The Over-the-Hill Gang

"The Over the Hill Gang" is a comedy Western movie made for TV that features five old time actors whose careers were mostly known for the Westerns they were in. Much of the time, their roles were at least partly comical. They have nearly 1,000 movie and TV show credits between them.

The most prominent of the bunch is Walter Brennan who won three Academy Awards as best supporting actor. Those were all in the 1930s, and only one was for a Western. But Westerns would dominate his career form then on. Perhaps the most familiar of the bunch to American movie fans who grew up since the mid-20th century is Andy Devine, with his very distinctive voice. He's not one of the former rangers, but is a good-hearted stooge of a judge whom the crooked mayor appointed. Edgar Buchanan and Chill Wills are the second and third members of the Over the Hill Gang in this film. Rounding out the list of old-time actors is Jack Elam, who often played bad man roles, many of them comical. Here he is the mayor's self-appointed sheriff.

At the helm of the retired rangers is Pat O'Brien, who adds 150 film and TV credits to the list. Although known mostly for drama and crime films, O'Brien did appear in a Western or two. Here he is the former captain of the Texas Rangers. He calls his former officers - the over the hill gang, back into volunteer action to help stop the crooked mayor from getting re-elected. O'Brien is Capt. Oren Hayes and his son-in-law is running against the mayor.

All of the characters are good. When they find out that they aren't quite as fast or sharp as they were in their prime, they resort to their wits and clever schemes of the past to win the day. O'Brien doesn't quite seem to fit in, but Jack Elam shows a wonderful flair for comedy. Here are a couple of lines from this film.

Mayor Lundy, "But he starts to smear you with the truth - he is deadly."

Nash Crawford, "No ranger retires perpendicular."

This film essentially begins with a retired Texas Ranger by the name of "Captain Oren Hayes" (Pat O'Brien) traveling to Nevada to see his daughter "Hannah Rose" (Kristin Harmon) and her husband "Jeff Rose" (Ricky Nelson). When he gets there, he discovers that his son-in-law is running for town mayor but is being bullied by the incumbent who has the backing of a heavy-handed sheriff named "Clyde Barnes" (Jack Elam) and a corrupt judge by the name of "Amos Polk" (Andy Devine). So, after sizing up the situation, Captain Hayes decides to call upon his old colleagues to help out. What he doesn't realize, however, is just how much they've aged since their days of glory. Now, rather than reveal any more, I will just say that this was a cute little comedy which utilized a number of prominent actors who have long since passed their prime with Walter Brennan (as "Nash Crawford") and Chill Wills ("Gentleman George Askew") standing out the most, in my opinion. Be that as it may, I think that those viewers who are looking for a decent Western comedy could certainly do a lot worse, and I have rated it accordingly. Slightly above average.

There aren't any surprises, but it's great to have Brennan, Wills, Andy Devine, Buchanon, etc go around the track one more time. Familiar character actors-Bert Mustin, R. Karnes and Harry Swogart(played a bartender on Big Valley, Bonanza, etc 48 times) just add to the nostalgia. Ditto Jack Elam too. Odd to see Rick Nelson in such a bland role, though.

**1/2 outta ****, for the nostalgia.

We've got the classic western theme. A crooked mayor rules a town by fear with his crooked sheriff and crooked judge. When the young newspaper owner (Ricky Nelson with his real-life wife) runs against him, he doesn't stand a chance.

When his father-in-law (Pat O'Brien), a retired Texas Ranger comes for a visit, he decides to do something about it, but soon learns he'll need help .... so he calls in his old Ranger troop, in the names of Walter Brennan, Chill Wills, and Edgar Buchannan (Uncle Joe on Petticoat Junction). THEY ALL soon learn they're not up to the task, and so they have to change tactics to outwitting the bad guys.

It's a pleasure to see these fine actors on screen together, and on the other side we have Andy Devine and Jack Elam. And we see a young William Smith near the end as a bad guy. Look up William Smith ... the guy had an impressive life!

What a nostalgic collection of old-time character actors, from Walter Brennen to Chill Wills to Andy Devine, et al. And since when do geezers headline a flick like they do here. Surely not in typical Hollywood, which here it ain't.

Seems a crooked mayor (Andrews) and his gang of toughs in the Old West want to eliminate his promising young competitor (Nelson) in the next election. So the handwriting is on the wall, except a retired old Texas Ranger (O'Brien) sends for his elderly Ranger mates, and maybe together they can free the town. But can they, especially when it's ugly Jack Elam heading up the much younger town toughs. Well, if the geezers can't outdraw them, maybe they can outwit them.

The movie's real appeal is with a nostalgic look at some great old-time supporting players. The plot is a clever one, but the chuckles are few and limited to the geezers. Plus, the storyline often doesn't blend well with the humor. Then too, dropping in a malt shop idol like Ricky Nelson and his Gidget-like wife doesn't help, but does add young folks for marquee purposes. Mostly, the twosome just stand around looking pretty. But catch that lingering final shot that serves as an iconic epitaph to those outstanding careers. Maybe it does lack an expected sunset. Still, the wordless scene remains a fitting way to memorialize a great bunch of old time movie vets.