Pardners (1956)

Director:

Norman Taurog

Writers:

Sidney Sheldon (screenplay)
Jerry Davis (story)
(more)

Release Date:

1 August 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Western

Plot:

A rich momma's boy returns west with the son of his murdered father's partner to foil a gang trying to gain control of his family ranch.

Plot Keywords:

Antique | Dynamite | Outlaw Gang | Butler | Mortgage

Cast

Dean Martin	...	Slim Mosely Jr. / Slim Mosely Sr.
Jerry Lewis	...	Wade Kingsley Jr. / Wade Kingsley Sr.
Lori Nelson	...	Carol Kingsley
Jeff Morrow	...	Pete Rio
Jackie Loughery	...	Dolly Riley
John Baragrey	...	Dan Hollis / Sam Hollis
Agnes Moorehead	...	Mrs. Matilda Kingsley
Lon Chaney Jr.	...	Whitey
Milton Frome	...	Hawkins, the Butler
Richard Aherne	...	Chauffeur
Lee Van Cleef	...	Gus
Stuart Randall	...	Carol's cowhand
Scott Douglas	...	Salvin
Jack Elam	...	Pete
Bob Steele	...	Shorty
Mickey Finn	...	Red
Douglas Spencer	...	Smith
Philip Tonge	...	Mr. Baxter, Footman
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Dorothy Abbott	...	Dance hall girl (uncredited)
Eric Alden	...	Carol's Cowhand (uncredited)
Valerie Allen	...	Dance hall girl (uncredited)
Bill Baldwin	...	Announcer (uncredited)
Bobby Barber	...	Townsperson (uncredited)
Emily Belser	...	Townsperson (uncredited)
Stanley Blystone	...	Townsperson (uncredited)
Robert Brubaker	...	Businessman (uncredited)
Frank Cordell	...	Townsperson (uncredited)
Dorothy Ford	...	Amanda Wentworth (uncredited)
William Forrest	...	Hocker (uncredited)
Robert Garvey	...	Townsperson (uncredited)
Gavin Gordon	...	Businessman (uncredited)
Joe Gray	...	Bit Role (uncredited)
Len Hendry	...	Western cowboy (uncredited)
Don House	...	Townsperson (uncredited)
Hank Mann	...	Townsperson (uncredited)
Ann McCrea	...	Dance hall girl (uncredited)
Frances Mercer	...	Sally (uncredited)
Tony Michael	...	Businessman (uncredited)
Matt Moore	...	Cowboy (uncredited)
Mary Newton	...	Laura (uncredited)
Emory Parnell	...	Col. Hart (uncredited)
James Parnell	...	Bank Teller (uncredited)
Elaine Riley	...	Dance hall girl (uncredited)
Charles Stevens	...	Indian (uncredited)
Johnstone White	...	Businessman (uncredited)
Keith Wilson	...	Townsperson (uncredited)

Directed by
Norman Taurog

Writing credits
Sidney Sheldon		(screenplay)
Jerry Davis		(story)
Mervin J. Houser		(story)

Produced by
Paul Jones	....	producer

Cinematography by
Daniel L. Fapp		(director of photography) (as Daniel Fapp)

Film Editing by
Archie Marshek

Art Direction by
Roland Anderson
Hal Pereira

Set Decoration by
Sam Comer
Ray Moyer

Costume Design by
Edith Head

Makeup Department
Wally Westmore	....	makeup supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Michael D. Moore	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Gene Garvin	....	sound recordist
Gene Merritt	....	sound recordist
Bill Wistrom	....	sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
John P. Fulton	....	special photographic effects

Stunts
Philip Crawford	....	stunts (uncredited)
Richard Farnsworth	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Farciot Edouart	....	process photographer
W. Wallace Kelley	....	photographer: second unit (as Wallace Kelley)

Editorial Department
Richard Mueller	....	color consultant: Technicolor

Music Department
Frank De Vol	....	conductor
Frank De Vol	....	music arranger
Norman Luboff	....	music arranger: vocal arrangements
Gerard Carbonara	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Frank De Vol	....	composer: incidental music (uncredited)
John Leipold	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Walter Scharf	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)
Victor Young	....	composer: stock music (uncredited)

Other crew
Nick Castle	....	choreographer
Jack Mintz	....	assistant to producer
Rodd Redwing	....	technical advisor

Production Companies

• York Pictures Corporation
• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1956) (USA) (theatrical)
• Paramount (1957) (West Germany) (theatrical)

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Perspecta Sound encoding) (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Canada:G (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Quebec) | USA:Approved (PCA #17982) | Canada:F (Ontario) | West Germany:12 (nf) | Australia:G | France:U | Norway:12 | UK:U | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Iverson Ranch, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

York Pictures Corporation

Goofs:

Anachronisms: As Dean rescues Jerry in the doorway of the train after it leaves New York, cars from the 1950s, not 1910, are visible in the rail yard in the stock footage background.

Quotes:

Slim Mosely Jr.: [waiting with Carol to meet Mrs. Kingsley] Oh, don't worry - I'll make a good impression.
Slim Mosely Jr.: [he sits on an old chair and in collapses just as Matilda comes into the room screaming in horror] My antique chair!
Slim Mosely Jr.: [relieved] Well, I'm glad it was only an old one.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Martin and Lewis (2002) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Pardners

Even Martin & Lewis had to go out west

Like every other comedy team, even the decidedly city-fied Martin & Lewis eventually had to put on chaps and kick up the sawdust. And like most of these mergers of western and comedy teams, it doesn't generate much entertainment. Also, it was nearly their last gasp as a partnership and the rot had set in. This is a mirthless comedy clumsily written and directed. Lewis is no longer the squawky scrawny mutant comic force from earlier---here he is chubby and annoying. Of course he plays the doofus, but magically and without cause, he becomes an adept fighter in the final fight scene. That's an example of the clumsiness of this film. Martin goes through the motions looking seriously bored. Lon Chaney Jr. is wasted---in fact he's almost an extra. Lee Van Cleef is also in the cast, but he gets only a few unimportant lines. The ending tag of the film has Martin & Lewis speaking directly to the audience---pleading with their fans to keep coming to their movies (obviously the world knowing at the time that the pair were practically falling apart). No matter: They only made one more movie after this junk, the equally second-rate 'Hollywood or Bust' (in which Martin no longer looks bored but actually angry).