Buck Benny Rides Again (1940)

Director:

Mark Sandrich

Writers:

Edmund Beloin (writer)
William Morrow (writer)

Release Date:

31 May 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Musical | Western

Tagline:

"Imagine that tenderfoot on a horse! If Benny ever gets on a jackass, you wouldn't know who's riding who!" Fred Allen's Voice.

Plot:

Jack Benny (as himself) tries to make good his fictitious boasts about roughing it in Nevada, in a spoof of Western cliches.

Plot Keywords:

Dude Ranch | Actor Shares First Name With Character | Character Name In Title

Cast

Jack Benny	...	Jack Benny
Ellen Drew	...	Joan Cameron
Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson	...	Rochester Van Jones
Andy Devine	...	Andy Devine
Phil Harris	...	Phil Harris
Dennis Day	...	Dennis Day
Virginia Dale	...	Virginia Cameron
Lillian Cornell	...	Peggy Cameron
Theresa Harris	...	Josephine Templeton
Kay Linaker	...	Brenda Tracy
Ward Bond	...	Outlaw #1
Morris Ankrum	...	Outlaw #2 (as Morri Ankrum)
Charles Lane	...	Charlie Graham
James Burke	...	Angry Taxi driver
Merriel Abbott Dancers	...	Themselves

Runtime:

82 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Sweden:Btl | USA:Approved

Filming Locations:

Paramount Ranch - 2813 Cornell Road, Agoura, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Based on a series of sketches written for the Jack Benny radio program.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Don Wilson: And now ladies and gentlemen, we bring you that rugged hero of the great outdoors, that strong silent sphynx of the prairie, that man among men where men are men... Jack Benny in Buck Benny Rides Again!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Bugs Bunny Rides Again (1948)

Soundtrack:

MY KIND OF COUNTRY

Underated Film

What makes this film unique is it is one of only two that contained characters from the Benny Radio shows, bandleader Phil Harris, Eddie Rochester Anderson, Dennis Day, and voice cameos with Mary Livingstone and Fred Allen. The plot is a spoof of the radio Westerns of the day. If you are not familiar with Benny's career and the old radio shows you may miss much of the humor in this film. But it is still a fine film if you can find it. I was lucky to find it on Ebay as it is unavailable anywhere else. Ellen Drew is perfectly cast as the Dame who is the object of Benny's facination. Eddie Rochester Anderson sings MY, MY, in the film which became a huge international hit at the time. Benny's next film after this one was " Love Thy Neighbor " opposite Fred Allen, you must have both these films in your collection.