The Frisco Kid (1979)

Director:

Robert Aldrich

Writers:

Michael Elias (written by) &
Frank Shaw (written by)

Release Date:

13 July 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Western

Tagline:

The greatest cowboy ever to ride into the Wild West. From Poland.

Plot:

A Polish rabbi wanders through the Old West on his way to lead a synagogue in San Francisco. On the...

Plot Keywords:

Rabbi | Jewish | Wild West | Jewish Humor

Cast

Gene Wilder	...	Avram
Harrison Ford	...	Tommy
Ramon Bieri	...	Mr. Jones
Val Bisoglio	...	Chief Gray Cloud
George DiCenzo	...	Darryl Diggs (as George Ralph DiCenzo)
Leo Fuchs	...	Chief Rabbi
Penny Peyser	...	Rosalie
William Smith	...	Matt Diggs
Jack Somack	...	Samuel Bender
Beege Barkette	...	Sarah Mindl (as Beege Barkett)
Shay Duffin	...	O'Leary
Walter Janovitz	...	Old Amish Man (as Walter Janowitz)
Joe Kapp	...	Monterano
Clyde Kusatsu	...	Mr. Ping
Clifford A. Pellow	...	Mr. Daniels (as Cliff Pellow)
Allan Rich	...	Mr. Bialik
Henry Rowland	...	1st Farmer - Amish Man
Vincent Schiavelli	...	Brother Bruno
John Steadman	...	Booking Agent
Ian Wolfe	...	Father Joseph
Steffen Zacharias	...	Herschel Rosensheine
Eda Reiss Merin	...	Mrs. Bender
Kenny Selko	...	Little Boy
Warren Selko	...	Little Boy
John Bleifer	...	First Rabbi
Ben Kahlon	...	Rabbi
Michael Elias	...	Rabbi
Rolfe Sedan	...	Rabbi
Rusty Blitz	...	Rabbi
Sam Nudell	...	Rabbi
Gabriel Curtis	...	Rabbi
Larry Gelman	...	Rabbi
Zachary Berger	...	Rabbi
Martin Garner	...	Rabbi
Herbert Mitchel	...	Black Man
David Bradley	...	Julius Rosensheine
Richard Dunham	...	Second Farmer - Amish Man
Bret Briggs	...	Little Amish Boy
Brad Briggs	...	Little Amish Boy
Chip Frye	...	Teenage Boy
June Constable	...	Amish Wife
Jacques Hampton	...	Fisherman #1
Roy Kaye	...	Fisherman #2
Catherine Chase	...	Lady on Train
Linda Stearns	...	Mother
Heidi Stearns	...	Jane
Howard Gudmundson	...	Railroad Employee Applicant
Marty White	...	Railroad Employee Applicant
George Barrows	...	Ticket Purchaser
Gloria Hayes	...	Indian Maiden
Alex Romero	...	Wild Old Man
Robert Padilla	...	Medicine Man
Frank De Vol	...	Piano Player - Old Timer (as Frank DeVol)
Alvin Greenman	...	Wedding Guest
Joe Massengale	...	Cowboy #1
Richard Kennedy	...	Cowboy #2
Dick Dickinson	...	Cowboy #3
Allan Keller	...	Cowboy #4
Tom Lillard	...	Sheriff (as Tommy Lillard)
Karl Lukas	...	Bartender
Young Jue	...	Waiter
Christine Glazier	...	Dance Hall Girl
Hank Robinson	...	Croupier (as Henry F. Robinson)

Directed by
Robert Aldrich

Writing credits
Michael Elias		(written by) &
Frank Shaw		(written by)

Produced by
Mel Dellar	....	associate producer (as Melvin Dellar)
Hawk Koch	....	executive producer (as Howard W. Koch Jr.)
Mace Neufeld	....	producer

Original Music by
Frank De Vol

Cinematography by
Robert B. Hauser		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Jack Horger
Irving Rosenblum
Maury Winetrobe

Production Design by
Terence Marsh

Set Decoration by
Marvin March

Makeup Department
Giannina Bush	....	makeup artist
Leland V. Crawford	....	hair stylist (as Leland Crawford)
William Turner	....	makeup artist (as Bill Turner)

