Pardners (1956)

Director:

Norman Taurog

Writers:

Sidney Sheldon (screenplay)
Jerry Davis (story)

Release Date:

1 August 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Western

Tagline:

DEAN MARTIN AND JERRY LEWIS SHOOT THE WORKS with LAUGHTER...and bullets, ballads and beauties!

Plot:

A rich momma's boy returns west with the son of his murdered father's partner to foil a gang trying to gain control of his family ranch.

Plot Keywords:

Momma's Boy | Mortgage | Beautiful Woman | Lariat | Ranch Foreman

Cast

Dean Martin	...	Slim Mosely Jr. / Slim Mosely Sr.
Jerry Lewis	...	Wade Kingsley Jr. / Wade Kingsley Sr.
Lori Nelson	...	Carol Kingsley
Jeff Morrow	...	Pete Rio
Jackie Loughery	...	Dolly Riley
John Baragrey	...	Dan Hollis / Sam Hollis
Agnes Moorehead	...	Mrs. Matilda Kingsley
Lon Chaney Jr.	...	Whitey
Milton Frome	...	Hawkins, the Butler
Richard Aherne	...	Chauffeur
Lee Van Cleef	...	Gus
Stuart Randall	...	Carol's cowhand
Scott Douglas	...	Salvin
Jack Elam	...	Pete
Bob Steele	...	Shorty

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Perspecta Sound encoding) (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Australia:G | Norway:12 | USA:Approved (PCA #17982) | UK:U | West Germany:12 (nf) | France:U | Canada:F (Ontario) | Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Iverson Ranch, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

York Pictures Corporation

Goofs:

Continuity: Towards the end of the movie, the gun on the right side that Dean pulls out to shoot the "THE END" sign falls out as he and Jerry fall off the wagon, and magically Dean has his gun again.

Quotes:

Wade Kingsley Jr.: Well, I tell you what we could do. We could first ...
Slim Mosely Jr.: There's no "we!" There's "me" and there's "you," and "you" I don't want to see anymore!
Wade Kingsley Jr.: Yeah, but I thought maybe even ...
Slim Mosely Jr.: Don't "thought!" It's over! Good-bye and good luck!
[walks away]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Martin and Lewis (2002) (TV)

Soundtrack:

The Wind! The Wind!

outdated, but OK for the kids

The plot is quite simple: Dean Martin is the rodeo riding, singing cowboy, and foreman of a ranch. Jerry Lewis is a rich kid who wants to become a real cowboy, and hence he becomes the clumsy (unwanted) sidekick of Dean Martin. Oh, and for good measure there's some bad guys trying to take over the ranch, as well...

If you expect "Cat Balou", don't watch this. This is no comedy for adults, as its slapstick humour is horrendously outdated, and the set-pieces are all too cliched. This movie is fun for kids, because it is so naive and harmless, and the violence is never serious. Also, the characters are just as simple as Stan and Ollie, just as loveable if you're a kid.

As adult, I'd recommend to grab a "Cat Balou" tape instead, for a good classic western comedy.