Blu ray Review: Alias Jesse James (1959)

Kino Lorber continues to release great Bob Hope comedies with Alias Jesse James, one of the comedian’s best.

Too many who remember Bob Hope at all will generally recall his lackluster Christmas specials that became more regimented, and dull, as he aged (Bob lived to be 100 and continued to churn these out annually into his 90s). His film career is his true legacy and how this great comedian should be represented. From around 1940-1955, Hope appeared in some timeless comedies, including the Road pictures with Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour, and such classics as My Favorite Blonde, My Favorite Brunette, Paleface, and Son of Paleface, all of which are available on blu ray from Kino Lorber.

Things got spotty after 1955, with occasional gems like Alias Jesse James; a western spoof like Paleface, which was one of his best films. It can perhaps be argued that Alias Jesse James is the last top-drawer Bob Hope comedy (The Facts of Life, an exceptional film with Lucille Ball the following year, was decidedly a more dramatic story).

The plot has Bob as an insurance salesman who foolishly sells a policy to outlaw Jesse James (Wendell Corey). The insurance company then instructs Bob to travel out west and protect their investment, so cowardly Bob must protect rugged Jesse James.

The film is a delight, with Rhonda Fleming co-starring, along with such welcome western movie veterans as Jim Davis, Gloria Talbott, Will Wright, Jack Lambert, and Glenn Strange rounding out the cast. And, one major highlight, several noted westerns stars like Gary Cooper, Roy Rogers, James Arness, and Ward Bond appear in cameos during a gunfight scene. This was during a period when westerns were very popular at the movies and on television, so these cameos had quite an impact.

Alias Jesse James is one of Bob Hope’s best movies of the 1950s, even though his projects got a bit lackluster after a dramatic turn in The Seven Little Foys (1955). Even another dramatic shot, as Mayor Jimmy Walker in Beau James (1957), was not quite as good as Bob’s past work. Alias Jesse James, however, is among his funniest comedies and the Kino Lorber blu ray is highly recommended.

The blu ray can be ordered here: ALIAS JESSE JAMES