Larry Blyden is Rance McGrew, hero of a TV Western along the lines of "Wyatt Earp", "Gunsmoke," "Have Gun Will Travel," and a dozen other shows that were popular at the time. All of them had one thing in common. They didn't resemble in the slightest what we've now come to accept as the "real" Old West.
Blyden is the spoiled star, whining and complaining, calling for his stunt double, accidentally smashing furniture. The cast and crew bury their faces in their hands every time Blyden befouls a shot.
Then, quite suddenly, taking a swig of the ginger ale that passes for whiskey, the cast, crew, and equipment disappear and Blyden finds himself back in the future. He's surrounded now by authentic Westerners who are complete strangers. Instead of the scene in which Jesse James was being played by another actor, he faces the real Jesse James, who is masterful, burly, and ten feet tall. James, Billy the Kid, and the rest are irritated with the phony way their characters have been treated on the show and they've all chosen James to come down and straighten things out.
The situation has some comic potential but little of it is realized. For one thing, the "real" West looks very much like the "phony" West of the Rance McGrew show. The clothes are clean, the men are clean shaven, the actors hit their spots and speak their lines.
Larry Blyden gives a performance that's wimpy enough but not very funny. One can only imagine what Bob Hope would have done with a role like this -- or rather "did" with such a role in "Alias Jesse James." Finally, the script itself lacks much in the way of wit. I mean there aren't that many funny lines, either from Blyden or the rest of the cast.
Still, it's interesting to see how Blyden could confuse his persona with the character of Rance McGrew. The audience does the same thing. If an actor plays a hero often enough on the screen, he gets airports named after him, or he can be elected mayor, governor or even president. I don't believe we'll ever hear of a Bela Lugosi International Airport, not even in Transylvania.
Blyden is the spoiled star, whining and complaining, calling for his stunt double, accidentally smashing furniture. The cast and crew bury their faces in their hands every time Blyden befouls a shot.
Then, quite suddenly, taking a swig of the ginger ale that passes for whiskey, the cast, crew, and equipment disappear and Blyden finds himself back in the future. He's surrounded now by authentic Westerners who are complete strangers. Instead of the scene in which Jesse James was being played by another actor, he faces the real Jesse James, who is masterful, burly, and ten feet tall. James, Billy the Kid, and the rest are irritated with the phony way their characters have been treated on the show and they've all chosen James to come down and straighten things out.
The situation has some comic potential but little of it is realized. For one thing, the "real" West looks very much like the "phony" West of the Rance McGrew show. The clothes are clean, the men are clean shaven, the actors hit their spots and speak their lines.
Larry Blyden gives a performance that's wimpy enough but not very funny. One can only imagine what Bob Hope would have done with a role like this -- or rather "did" with such a role in "Alias Jesse James." Finally, the script itself lacks much in the way of wit. I mean there aren't that many funny lines, either from Blyden or the rest of the cast.
Still, it's interesting to see how Blyden could confuse his persona with the character of Rance McGrew. The audience does the same thing. If an actor plays a hero often enough on the screen, he gets airports named after him, or he can be elected mayor, governor or even president. I don't believe we'll ever hear of a Bela Lugosi International Airport, not even in Transylvania.