ridiculous rating

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Jesse W. Haywood (Don Knotts) graduates from dental school in Philadelphia in 1870 and goes west "to fight oral ignorance." Meanwhile stagecoach robber Penelope "Bad Penny" Cushing (Barbara Rhoades) is offered a pardon if she will track down a ring of gun smugglers.Don Knotts fans will enjoy this one, as it fits right in line with his regular comedy style (more like "Andy Griffith" or "Frame a Figg" and less like "Private Eyes"). There is plenty of physical comedy, especially early on, and if you like a bit of slapstick, this is for you.By today's standards, the film may be considered questionable because of its portrayal of Native Americans. I am not one to be politically correct, but did find the scenes with them to be rather dated. Not offensive, but not really positive either. But I will not dwell on this.Definitely one of Knotts' better films, and a good deal funnier than "Mr. Limpet".

I know it's a remake of Paleface, which I also enjoyed, but I liked "Shakiest.." better. It was...dare I say it?...cute. Don Knotts' patented nervous Nelly riff was great. Nobody does it better than he did. Barbara Rhodes was beautiful, sexy, and fiery, much more so than Jane Russell. This is no slam against Ms. Russell. Ms. Russell had a smoldering sensuality few actresses even today could match. And I loved the subtle gender role reversal at the end. Few actors other than Don Knotts could have pulled it off without seeming weird or gay. Not that there is anything wrong with being gay, mind you! I am just saying is all.

This is one of the most surprising films I have recently seen. I first saw it as a kid and liked it. However, I saw it again recently after one of my students brought it in and asked if his 8th grade history class could watch it. Well, I figured the movie had nothing to do with the class so I made some excuses not to use it. Later in the year, we had a day just before the break and once again he asked if the class could watch it. Well, we were about to do a small unit on the real West, so I reluctantly agreed. The film turned out to be pretty helpful in discussing Hollywood myths about the old West (as it had a few like most Westerns) but I was also VERY surprised to see how much 8th graders today liked the film. This actually says something, because normally these kids would never watch an "ancient" film like this--choosing instead to watch only the latest releases. But the film held their attention and I heard a lot of laughs. It's actually better than I remembered and is far better than a lot of Don Knotts' other films (such as THE INCREDIBLE MR. LIMPET or THE APPLE DUMPLING GANG--yuck).

I love this movie. It is hilarious. Don Knotts proves once again why he was so beloved by audiences, especially children. His winning, comedic character is so sweetly vulnerable. He is a great example to today's comedians, who rely on vulgarities and smart-Alec comments to "entertain" audiences. There are many wonderful supporting players on hand, such as Carl Ballantine, Pat Morita and Donald "Red" Barry. And of course the lovely Barbara Rhoades. Seeing this film as a little boy in the theatre, I thought there was no lovelier creature on the planet-- especially in that green velvet dress!I hope this commentary is more helpful than the inane, pseudo-intellectual ramblings of the previous comment, which, if it was not made in jest, should have been-- there is no other excuse for it. At least we both agree-- this is a terrific film!