Alias Jesse James (1959)

This movie begins with an incompetent insurance agent named "Milford Farnsworth" (Bob Hope) accidentally selling a life insurance policy to the notorious outlaw "Jesse James" (Wendell Corey) who just happens to be visiting New York. Needless to say, with so many people gunning for this particular outlaw his boss is not very happy with this transaction. Because of that he immediately sends Milford on the next train back west to find Jesse and refund the money in exchange for the policy he issued to him. Failing that, he is given instructions to keep Jesse alive as long as possible so the insurance company doesn't have to pay anything. To that end, Milford assumes the identity of Jesse to confuse everybody—and that suits the outlaw just fine. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was an okay comedy which suffered a couple of misfires here and there but essentially made up for it with the presence of Rhonda Fleming (as Jesse's girlfriend "Cora Lee Collins") who was absolutely stunning. In any case, while this it's certainly not a hilarious movie it was good enough for the time spent and I have rated it accordingly. Average.

Just watched this Bob Hope comedy on Netflix streaming. He plays Milford Farnsworth, a failed insurance salesman who has one last chance before he's fired. So he ends up in a western town that resides one Jesse James (Wendell Corey). Guess who Milford ends up selling his insurance to? There's also a lovely lass named Cora Lee Collins (Rhonda Fleming) in tow. I'll stop there and just say that I liked many of the wisecracks that Hope did but what I really found funny was some of the visual gags like Hope's hat changing shape when drinking whiskey, him accidentally using a rattlesnake to beat a ferocious creature, or seeing a brawl in slow motion after Bob spiked a punch with mushrooms (that last bit was a big surprise to me since I thought drug humor didn't appear in mainstream movies until the late '60s). There were also some amusing cameos of mostly western TV stars at the end though one of those was actually of a well-known co-star of Bob's that I won't dare reveal here if you don't know what I'm talking about. Oh, and one more thing, the reason I watched this now was because I have been reviewing many movies and TV episodes of the stars of the original "Dallas" in chronological order since mid-June when the new version premiered on TNT. So when I found out Jim Davis appeared here as Jesse's brother Frank, I had to check this out. He has a funny scene with Hope when they're playing cards. So on that note, I recommend Alias Jesse James.

Bob Hope is an incompetent life insurance salesman who finally sells a policy - to Jesse James! Understandably, his boss wants Mr. Hope to return the $100,000 to the outlaw; if necessary, Hope is ordered to die on the job. Hope, calling himself an "eligible bachelor", wishes that he had Jessie's girl - the pretty Rhonda Fleming, who sings. Wendell Corey plays the straight man Jesse James. Hope loses his shirt in a card game. "Alias Jesse James" is a one-joke comedy with a cute ending - it features a slew of western star cameos; they help Hope and Fleming in a shootout. Bing Crosby says, "This fella needs all the help he can get." **** Alias Jesse James (3/20/59) Norman Z. McLeod ~ Bob Hope, Rhonda Fleming, Wendell Corey

This is a treat for those of us who enjoy side-splitting slapstick without being silly. Bob Hope has been an all-time favorite of mine and in this film he really knows how to get the laughs. He plays an insurance salesman who sells a life insurance policy to Jesse James (played by Wendell Corey) and falls for Jesse's saloon-singer/girlfriend (played by the lovely Rhonda Fleming). It has so many sight gags that it has to be viewed all the way through to really enjoy them. And the cameos by all the western stars during the shootout - what a great idea! Even the kids will get a kick out of this one. My 15-year-old even loved it, considering the junk that's called entertainment today for their age group. Get the family, get some popcorn, gather 'round the set, you baby boomers, and enjoy some great comedy.