Another western parody film from Bob Hope along the lines of the two "Paleface" movies where knowledge is the key of various references made throughout the film. Bob Hope repeats some old jokes that he's done several times, particularly the visual gag with the hat after he takes a strong drink. it's basically the same stick he's been doing since the late thirties, and while some of it is funny, a lot of it is truly dated. However, he has a pretty leading lady in the red-headed Rhonda Fleming, a nice substitute for Dorothy Lamour and Jane Russell.

The plot line has him as an insurance salesman from New York who allegedly sells a policy to Jesse James (Wendell Corey) and must follow him back to the west to make sure that he is not captured or killed. But in spite of Jessie pretending that they are friends, the notorious bandit plots to use Hope in a scheme to get the insurance money about to be returned to him after Hope's boss fires him. This leads to a very funny chase sequence in the conclusion that is filled with cameos and a lot of surprises. A character actress named Mary Young is adorable playing Jessie's seemingly sweet gun-toting mother.

If you are a fan of TV and B westerns of the 1940's and 50's, the cameos of many of the surprise guest will be a delightful addition to your enjoyment of this mixed bag. However, you will have to look sharp to confirm who is who and probably refer to the cast list just to be sure. A few guests were edited out but there's still plenty of surprises when this gun battle happens. Some of the jokes of course do not transfer past references of the day, and that only slightly dates this film. It can get corny in spots and often a bit tedious, but in spite of how self-serving Hope seems to be at times, there is an innocence about this film that makes it refreshing in many ways.

This is one of Bob Hope's films before his movies really went downhill in quality in the 1960s. And, like his better films this is a period piece--his last one, in fact. Now I am not saying it's a great film but it is amusing and features a truly wonderful final climactic scene that makes the film worth seeing--but I'll say no more about this because it would ruin it.

The film begins with Hope working for an insurance company but it's hard to understand why his poor boss (Will Wright) keeps him on the payroll. He hasn't sold a single policy and the closest he came to it was a guy who died before they could complete the required physical! In fact, after further screw ups, Wright has finally had enough and tells him to get lost. Soon afterwords, Hope meets up with a stranger (Wendell Corey--in an odd bit of casting) who buys a huge policy. Wright is so happy he rehires Hope. Unfortunately, it soon becomes apparent the new policy holder is Jesse James and Wright is worried this policy will bankrupt them, as EVERYONE seems to want James dead! So, he sends Hope out west--to find Jesse and stay with him to prevent an early demise or give him a refund and cancel the policy. Along the way, Hope has various cute encounters with tough guys and Rhonda Fleming. I don't want to say more, but this mildly amusing farce works up to a wonderful finale and was a was worth my time. Not a great film but pretty good.

The Bob Hope movies I liked best were the ones that were a mixture of mirth and murder (CAT AND THE CANARY, THE GHOST BREAKERS),where he played the cowardly hero who gets the girl in the final reel. His westerns were fun too, films like THE PALEFACE or SON OF PALEFACE. It's good to report that ALIAS JESSE JAMES fits the standard for his western spoofs, all done up in fancy Technicolor and given a good cast.

The comic set-up has him selling a life insurance policy to Jesse James (WENDELL COREY) and then told by his bosses that he must go out west and get the policy back at all costs--even if it means his own life, since the policy is worth $100,000. BOB HOPE, of course, takes the assignment and gets mixed up with the James brothers (brother Frank James is played by JIM DAVIS). Not only is he surrounded by a gun-toting gang but he falls in love with Jesse's girl (RHONDA FLEMING),who is fed up with Jesse and ready for a new beau.

The laughs are steady as Hope fumbles his way through one laughable but impossibly silly situation after another, ready with the one-liners and getting the most out of a zany script. A chase toward the end is full of sight gags that work and the final shootout shows him shooting at the town villains while others do the actual killing shots--including GARY COOPER, JAMES ARNESS, WARD BOND, ROY ROGERS, GAIL DAVIS and, no surprise, BING CROSBY.

It's a lightweight romp for Hope and Fleming, with WENDELL COREY surprisingly good as Jesse James and MARY YOUNG doing a nice job as his gun-toting ma.

Briskly directed by Norman Z. McLeod, it's simple minded fun played in broad farcical style by a pleasant cast and one of Hope's better films during the '50s.