Production Management
Edward Teets	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Herb Adelman	....	dga trainee
Peter L. Bergquist	....	second assistant director (as Peter Bergquist)
Mel Dellar	....	assistant director

Art Department
Michael Casey	....	property man
Dale Covey	....	greensman (as Dale Covey Jr.)
Dave Newhouse	....	greensman: construction (as David Newhouse)
Joe Pearce	....	stand-by painter
Victor E. Petrotta Sr.	....	property master (as Victor Petrotta)
H. John Ramos	....	assistant property master
Ida Random	....	assistant art director
Josan F. Russo	....	assistant art director (as Josan Russo)
George Szeptycki	....	assistant art director (as J. George Szeptycki)
Hendrik Wynands	....	construction coordinator (as Hank Wynands)

Sound Department
Les Fresholtz	....	sound re-recording mixer
George Geren	....	cable person
Walter Goss	....	sound re-recording mixer
Art Jackson	....	playback operator
Joe Kenworthy	....	boom operator
Marvin I. Kosberg	....	looping editor
Arthur Piantadosi	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jack Solomon	....	sound mixer

Special Effects by
Henry Millar Jr.	....	special effects foreman
Kevin Pike	....	special effects

Stunts
Kim Burke	....	stunts
Mickey Gilbert	....	stunt coordinator
Bill Hart	....	stunts
Chuck Hayward	....	stunt coordinator
Bob Herron	....	stunts
Bob Terhune	....	stunts
Mickey Gilbert	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Billy Beaird	....	dolly grip (as Bill Beaird, Jr.)
Billy Beaird	....	key grip (as Bill Beaird)
Don Cady	....	electrical best boy
Robert E. Gaynor	....	dolly grip (as Robert Gaynor)
John Kiser	....	camera operator (as John F. Kiser)
Nick Kurges	....	grip
James LeBlanc	....	second assistant camera (as James Le Blanc)
Eugene Mendez	....	second company grip
Victor Nikaido	....	camera technician
Douglas Olivares	....	second assistant camera
Jack Shannon	....	still photographer
Duane Smith	....	electrical best boy
Michael St. Hilaire	....	camera operator (as Mike St. Hilaire)
Lynn Tomes	....	camera technician
Jack Wilson	....	gaffer

Casting Department
Steven R. Stevens	....	location casting (uncredited)
Jack N. Young	....	extras casting (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Violet N. Cane	....	costumer: women (as Violet Cane)
Dennis Fill	....	wardrobe supervisor
George L. Little	....	costume foreperson (as George Little)

Editorial Department
Dennis E. Lew	....	assistant editor
Saul Saladow	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Bob Alberti	....	orchestrator
Rabbi Baruch Cohon	....	composer: original chant (as Baruch Cohon)
Eugene Marks	....	music editor (as Gene Marks)
Albert Woodbury	....	orchestrator (as Al Woodbury)
Dan Wallin	....	score mixer (uncredited)

Other crew
George American Horse	....	technical advisor
Joan Bennett	....	secretary to director
Walter Blake	....	title designer: main titles
Kathy Day	....	secretary to producer
Glenn Dunn	....	craft service
Doris Grau	....	script supervisor
Alvin Greenman	....	dialogue supervisor
Meyer Heller	....	technical advisor (as Rabbi Meyer Heller)
Susan Hoffman	....	location auditor
Gordon Jones	....	representative: AHA
Richard Liebegott	....	production secretary
Susan Pile	....	unit publicist
Steven Robbins	....	technical advisor (as Rabbi Steven Robbins)
Alex Romero	....	choreographer
Rudy Ugland	....	ramrod
Jerry Young	....	wrangler

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1979) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Filmverleih (1979) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Burbank Studios, The  production services and equipment
• Creative Sound Studios  sound editing (as Creative Sound)
• International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)  this picture made under the jurisdiction of (as I.A.T.S.E.)

