John Chard
February 19, 2017
8
The Rumpo Kid and the parody supreme.
When Judge Burke sends for help to rid Stodge City of The Rumpo Kid and his gang of trouble makers, he's delighted to hear that he is being sent a trained Marshall. Trouble is is that it's Marshall P. Knutt, a trained sanitary engineer.
In 1964 the "Carry On" team has ventured into their first parody of the movies with Carry On Cleo. A huge success, and arguably the best film of the lot to many fans, it prompted the Thomas/Rogers/Rothwell team to believe that movie pastiche's was the way forward for the franchise. Enter Carry On Cowboy a year later. With a knowing of the genre and all its conventions, screenwriter Talbot Rothwell produced one of the better parodies to have ever been made. The stock cartoon fervour and cheeky asides still exist, but Carry On Cowboy is a more leaner, even darker "Carry On" than any of the others film's in the series. In its own right, with out the "Carry On" name attached, it's a fine comedy, with dashes of violence and even a revenge thread running thru it (courtesy of the gorgeous Angela Douglas as Annie Oakley). It's also one of the few film's in the series to demand a bit more from its actors outside of guffaw jinx and innuendos. Sid James, Kenneth Williams and Joan Sims rise to the challenge, happy in the knowledge that Jim Dale and Charles Hawtrey were there to grab (and get) the laughs. 8/10
When the legendary "Rumpo Kid" (Sid James) rides into the peaceful, tee-total town of Stodge City (population 201-204, depending), he shatters that tranquility despite the protestations of the local judge "Burke" (Kenneth Williams). Pretty soon, whisky is flowing, he is running/milking the town and has also befriended the glamorous "Bella" (Joan Sims) who is the star turn at the hotel. Desperate, the judge asks the governor to send them a sheriff with backbone, and by return they mistakenly get the sanitary consultant "Knutt" (Jim Dale) who is to law and order what an one armed man might be to juggling! Luckily, he has the feisty "Annie Oakley" (Angela Douglas) to assist him and soon, well - think OK Corral - sort of! It's not much good this. Maybe because the American accents are all over the place, or because the story is really thin and I'm afraid that I just found the antics-style comedy from Dale a bit repetitive and dull. Charles Hawtrey's efforts as "Big Chief Heap" don't fare a great deal better, and this seemed like a far longer than ninety minute watch. Not sure it'd be at the top of John Wayne's list - it isn't at the top of mine, either.
