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Did you hear the one about the rabbi and the bank robber in the Wild West? Chances are, probably not. The Frisco Kid didn’t exactly strike gold at the box office in 1979. But to Gene Wilder cognoscenti, this gefilte-fish-out-of-water buddy comedy is considered a minor gem. On a career roll after Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, and Silver Streak, Wilder was paired with Harrison Ford, a rising star then, and a busy one at that. Wilder portrays Avram Belinski, a devout and sweet-natured Polish rabbi dispatched to a congregation in 1850s San Francisco. Soon after landing in America, the trusting soul is robbed and left stranded in the desert, where Ford’s affable bank robber, Tom Lillard, comes to his rescue. They’re not exactly Black Bart and the Waco Kid from Blazing Saddles, but they do make for an entertainingly odd couple as they encounter Indians, monks, and the desperadoes who previously robbed Avram. Handling the reins is Robert Aldrich, director of the hard-boiled Kiss Me Deadly, The Dirty Dozen, and The Longest Yard, which may explain why The Frisco Kid is all over the map with its unwieldy blend of slapstick, pathos, and traditional western action and drama. Gratuitous profanity also mars what could have been a more family friendly romp. Of course, you don’t have to be Jewish to appreciate The Frisco Kid, but it certainly helps. At one point, a posse is hot on Avram and Tom’s trail, but because it is the Sabbath, Avram refuses to ride his horse before sundown. “Why is this Saturday different from other Saturdays?” Avram asks, which will be a riot to anyone who has ever attended a Passover seder (or then again, maybe not). Donald Liebenson

All Movie Guide

Robert Aldrich returns to the western-spoof genre he'd previously explored in Four for Texas with The Frisco Kid. Gene Wilder plays Polish rabbi Avram Belinsky, who intends to set up a congregation in San Francisco. Eminently unsuited for life in the Old West, poor Avram is victimized by everyone with whom he comes in contact. Salvation arrives in the unlikely form of taciturn bank robber Tommy (Harrison Ford). Incredibly, Tommy takes a liking to the feckless Avram, and together the two men embark on a series of seriocomic adventures. Hal Erickson

Product Details

• UPC: 012569734036
• Source: WARNER HOME VIDEO
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital Mono
• Language: English, Français
• Subtitles: English, Français, Español
• Time: 1:59:00
• Sales Rank: 2,386

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