Information
| Year: | 1979 |
| Rating: | 6.1(3631) |
| Listed in: | Comedy, Western |
| Directed by: | Robert Aldrich |
| Actors: | Gene Wilder Harrison Ford Ramon Bieri Val Bisoglio George DiCenzo Leo Fuchs |
| "The greatest cowboy ever to ride into the Wild West. From Poland." | |
Cast
| Directed by | |
|---|---|
| Robert Aldrich | |
| Actors | |
| Gene Wilder | as Avram |
| Harrison Ford | as Tommy |
| Ramon Bieri | as Mr. Jones |
| Val Bisoglio | as Chief Gray Cloud |
| George DiCenzo | as Darryl Diggs |
| Leo Fuchs | as Chief Rabbi |
| William Smith | as Matt Diggs |
| Jack Somack | as Samuel Bender |
| Shay Duffin | as O'Leary |
| Walter Janovitz | as Old Amish Man |
| Joe Kapp | as Monterano |
| Clyde Kusatsu | as Mr. Ping |
| Clifford A. Pellow | as Mr. Daniels |
| Allan Rich | as Mr. Bialik |
| Henry Rowland | as 1st Farmer - Amish Man |
| Vincent Schiavelli | as Brother Bruno |
| John Steadman | as Booking Agent |
| Ian Wolfe | as Father Joseph |
| Steffen Zacharias | as Herschel Rosensheine |
| Kenny Selko | as Little Boy |
| Warren Selko | as Little Boy |
| John Bleifer | as First Rabbi |
| Ben Kahlon | as Rabbi |
| Michael Elias | as Rabbi |
| Rolfe Sedan | as Rabbi |
| Rusty Blitz | as Rabbi |
| Sam Nudell | as Rabbi |
| Gabriel Curtis | as Rabbi |
| Larry Gelman | as Rabbi |
| Zachary Berger | as Rabbi |
| Martin Garner | as Rabbi |
| Herbert Mitchel | as Black Man |
| David Bradley | as Julius Rosensheine |
| Richard Dunham | as Second Farmer - Amish Man |
| Bret Briggs | as Little Amish Boy |
| Brad Briggs | as Little Amish Boy |
| Chip Frye | as Teenage Boy |
| Jacques Hampton | as Fisherman #1 |
| Roy Kaye | as Fisherman #2 |
| Howard Gudmundson | as Railroad Employee Applicant |
| Marty White | as Railroad Employee Applicant |
| George Barrows | as Ticket Purchaser |
| Alex Romero | as Wild Old Man |
| Robert Padilla | as Medicine Man |
| Frank De Vol | as Piano Player - Old Timer |
| Alvin Greenman | as Wedding Guest |
| Joe Massengale | as Cowboy #1 |
| Richard Kennedy | as Cowboy #2 |
| Dick Dickinson | as Cowboy #3 |
| Allan Keller | as Cowboy #4 |
| Tom Lillard | as Sheriff |
| Karl Lukas | as Bartender |
| Young Jue | as Waiter |
| Hank Robinson | as Croupier |
| Actresses | |
| Penny Peyser | as Rosalie |
| Beege Barkette | as Sarah Mindl |
| Eda Reiss Merin | as Mrs. Bender |
| June Constable | as Amish Wife |
| Catherine Chase | as Lady on Train |
| Linda Stearns | as Mother |
| Heidi Stearns | as Jane |
| Gloria Hayes | as Indian Maiden |
| Christine Glazier | as Dance Hall Girl |
Movie info
| Languages: | Yiddish, English |
| Filming dates: | 30 October 1978 - 20 January 1979 |
| Gross: |
USA - 160,292 USD (15 July 1979) |
| Plot: | It's 1850 and newly-ordained orthodox rabbi Avram Belinski sets out on horseback from Philadelphia to San Francisco, knowing only that California's "somewhere near New York." Cowpoke bandit Tom Lillard hasn't seen a rabbi before. But he knows when one needs a heap of help. And getting this tenderfoot to Frisco in one piece is going to cause a heap of trouble -- with the law, Indians and a bunch of ruthless killers. |
View Online
Tags
| rabbi, jewish, wild-west, jewish-humor |
Original Soundtracks
|
"Beautiful Dreamer" Composed by Stephen Foster (as Stephen Collins Foster) "Camptown Races" Composed by Stephen Foster (as Stephen Collins Foster) "Waltz Gold and Silver'" Composed by 'Franz Lehár |
Goofs
|
DATE: In a conversation between Avram and Tommy there is a reference to the country of Czechoslovakia. The film is set in 1850 but Czechoslovakia was established in 1918 as a result of WW1. Continuity: Avram cocks his gun after tripping Matt Diggs during the gunfight in San Francisco but in the next shot, the hammer isn't pulled back. SYNC: When Avram's horse gets spooked by the rattlesnake, Avram begins yelling but his mouth doesn't move. DATE: The movie is set in 1850, and in the early scenes (probably in Pennsylvania with the Amish community) there are barbed wire fences lining the roads. Barbed wire wasn't invented until 1873 (earlier versions might have been available but were not mass produced and certainly not for that long of a stretch) and was intended mainly for the western United States, not the eastern half. GEOG: After reaching the Coast of California, Avram and Tommy must travel a day-and-a-half North to reach San Francisco. In one of the next scenes they are shown riding with the ocean on their right-hand side. That would have had them riding South. DATE: The movie takes place in 1850. Tommy Lillard holds up a Wells Fargo office in a frontier town; Wells Fargo wasn't founded until 1852. DATE: Several characters use the Colt Army .44 cal pistol. This wasn't developed until 1860. Also, during the final