Inept conman John Astin rides into a hard-luck town and is immediately arrested, mistaken for a notorious outlaw (Astin again), wanted on a whole slew of charges. This leaves his none-too-bright brother scrambling to find a way to spring him before he ends up getting hung.The idea of a wronged slickster seeking comedic revenge on a hick town that nearly did him in is a good one, but everything else about this unfunny western spoof is bad. There's hardly any laughs or action.Astin and Lee Meriwether, who plays the outlaw's estranged wife are game, but this rambling movie doesn't really give them a chance to shine.

Simplistically, this offbeat concoction may be described as a Western spoof but it is just too uneven to be truly successful as a comedy. This is perhaps explained by the fact that director Erdman was mostly a veteran character actor and only stepped behind the camera a handful of times. The opportunity allowed for fellow character actors to have a field-day can be, likewise, excused as it gives the proceedings a glorified home movie ambiance and does, on occasion, provide the viewers with flashes of amusement.Most prominent in the cast are TV stars John Astin (in a dual role, no less) and Lee Meriwether (as the embittered wife of Astin’s bandido character) but equally notable are Hollywood veterans Jesse White (as the Mayor of a sleepy Western hamlet with an unpronounceable name), Allyn Joslyn (as the Sheriff) and Hans Conried (in a very belated cameo as an oil tycoon); as was to be expected, director Erdman also contrived to give himself a small but fun role as a bemused Judge.The bulk of the narrative sees cardsharp Astin being mistaken for bandido Astin and cardsharp Astin’s no-good younger brother is more often a hindrance to his pleas of innocence than anything else. The incarcerated Astin’s eventual trial, then, requires his alter ego to dress up conspicuously as an old man but this middle section of the film is also where it really drags and sags badly. The film does get back into shape (relatively speaking) with the appearance of Conried and, especially, the climactic foulness contest – where participants of every size and shape are awarded for their prowess in belching, spitting and cussing (don’t ask) – which, for better or worse, only serves to reinforce my afore-mentioned claims of the film’s inherent “home movie” quality.

I first saw this movie when the local TV station was running a "World's Worst Movies Week", and this was one of the movies.Some people might say the movie is so bad, it's good.It's a comedy / spoof / parody, and some people don't care for movies like that.If you like movies like "Young Frankenstein", "Blazing Saddles", "Buckaroo Banzai", etc., you'll most likely enjoy this movie!I had always liked John Astin in the original "The Addams Family" TV series, and enjoyed him in this movie.It's been a number of years since I saw the movie, and I'd certainly enjoy seeing it again.

If there were no other single redeeming feature of the movie, John Astin's incredible diatribe reviling every obvious wart of the benighted little town of Molly-Be-Damn as it's known for a truly tortured pun on Molybdenum, would be worth the price of admission.There is a plot, but you don't need to worry about it. Go for Astin's bluster. He appears in a dual role and takes both completely over the top.If you can take a comedy-western on a fairly broad tack, this is a good one. Crank up the popcorn machine, set your brain on farce and relax. And memorize that cussing. Someday you'll need it.