again

The first adventure in ‘The Apple Dumpling Gang’, saga had bumbling convicts Tim Conway and Don Knotts add goofy fun to the romantic family comedy starring Bill Bixby and Susan Clark. Romance was the center stage the first time around and in this second go-around it takes a back seat to the Jerry Lewis style mayhem that this two clowns reek throughout the picture.

The best thing about the romantic sub-story  this time around is actress Elyssa Davalos who plays Milly Gaskill. This woman is absolutely drop-dead beautiful. If she is standing under the mistletoe, you want to be there. The real crux of the this film though, is the wacky Disney comedy. Amos (Conway) and Theodore (Knotts),  try to go straight after a life of unsuccessful crime, but their inborn clumsiness and cluelessness manage to get them into one bad situation after another. They peeve off several people including big tough Marshal Woolly Bill Hitchcock, some Indians and tough western mob boss, Big Mac.

The best gag in the picture is where Theodore and Amos manage to burn down the army fort when all they were trying to do is peel potatoes and carry punch out for guests to drink.

The only complaint is that the movie ended without a final outrageous super-silly slapstick fiesta. But perhaps that is me a gluton for Slapstick Laughs. Their really is enough in here to satisfy kids of all ages. A worthy entry in the Classic Disney collection.

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