Also Known As:

No Knife (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

Yiddish | English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:12 (f) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Colorado, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

According to Gene Wilder's autobiography, John Wayne was offered the part that was eventually played by Harrison Ford. The Duke loved the role and was willing to star with Wilder. However an agent tried to offer Wayne less than his usual fee and the legendary actor turned the film down.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In Judaism, a person is not only allowed but required to break the Sabbath if a person's life will be in danger if they do not break it. When the posse is chasing Avram and Tommy, both their lives are in danger, and Avram would have had to have jumped on his horse until they were out of danger.

Quotes:

Chief Gray Cloud: [in reference to Avram's god] What does he do?
Avram: He... He can do anything!
Chief Gray Cloud: Then why can't he make rain?
Avram: Because he doesn't make rain. He gives us strength when we're suffering. He gives us compassion when all that we feel is hatred. He gives us courage when we're searching around blindly like little mice in the darkness... but He does not make rain!
[Thunder and lightning begin, followed by a downpour]
Avram: Of course... sometimes, just like that, he'll change His mind.

Soundtrack:

Waltz 'Gold and Silver'

The Rogue and the Rabbi -- An unforgettable gem of a film

This movie has withstood the test of time ... 25 years so far. At times it appears to contain obvious, silly and even base comedy. But that only mildly disguises the depth of humanity and profound philosophy that it successfully presents. Like other commentators, I consider this film to be one of my all-time favorites. Gene Wilder was at the peak of his career, having made a big splash in The Producers with Zero Mostel, and then going on to memorable performances in other Mel Brooks' classics: Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein. In fact, many people erroneously believe that The Frisco Kid is a Mel Brooks film. (Indeed the writers, Elias & Shaw, had several years earlier written a TV Pilot based on the Blazing Saddles plot, but it had failed.)

Though I am a big fan of Mel Brooks, I think that one reason this film succeeds so well is that Robert Aldrich directed it instead of Brooks. In other words, it is essentially a dramatic western that is filled to the brim with comedy -- instead of the other way around. Aldrich had previously directed serious epic westerns, and he became famous in the sixties for directing What Ever Happened to Baby Jane, Hush... Hush, Sweet Charlotte, The Flight of the Phoenix, and The Dirty Dozen. These films, as well as his classic The Longest Yard, showed how infusing humor into serious drama can make plots more interesting and characters more human and sympathetic.

Frank DeVol provided the music ... and you can see him in the part of the old time piano player. DeVol had provided music for a number of Aldrich films, including the five films mentioned in the previous paragraph. He was famous for his comic scores (e.g., Pillow Talk, Cat Ballou, and The Trouble with Angels) and his music for TV series (e.g., My Three Sons, The Brady Bunch, McCloud, and the Love Boat).

Another gem in this film is Harrison Ford -- in a role that seems so second-nature to him, but showcases his versatility. His character is not that much different from Hans Solo. (Star Wars appeared in 1977 and Empire Strikes Back appeared in 1980, while The Frisco Kid came out in 1979.) In fact, it seemed emblematic of the movies in the sixties and seventies that some of our big screen heroes were selfish rogues with a heart of gold. Think of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, which came out in 1969.

The executive producer was Hawk Koch, whose father, Howard W. Koch was a Hollywood icon, having produced scores of films, including The Manchurian Candidate and The Odd Couple. This was one of Hawk Koch's first jobs, and he has now been the executive producer of over twenty outstanding features, including Mike Myers' Wayne's World and -- another great comedy exploring religious belief -- Keeping the Faith, with Ben Stiller and Edward Norton.

Finally, because the DVD is not yet available, here's a gem that was not included in the IMDb Memorable Quotes section, though I have edited it to avoid giving too much away for those who haven't seen the film yet:

"Chief Gray Cloud: Yes or no, can your God make rain?"

"Avram: Yes."

"Chief Gray Cloud: But he doesn't?"

"Avram: That's right."

"Chief Gray Cloud: Why?"

"Avram: Because that's not his department!"

* * *

"Avram: ... He gives us strength when we're suffering! He gives us compassion when all that we feel is hatred! He gives us courage when we're searching around blindly like little mice in the darkness! ... "

HOW TRUE! Whether you identify with Gene Wilder's Rabbi or with Harrison Ford's Rogue, this film is filled with valuable lessons. The world is unpredictable. Sometimes we suffer. And sometimes we find strength, courage, compassion, ... and humor to deal with it all.