Movielogr

Rating: 6 stars

Tags

insurance gunfighter criminal old west outlaw train robbery shootout screwball comedy

All movies seen on 02/08/2025

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Alias Jesse James (1959)

Directed by Norman Z. McLeod

Western | Comedy

Overview

Insurance salesman Milford Farnsworth sells a man a life policy only to discover that the man in question is the outlaw Jesse James. Milford is sent to buy back the policy, but is robbed by Jesse. And when Jesse learns that Milford’s boss is on the way out with more cash, he plans to rob him too and have Milford get killed in the robbery while dressed as Jesse, and collect on the policy.

Rated NR | Length 92 minutes

Actors

Bob Hope | Rhonda Fleming | Wendell Corey | Gloria Talbott | Jim Davis | Will Wright | Mary Young | Mickey Finn | Bob Gunderson | Fred Kohler Jr. | Ethan Laidlaw | Glenn Strange | James Arness | Oliver Blake | Ward Bond | Wally Brown | James Burke | Iron Eyes Cody | Gary Cooper | Bing Crosby | Scatman Crothers | Gail Davis | Sayre Dearing | Chuck Hamilton | J. Anthony Hughes | I. Stanford Jolley | Ray Jones | Jack Lambert | Lyle Latell | Wilbur Mack | Mike Mahoney | Mike Mazurki | Sid Melton | Hugh O'Brian | Nestor Paiva | Fess Parker | Emory Parnell | Roy Rogers | Michael Ross | Cosmo Sardo | Jay Silverheels | George E. Stone | Jack Tornek | Trigger | Harry Tyler | Sailor Vincent | Joseph Vitale | Richard Alexander

Viewing History (seen 1 time)

Viewing Notes

Is this the first western comedy? Perhaps not but it definitely is an early example of one. Now I’m curious.

This is exactly what you’d expect from a Bob Hope led comedy about an insurance agent following Jesse James around so he doesn’t get killed and the insurance company won’t have a huge payout.

The best sequence is the finale when over a dozen western movie stars make cameo appearances during a shootout.

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