gun fight, Matt Diggs gives the rabbi a Remington New Model Army .44 cal pistol. This didn't come out until 1858. DATE: When the native Americans are manhandling Tommy at their village, one of the Indians is clearly wearing a gold wristwatch on an expanding metal strap. See it at 1:03:12 on the Region 1 DVD. Continuity: After he is first robbed, when Avram walks down the road picking up the things strewn from the wagon, the order he finds them does not match the (reverse) order as they were thrown. DATE: The road Avram is walking down at the beginning of the movie is clearly a modern gravel road for automobile traffic. DATE: At the beginning of the movie, set in 1850, the Chief Rabbi refers to Avram as a "shmendrick." This term originates in the operetta "Shmendrik, oder Die komishe Chaseneh" (1877) by Abraham Goldfaden. Revealing mistakes: When Avram and Tommy are "running" from the posse, Avram waits to get on the horse until the sun goes below the mountain, yet when the pair begins to ride away, they and their horses cast full shadows as if exposed to sunlight. CHAR: The Jewish Sabbath does not necessarily end when the sun goes down, but when it gets dark which could be up to an hour later. Also, an observant Jew would not be able to travel outside a city on Sabbath, even on foot, for more than 2,000 biblical "cubits" (~1,000 yards) from the place he was in when Sabbath began. Therefore, Avram would not have been willing to travel, leading his horse, on Sabbath. It is also forbidden to carry on the Sabbath in a public domain (such as a road), or to make one's animal carry. This is another reason why Avram would refuse to travel. Revealing mistakes: After the final gun fight scene, the rabbi drops three balls from the rear of Matt Diggs' pistol. With the 1860 Colt Army .44, the balls must be rammed into the front of the cylinder with the loading lever. They will not fall out. CHAR: In Judaism, a person is not only allowed but required to break the Sabbath if a person's life will be in danger if they do not break it. When the posse is chasing Avram and Tommy, both their lives are in danger, and Avram would have had to have jumped on his horse until they were out of danger. CHAR: Avraham is apparently an Orthodox Jew. In Jewish weddings, the bride doesn't kiss the groom publicly, and the bride wouldn't kiss any other men, even his friends. DATE: In the small town Avram & Tommy stop in when it's snowing, a woman is singing 'Beautiful Dreamer' in a bar. The song wasn't published until 1864, the year its author, Stephen Foster, died. |
Quotes
|
Avram: [Trying to catch a wild 'chicken'] Chicken, chicken, chicken! Chickie-chickie-chickie-chicken! Come here, [sing-songs] I don't want to hurt you, I just want to eat you. [repeats in Yiddish, 'chicken' flies away] Come here, wait! I don't want to hurt you! I just want to make you kosher! [Avram teaches some Indians how Jews dance] Avram: Watch that lady. I think she's a Jewish Indian. Avram: [voiceover] It says in the Torah to find thyself a teacher. This I have done. There were times, however, when I feared my teacher would find another student. [Tommy and Avram are being chased by a posse, but Avram won't ride on the sabbath] Tommy: You give me the pee-doodles! [to Tommy] Chief Gray Cloud: You, you have a big heart. Not so big as your mouth, but... Avram: I'm from Poland. Tommy: Is that near Pittsburgh? Avram: No, that's near Czechoslovakia. [Matt Diggs considers reaching for his gun] Tommy: Reach for it! PLEASE! Tommy: What do you call this part of the horse? Avram: The tuches! Tommy: Well, you just keep your eyes on this took-iss, and don't take them off 'till we get to San Francisco! Avram: ...In that case, would you like to fight for that last fish? Tommy: You think you got a chance? Avram: I think I can say with complete confidence... None, whatsoever; But I'm still hungry. Tommy: Help yourself. Chief Gray Cloud: [in reference to Avram's god] What does he do? Avram: He... He can do anything! Chief Gray Cloud: Then why can't he make rain? Avram: Because he doesn't make rain. He gives us strength when we're suffering. He gives us compassion when all that we feel is hatred. He gives us courage when we're searching around blindly like little mice in the darkness... but He does not make rain! [Thunder and lightning begin, followed by a downpour] Of course... sometimes, just like that, he'll change His mind. Avram: [Avram and Tommy are cuddled together under a blanket during the blizzard] We are doing this to keep warm, aren't we? Tommy: Uh-huh. Avram: In that case, you can put your arms around me. Tommy: Come here, darling. Avram: Would somebody please show this poor asshole the way out of town. |
Comments
No comments yet.
