Of all of Bob Hope's films, this is among his best. In fact, the film was so well received when it debuted that the song "Buttons and Bows" went on to be a bit and a sequel came out four years later. In the sequel, of sorts, Jane Russell and Bob Hope return--but as different people (Hope plays the son of the man from this film). Why is this film so good? Well, part of it is that the music (which they seemed to always shove into 1940s comedies) isn't bad, the script quite good and the characters quite enjoyable.

The film begins with Calamity Jane (Jane Russell) being broken out of jail. However, this is no ordinary prison break--it was organized by the government because they wanted Jane to do some undercover work. But, they staged it so that her partners in crime wouldn't suspect she'd made a deal to help out in exchange for a pardon.

Soon after agreeing, she meets up with Bob Hope--who is a rather addled dentist. She pretends to fall in love with him and marries him to create a cover for herself--not because she has any interest in being married. And, considering that Hope is annoying and a wimp, you'd think he's realize he's being used. But, he's pretty dumb and has no idea his wife is a special agent or that they aren't making love. Every time she kisses him, she whomps him over the head--and he thinks she's so hot that is why he passes out! Eventually, the trail of the baddies leads to an Indian camp and Hope's prowess as an Indian fighter will lead to his dying a horrible death. That's because Jane has, on the sly, done all the trick shooting that everyone thinks Hope has been doing--and taking credit for throughout the film! Will they get out of it alive? Will love bloom for real? Will Bing Crosby make a cameo? Tune in to see.

Overall, while the film ain't exactly subtle, it's pleasant fun from start to finish. Nothing brilliant here, but it is quite good and the sequel is also quite nice as well--plus it co-stars Roy Rogers in addition to Hope and Russell.

It's never a good thing when I have to struggle to come up with a film review. I'm a pretty big fan of Bob Hope but this one left me a bit flat, perhaps because I watched it out of sequence with the follow up film "Son of Paleface" with Hope and Russell on hand once more, but as different characters. The sequel also featured my favorite movie cowboy Roy Rogers, along with Trigger giving a career performance that might have upstaged the nominal stars of the picture.

The team up of Hope and Russell seems like a natural but it wouldn't have hurt for Mariska Hargitay's mom to crack a smile every now and then. There's no pretense at all that this is a parody Western, so why not lighten up and have a little fun with it? Russell seemed to be taking this a lot more seriously than she needed to, and if I noticed it I think the director should have too.

Perhaps the biggest plus here is the film's vibrant Technicolor format, especially when it showcases the Indians in their brightly colored tribal gear. Hope's no slouch either in his gaudy Western outfit, which only goes to emphasize how out of place he is in the Old West scheme of things. Once again though, I'm of a mind that Russell's reputation is greater than the reality, and her full figured look isn't as exceptional as one might be led to believe. Nothing she wore in this picture managed to flatter, so if that's what you're expecting, you'll have to catch her in the sequel doing that sexy singing number at the Dirty Shame Saloon.

Bob Hope is in his element in this type of role, here he plays a dopey dentist named Painless Peter Potter, he is the kind of dentist that pulls the wrong teeth and gets high on his own laughing gas. Here he manages to get involved with Calamity Jane {a positively smouldering Jane Russell}and a caper set around rouge Cowboys selling guns and dynamite to the Indians. After mistakenly being taken for a hero after repelling an Indian attack and killing a number of them during said attack, we are taken on this delightful journey as Potter the coward transforms himself into a bravado gun slinger whilst not realising it's actually Calamity pulling his strings and shooting the pistols. It's a smashing comedy that perfectly showcases Hope's immeasurable talent for delivering one liners, in fact few comedians in history can deliver a quip better than Hope could. The chemistry between Russell and Hope is as sharp as the writing, and to cap it all off we get the delightful song Buttons & Bows to hum along to, smashing uplifting comedy, 8/10.