"The Apple Dumpling Gang" Movie Review

-
"You know something, Amos?  The Lord poured your brains in with a teaspoon and somebody joggled His arm!" ~ Theodore 


Prepare yourself to completely LOSE IT laughing if you watch this movie.  This is one of those rollicking, feel-good old Westerns we all secretly love (well, some of us more secretly than others).  

Here's a synopsis of the movie taken from the back of the VHS:  "Head for cover!  Don Knotts and Tim Conway are Wild West outlaws who can't hit the broad side of a barn - but never miss when it comes to rounding up laughs!  The hilarity begins when a roving bachelor (Bill Bixby) inherits three young orphans and a wealth of problems.  When the youngsters stumble upon a huge golden nugget, they must fend off the greedy townspeople.  So the kids join forces with the bumbling outlaws to stage a robbery of the gold.  Little do they know a surly gang of sharpshooters plans to beat them to the draw!"  

This movie is a goldmine of comic genius.  My family and I just about die of laughter during some of the scenes.  Literally, we sometimes have trouble breathing (or at least, I do)!  

TADG also boasts some terrific characters:

Bill Bixby as Russell Donovan

While I can't say that Donovan is my favorite character (but, really, with Amos and Theodore, does anyone else even have a chance?), Bill Bixby's portrayal is great:  "Do you take her, Donovan?"  *awkward pause*  "Yes!"  ~  "Magnolia?!"  Donovan starts out as a selfish man with an unfortunate propensity to gamble and some roguish tendencies, but it's nice to see how he changes throughout the movie due to his relationship with the children and Dusty.  



Susan Clark as - ready for this? - Magnolia "Dusty" Clydesdale.  (Finding pictures of the characters is proving difficult.  I do apologize.)

Dusty's kind of awesome.  I'm just saying.  "Other than that, I got a free evenin'." ~ "Well, why didn't you say so in the first place?  And we could have avoided this little - misunderstanding."  And it's good of her to agree to *SPOILERS!* marry Donovan in order to be able to give the kids "a good home." *END OF SPOILERS*  So yeah.  I love Dusty.  (And may I say, the dress she wears at the end is most becoming.) 


Clay O'Brien, Brad Savage, and Stacy Manning as Bobby, Clovis, and Celia Bradley

The kids are adorable.  And it's really cool, because Celia looks almost exactly like an older version of this little girl I know;)  But it sometimes seems like the only reason they care about Donovan is because of the whole apple dumpling thing, which can get annoying.  "Mr. Donovan gives us all the apple dumplings we can eat!"  Great…so that's the only reason you want to stay with him?


Harry Morgan as Sheriff McCoy

Sheriff McCoy is great.  He's a no-nonsense, quick-thinking Wild West sheriff, and is therefore a great addition to the collection of characters.  "Dusty is a fine specimen of womanhood!  I seen her get caught in a cloudburst once, and I wanna tell you!" ~ "What would please this court is to see both of you run outta town on a rail!" ~ "They got married."  McCoy might be my second favorite character.


  
Don Knotts and Tim Conway as Theodore and Amos

And now we can get to the good stuff;D  Theodore and Amos totally MAKE this movie, and it'd be sort of pitiful without them.  The comedic genius of Don Knotts AND Tim Conway…*sigh.*  It makes for a grand smorgasbord of awesome, best demonstrated by this part: 


And this part:


Followed by this part:


And don't forget this part:


Mhmm=D


Also, some hilarious scenes with Dusty and Donovan:  "You tryin' to pass those kids off on me, mister - or ya workin' on somethin' else?"  And then, of course, the unforgettable "misunderstanding."




 On the whole, TADG is a rip-roaring bundle of sidesplitting, refreshingly clean hilarity that I heartily recommend.  Go watch it!:D












    

   
  


Comments

  1. Kirsten FichterMay 28, 2014 at 2:10 PM

    Ah!! I love this movie!! I haven't seen it in ages! Need to fix that... Marvelous review! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. OliviaMay 28, 2014 at 5:38 PM

    I love it too!:) Thanks for stopping by!

    ReplyDelete
  3. BrittaneyJanuary 4, 2018 at 10:37 AM

    I grew up on this movie and loved it but it's been a long time since I've seen it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OliviaJanuary 5, 2018 at 4:37 PM

      By all means re-watch it, Brittaney! It's still fantastic. :D Thanks for the comments!

      Delete

Post a Comment

Comments make my day. Seriously. I'd be so happy if you commented. :)

I've gotten really bad about replying in a timely manner, but it's always my intention to do so eventually. (Even though it doesn't always happen. ;))

Popular posts from this blog

Lark Rise to Candleford, Seasons 1-4 {review}

-
Image
Well, darlin's, here 't'is!  A review of the TV series Lark Rise to Candleford .   SO!  I finished the final season the other night, and am here to discuss my thoughts;)  (Spoilers will be sprinkled indiscriminately!  Read at your own risk;D) LRtC centers around young Laura Timmins, a girl from the wee hamlet of Lark Rise, who moves to the  more affluent town of Candleford to work in her aunt's (or was she just a cousin?) post office.  Miss Dorcas Lane is probably the wealthiest person in Candleford and holds a lot of sway with the townspeople.  With Laura's advent into Candleford, the two communities begin to be intertwined. The show's basic plots aren't my absolute favorites, but I love how relaxed the show is, and how marvelous the characters are.  (Because they just ARE.)  It's a cozy series, but at the same time there are moments of rather intense drama.   I'm not feeling extremely eloquent for reviewin...
Read more

Romeo and Juliet (2013) {review}

-
Image
[Note:  Keep in mind that this review is written from the perspective of someone who has never actually read Romeo and Juliet , m'kay?:)  Also, there'll be spoilers, because, I mean…all things considered, you probably know how it all ends.] I first became seriously interested in watching this movie a) because of the utter gorgeousness of all the stills I saw on the Internet, and b) because it has Hailee Steinfeld.  I'd only seen her in True Grit (2011), but, I thought, wouldn't it be cool to see her in a completely different role? So, yesterday, I watched it.  And…I'm not quite sure what I think of it. First things first.  This movie was beautiful .  It was one of those films where you think, "I want just about this entire movie in screencaps."  The cinematography was excellent.  The lighting, the camera angles, the costumes and sets …aaaaaaahhhhh. See what I mean?? Hailee Steinfeld was absolutely precious as Juliet Capul...
Read more

My Dream Cast for a Live-Action Remake of 'The Incredibles'

-
Image
Alas, no, I am aware of no immediate plans for Disney to produce a live-action version of The Incredibles .  But if such plans should ever materialize . . . have I got a cast ready for them or what. 😉 ⸻ Elastigirl / Helen Parr Emma Stone Emma would rock Helen's grit & sass like no other actress available today & I will not be accepting criticism of that statement at this time.  I would absolutely love to see her in this role.  She would crush it.  Mr. Incredible / Bob Parr Eric Allan Kramer I know he's a leetle too old now, especially as a partner for Stone, but he's the only person I've ever been able to envision as Bob.  (Except Alan Hale, Jr., but he's about six feet too old.)  So it is what it is, peeps.  Violet Parr Mackenzie Foy   I went back and forth on the casting for Violet.  I would also love to see what Millie Bobby Brown could do with the role, so it was difficult to decide.  In the end, I think Mackenzie Foy would ...
Read more