The Paleface (1948)

Another film that I principally watched to mark another Oscar winning song off my list, in this case "Buttons and Bows" by Livingston and Evans. 'The Paleface' was (according to the text based special features on this old school DVD) the biggest box office hit of star Bob Hope's career. It spawned a sequel four years later 'Son of Paleface', as well as a remake starting Don Knotts, 'The Shakiest Gun in the West' which I had previously seen so their weren't a lot of surprises in this for me, though I'd say this is the better version of the story. Said story is about a bumbling frontier dentist, who is seduced into acting as cover by a female sharpshooter serving as a secret government agent to rout out gun runners to the Indians. Here the agent is played by Jane Russell, and for most viewers this movie served as their introduction to her, for while she starred in Howard Hughes notorious western 'The Outlaw' back in 1943, that movie received only spotty release at first because of censorship issues, her next movie 'Young Widow' (1946) Bombed at the box office. The next 10 years or so would be the high point of Russell's carrier, she wouldn't have much of one after that, at least not in film. 'The Paleface' is a fun movie, but very much one of its time, the Indian humor is pretty dated, at best, but Hope rings all the humor he can from his part and Russell would have been quite the novelty at the time. Likable. ***