the audience applauded

Good concept, poorly executed.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

No stranger to comedy Westerns, Bob Hope's film with Roy Rogers in the early Fifties ("Son of Paleface") is better regarded than this one, but "Alias Jesse James" has it's share of laughs and offers a terrific punch at the finale. Hope's character is a hapless insurance salesman who's latest client is the notorious outlaw, who figures on cashing in by having his alter-ego Martin Farnsworth (Hope) replace him in a pine box.In hindsight I guess one could question the choice of Wendell Corey to portray Jesse James, since he doesn't have any significant Western movie or TV screen credits. By contrast, Jim Davis starred as Matt Clark, Railroad Detective in the early Western TV series "Stories of the Century", and also appeared in a passel of movie Westerns. Corey did portray Frank James in 1951's "The Great Missouri Raid", so maybe flip-flopping their roles here might have made more sense, but Corey did a pretty good job anyway.As saloon gal and Jesse's fiancé Cora Lee Collins, Rhonda Fleming seemed to get prettier throughout the picture, but falling for Hope's Farnsworth character seemed a bit of a stretch for me. But let's face it, it would have meant a one way ticket out of the Dirty Dog saloon, so I guess you can't blame her.Say, did you catch the bit with Milford Farnsworth's horse pushing him along to his showdown with Snake Brice? Back in 1952's "Son of Paleface", Bob Hope was upstaged by Roy Rogers' horse Trigger in a bedroom scene that was just hilarious. You read that right, but I won't give it away here, you'll just have to look it up yourself.Getting back to my earlier tease - the final shoot out with Farnsworth and Jesse's gang was a veritable trip down memory lane for long time Western fans. Making cameos in order of appearance were Wyatt Earp (Hugh O'Brian), Major Seth Adams (Ward Bond), Marshal Matt Dillon (James Arness), Roy Rogers, Davy Crockett (Fess Parker), Annie Oakley (Gail Davis), Gary Cooper, and Tonto (Jay Silverheels). Each one shot a bad guy, only to be upstaged by the Bingster who told the viewer Hope could use all the help he could get. Actually, I think he got it.

This film is utterly ridiculous. Where to begin… Bob Hope plays an inept life insurance salesman who sells a $10,000 policy to a mysterious stranger. He then finds out the stranger is none other than the notorious outlaw Jesse James, whom Hope must go out west to protect or his insurance company will go bankrupt (you'd think there'd be an easier solution…). The absurdity does not stop there. This film offers a unique depiction of Jesse James as a mild-mannered, community-oriented insurance fraud. For some reason, a helpful Indian princess shows up along the way. Preposterousness aside, I had fun watching this film. The plot is really just an excuse for Bob Hope to entertain by feigning courage before comically sinking back into cowardice. While I mainly enjoyed Alias Jesse James as a Bob Hope fan, the film also benefits from Rhonda Fleming as Hope's genuinely lovely love interest, and western fans should get a kick out of the ending. I would advise those who are not yet Bob Hope fans to see Road to Morocco or another one of his more well-known films first – you've really got to be a fan of Bob Hope and of corny screwball comedies to enjoy Alias Jesse James.

I think the kids might enjoy this more than adults. The situations are amusing -- imagine Bob Hope as Jesse James' bodyguard in Missouri -- but they're kind of slow, a little drawn out, funny in a sitcom way. The punch lines are followed by rather long silences while the audience is supposed to be laughing. The kids might be laughing but the grown-ups, I suspect, are no more than smiling. I'm not a curmudgeon either. I laughed along with my twelve-year-old at some of Hope's earlier Western comedies, like "Fancy Pants." The usual wisecracks are muted. Slightly off kilter. And I didn't notice any playing with the fourth wall, usually a refreshing surprise. Hope is funny enough as his usual quivering coward, but I miss the fast pacing of his 1940s comedies and the easy exchange of barbs between him and Bing Crosby in the Road movies.Maybe I AM an old curmudgeon.

Bob Hope is an incompetent life insurance salesman who finally sells a policy - to Jesse James! Understandably, his boss wants Mr. Hope to return the $100,000 to the outlaw; if necessary, Hope is ordered to die on the job. Hope, calling himself an "eligible bachelor", wishes that he had Jessie's girl - the pretty Rhonda Fleming, who sings. Wendell Corey plays the straight man Jesse James. Hope loses his shirt in a card game. "Alias Jesse James" is a one-joke comedy with a cute ending - it features a slew of western star cameos; they help Hope and Fleming in a shootout. Bing Crosby says, "This fella needs all the help he can get." **** Alias Jesse James (3/20/59) Norman Z. McLeod ~ Bob Hope, Rhonda Fleming, Wendell Corey