Why did I like it?
It was fun.
It poked a finger at the movies of the 30's, 40's and 50's in a respectful way. Even Rex Allen Jr got to sing (along with Roy Rogers) at the end of the show, "The Last of the Silver Screen Cowboys". That melody still haunts me after many watching. Andy Griffith plays a bad guy, there is a loveable sidekick who is redeemed by the hero, Rex. The bad guy, Patrick Wayne, is a lawyer, and shoots Rex in the arm, not the hand. The villains routinely lose, again and again, and are just as bumbling as they need to be. Of course, there is the hero, Rex, with this unerring accuracy in a strong wind, from over 200 yards away who hits his targets and the villains miss, even though they have rifles with telescopic sights. The good guy, Rex, has no faults. He writes his mother faithfully, "Dear Mom. Send money. Love Rex." . He has flawless clothes which he irons as often as he needs. His only flaw is that he doesn't have a girlfriend. This conflict causes his inner doubt which almost is his downfall. But, in the end, his self image and heterosexuality are saved, and he rides off into the sunset with his sidekick. Rex Allen sings while the villains, some of which who died in the movie, all wave goodbye. A parody, no doubt, but what a great 90 minutes of entertainment!
I compiled a list of other 'not so great' movies that live in our memories. In no particular sequence, they are "Alias Jesse James", "Son of Paleface", "Paleface", "Blazing Saddles", "Trinity", "The Outlaw" with Arnold, "Support Your Local Sheriff", "Paint Your Wagon", "Ride'Em Cowboy" with Abbott and Costello, Jackie Chan in "Shanghai Noon", John Cleese in "Silverado", and the list can go on.
Each movie has scene stands out for one reason or another. Bob Hope does a great job in "Alias Jesse James "as an insurance agent looking for Jesse James to return a policy on his life. In the meanwhile, Bob stays with the James, and falls for Jesse's girl (not the song). But the bullets fly, and in the end, Tonto, Bing Crosby, Roy Rogers, Gail Davis, Daniel Boone, and other well know cowboys have a shot at the James gang. In the "Paleface" movies, Bob goes to the west to claim his inheritance and runs across problems. Mistaken for a gunfighter he flees rather than fights, and somehow bumbles his way to victory and love, Roy Rogers co-stars in "Son of Paleface" and the movie succeeds very well. Bob never was a cowboy, but he didn't have to be. The supporting casts made up for his shortcomings.
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