The Over-the-Hill Gang (1969)

Too much of everything

Nice effects though.

Good concept, poorly executed.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

"If your gray, we pay." That must have been the casting call for this TV movie, the "Cocoon" of its day minus the aliens. Actors who looked old in the 1930's, some probably presumed dead, all doing their best to show they still got it. The gathering of western veterans sharing the leading roles (split into quarters) makes this a curiosity from the start. Three time Oscar winner Walter Brennan, grizzled TV uncle Edgar Buchanan, old mule Chill Wills and the plain spoken Pat O'Brien are the four, going up against hot aired Edward Andrews to replace him as mayor with young Rick Nelson. But with squeaky voiced judge Andy Devine and sheriff Jack Elam in Andrews' crooked pocket, it seems unlikely that this odd foursome can get any support, that is until Andrews goes too far with the supporters he has.With John Carradine and Boris Karloff apparently the only available senior actors not cast, this is filled with nostalgia, coming out at a time when TV audiences definitely needed it. Hatchet faced veteran nosy neighbor Almira Sessions, the eternally old coot Burt Mustin and campy strip teaser Gypsy Rose Lee are other veterans cast in juicy supporting roles. Lee, decked out in pettycoats, lace and feathers, is a campy hoot. Each of the veterans gets a moment to show what they do best,and for that reason alone, this is a must for fans of classic Hollywood. The story is far from complex, the humor moderate and the plot revelation predictable. A sequel would increase the gang with a still dancing Fred Astaire, making me wonder if this was ever thought of as a weekly series.

I do love both of the Over-The-Hill Gang movies mainly because you will never get a chance to see so many scene stealing character actors in one film no matter how hard you look. All these familiar faces, familiar in mostly westerns. I'm betting these guys didn't appear together for the most part before now because it was impossible to have had that much ham in any one film.Yet comedy director Jean Yarbrough took a chance. So did Walter Brennan who co-produced this along with Danny Thomas and Aaron Spelling. I guess Brennan was not afraid to show his acting chops against some of his fellow best scene stealers.Pat O'Brien is a former Texas Ranger captain who is retired and visiting his daughter and son-in-law, Kris and Ricky Nelson. Ricky is the editor of the town newspaper who's running for mayor against crooked Edward Andrews the incumbent. Andrews has sheriff Jack Elam and judge Andy Devine in his pocket and pretty well runs things in that Nevada town. After the sheriff and a few thug deputies beat up Ricky, O'Brien summons some of his most trusted former Rangers to action.The problem is that neither O'Brien nor his former company members have seen much action recently. The other Rangers are Brennan, Chill Wills, and Edgar Buchanan. Looking at the cast of this film, it's got to be one of the oldest aggregate casts ever assembled. And all of these guys stole more scenes from more stars than any other group you could put together. Gypsy Rose Lee is even on hand as a saloon owner and rival of Andrews who wants to see him put out of business because he gives honest folks like herself a bad name.This is a film to be treasured and savored by lovers of westerns and those who just love great character actors.

If you have a choice of watching only one Western and want to catch a corral full of great character actors of the genre, this would be a good choice. Not so much for the story, but just to get to see Walter Brennan, Edgar Buchanan, Chill Wills, and Andy Devine all in one picture, with a little help from Edward Andrews, Jack Elam and Myron Healey. It might be pretty close to one hundred percent accurate to say that one of these guys appeared in almost every Western made during the '50's and '60's. The puzzler is having Pat O'Brien in charge of the good guys; I can't recall a single other Western he might have appeared in. The other interesting casting decision places Mr. and Mrs. Rick Nelson at the center of the story, with Rick's character Jeff Rose challenging crooked Mayor Lundy (Andrews) in the upcoming election.The story winds up fairly predictable, made somewhat interesting by Nash Crawford's (Brennan) idea to pit the bad guys against each other via insinuation and innuendo. It was a little too convenient with Jack Elam's deputies knocking each other off, with Mayor Lundy and Tucker (Healey) skipping town when things got a bit heated. A little more thought could have gone into the story to come up with a more dramatic showdown between heroes and villains, but considering their ages, I'd say the good guys probably needed a pass just to finish the picture.Not a lot of substance here, but for a good old fashioned story one could do worse. It's got a pretty good balance of humor amid the skulduggery, and old time fans of TV and movie Westerns will get a kick out of seeing all the Rangers in one place at one time. Brazos!

A cast of grizzled veterans make this film a joy to watch, if you can get over the script, which falls weak in the midst of skillful actors. Still, 'The Over The Hill Gang' was well-casted by virtue of the fact that virtually all the stars were veterans of Westerns, and played their roles admirably.This movie is your typical victory for old folks. A band of retired Texas Rangers (the Law Enforcement Rangers, not the baseball team) are called into action by their old boss, Captain Oren Hayes (Pat O'Brien) after dubious town officials rough up his son (Ricky Nelson) and trash his newspaper business. When these three Rangers arrive in town to save the day, slow and well past their prime, they team up against a more powerful and energetic foe. Despite being out-numbered and out-hustled, TOTHG proves that (at least on TV) brains can win over brawn any time, and is always a crowd pleaser. If anything, it is a good family movie that teaches the values of courage in the face of adversity, and that good can overcome evil, no matter how young that evil is.If you'll notice, you will see some great individual performances. Chill Wills plays a boozing, poker-cheating Texan better than anyone. His facial expressions and his Texas drawl are a delight. Without a doubt, Edgar Buchannon had to be the best semi-blind man with a gun in Hollywood history. Andy Devine, playing a 'bad guy,' didn't even need a good script to be funny. Devine could read the Gettysburg Address and make even the most cantankerous cuss chuckle. And what else can you say about Walter Brennan? Like Chill Wills, Brennan is synonymous with Westerns, and proved that even when he played a straight-man, his part of the script didn't allow him to be so much funny as it did to make you feel good because he was just one of those 'good guys.' Still, it was Gypsy Rose Lee, playing a 'has been' show girl, who turned in the best acting performance.At the conclusion, the three Texas Rangers, who had not seen each other for many years until their reunion, split up and guided their mounts in different directions for the ride back home. Not knowing when they would 'ride again,' I must admit to shedding a tear or two as those three friends rode into the sunset. The soulful harmonica music completed the emotional scene.'The Over The Hill Gang' is a fun movie to watch. You won't find Oscar winning performances or dazzling special effects. But you'll feel good when it is over. And that's what it is all about, right?