Rabbi Avram Belinski (Gene Wilder) is sent from Poland to lead a congregation in San Francisco. When he arrives in Philadelphia, the naive Avram falls in with three con men who robs him and throws him off the wagon in Pennsylvania. He is hopelessly dependent on the kindness of strangers including a kind hearted robber Tommy Lillard (Harrison Ford) on his long road west.

I never even heard of this movie. I am glad that I caught it on TV. Wilder and Ford make an odd couple. That's the point here. Wilder brings a bit of his humor while Ford is Han Solo without Chewbacca. This a funny buddy comedy.

The running time of almost 2 hours is too long. It would be better to start the journey with Ford. That way they could build up the chemistry earlier. And they need more jokes. Gene Wilder's mannerism is great, but the movie should be more jam packed with jokes. It's hilarious when Harrison Ford starts yelling at Gene Wilder for not riding on Saturday. They make for a fun duo.

Whether or not this is supposed to be a comedy or a traditional western is difficult to decipher. Perhaps in somebody's mind the idea of a Western "Road" movie with a Polish Rabbi (Gene Wilder) and a bandit (Harrison Ford) seemed like a winner, but it unfortunately ends up being a western "Ishtar".

With the intention of getting to a synagogue in San Francisco with his promised bride to be waiting (he thinks),Rabbi Wilder (87th in the class of 88) heads across the Atlantic and is hoodwinked out of his cash and prized Torah on his way out of Pennsylvania. The thought of confusing Jewish culture with the Amish had crossed my mind as being somewhat humorous, but here, it is stupid and even rather offensive.

Then, Wilder combines traditional Jewish dances with those of Indians, and the result is tackier than a cauldron of beans being eaten around a camp fire. With only Wilder and Ford having any name recognition (only Ian Wolfe in a cameo as a monk is anybody familiar to veteran film goers),this is a lonely film for familiar faces.

Wilder's bushy hair and wild eyed features seem like he still had make-up on from the black-face sequence in "Silver Streak". At least he is innocent here of any creative input in the film, which was directed by Robert Aldrich, who may be a master of the macabre and melodrama, but someone who knew absolutely nothing about comedy.

Sort of playing off of his presence in "Blazing Saddles", Gene Wilder plays rabbi Avram Belinski, who leaves his seminary in 1850 Poland to marry a woman in San Francisco and start a synagogue there. But naturally, the American West holds more than a few surprises for him, namely train robber Tommy Lillard (Harrison Ford).

"The Frisco Kid" may not be the most famous movie, but it certainly has its merits. Wilder and Ford are quite a pairing, and the movie never drags. I think that I did once hear that some of the first cowboys may have been Jewish, but that's just a possibility. The point is that you're sure to like this movie.