''The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again'' is a 1979 American

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film directed by

Vincent McEveety Vincent Michael McEveety (August 10, 1929 – May 19, 2018) was an American film and television director and producer. Career Vince McEveety directed numerous Emmy Award-winning television series, including ''The Untouchables'', '' Gunsmoke ...

. Produced by

Walt Disney Productions The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October 1 ...

, it is a

sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...

to '' The Apple Dumpling Gang'' (1975), starring the comedy duo of

Tim Conway Thomas Daniel "Tim" Conway (December 15, 1933 – May 14, 2019) was an American actor, comedian, writer, and director. From 1966 to 2012 he appeared in more than 100 TV shows, TV series and films. Among his more notable roles, he portrayed the ...

and

Don Knotts Jesse Donald Knotts (July 21, 1924February 24, 2006) was an American actor and comedian. He is widely known for his role as Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife on '' The Andy Griffith Show'', a 1960s sitcom for which he earned five Emmy Awards. He als ...

reprising their respective roles as Amos and Theodore. The film also stars

Tim Matheson Tim Matheson (born Timothy Lewis Matthieson; December 31, 1947) is an American actor and director. Some of his best-known acting roles include the title character of the 1960s animated '' Jonny Quest'' TV series, Eric "Otter" Stratton in the 19 ...

Harry Morgan Harry Morgan (born Harry Bratsberg; April 10, 1915 – December 7, 2011) was an American actor and director whose television and film career spanned six decades. Morgan's major roles included Pete Porter in both ''December Bride'' (1954–1959 ...

, and Kenneth Mars.

Plot

Amos Tucker (Conway) and Theodore Ogelvie (Knotts), a pair of bumbling holdup men now going straight, arrive in the "boom town" of Junction City to start anew. But the duo end up causing havoc while getting cheated out of their money by two bank robbers named Wes Hardin (Osmond) and Hank Starrett (Gehring). Things worsen when Amos and Theodore end up suspected of the robbery and on the run from the town's feared lawman Marshal Woolly Bill Hitchcock (Mars), who developed a personal vendetta toward Amos and Theodore after they accidentally humiliated and injured him on two occasions. To escape Hitchcock's vengeance, Amos and Theodore ditch their donkey Clarise, as she was used by the robbers, and enlist in the

United States Cavalry The United States Cavalry, or U.S. Cavalry, was the designation of the mounted force of the United States Army by an act of Congress on 3 August 1861.Price (1883) p. 103, 104 This act converted the U.S. Army's two regiments of dragoons, one ...

Fort Concho Fort Concho is a former United States Army installation and National Historic Landmark District located in San Angelo, Texas. It was established in November 1867 at the confluence of the North and South Concho Rivers, on the routes of the Butt ...

. But the duo's bunglings and a run-in with a now insane marshal, who found them by following Clarise, result in the fort being burned to the ground. The following day, the fort commander Major Gaskill (Morgan) is relieved of his position while Amos and Theodore are placed in a military jail. But the "jail" turns out to be a cover for a robber baron named "Big Mac" (Jack Elam) who proceeds to recruit Amos and Theodore for an upcoming train robbery. Still determined to go straight, the boys attempt to extricate themselves from the situation by warning the local sheriff. The sheriff not available, they are told to visit the saloon as there is a visiting U.S. Marshall. After dressing up as bar-room dance girls to hide themselves from Big Mac's gang, having another encounter with Hitchcock, and making a trade for blankets to hide themselves, Amos and Theodore accidentally end up on the train Big Mac is targeting. With the help of Jeff Reed (Matheson), an army intelligence officer who posed as an enlisted soldier to uncover a conspiracy of military robberies, and Major Gaskill's daughter Millie (Davalos), they arrest the robbers and their inside man Lt. Jim Ravencroft ( Robert Pine). Soon after being given pardons, Amos and Theodore decide to resume working at Russell Donovan's farm.

Cast

as Amos Tucker *

as Theodore Ogelvie *

as Pvt. Jeff Reed * Kenneth Mars as Marshal Woolly Bill Hitchcock *

Elyssa Davalos Elyssa Davalos (born May 30, 1959, in Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California) is a former American television and movie actress. Her father was actor Richard Davalos and her sister is musician Dominique Davalos. She is the mother of actress Ale ...

as Miss Millie Gaskill *

Jack Elam William Scott "Jack" Elam (November 13, 1920 – October 20, 2003) was an American film and television actor best known for his numerous roles as villains in Western films and, later in his career, comedies (sometimes spoofing his villaino ...

as Big Mac * Robert Pine as Lt. Jim Ravencroft *

as Maj. Gaskill (Millie's father) *

Ruth Buzzi Ruth Ann Buzzi ( ; born July 24, 1936) is an American actress, comedian, and singer. She has appeared on stage, in films, and on television. She is best known for her performances on the comedy-variety show '' Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' from 196 ...

as Old Tough Kate, aka 'Granny' *

Audrey Totter Audrey Mary Totter (December 20, 1917 – December 12, 2013) was an American radio, film, and television actress and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract player in the 1940s. Early life Audrey – some sources indicate "Audra" – Totter w ...

as Martha Osten (Blind Cabin Widow) * Richard X. Slattery as Sgt. Slaughter (chief soldier) * John Crawford as Sherick * Ralph Manza as Little Guy * Cliff Osmond as Wes Hardin (Bank robber) *

Ted Gehring Theodore Edwin Gehring Jr. (April 6, 1929 – September 28, 2000) was an American film and television actor. He is known for playing the recurring role as "Charlie" on 16 episodes of the American sitcom television series ''Alice''. Life and car ...

as Hank Starrett (Bank robber) * Robert Totten as Blainey * James Almanzar as Lennie *

Shug Fisher Shug Fisher (born George Clinton Fisher Jr.; September 26, 1907 – March 16, 1984) was an American character actor, singer, songwriter, musician, and comedian. During his 50-year entertainment career, he performed in many Western films, oft ...

as Bartender * Rex Holman as Reno

Production

Parts of the film were shot at Kanab movie fort and Kanab Creek in

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...

. The railroad scenes were filmed on the

Sierra Railroad The Sierra Railroad Corporation is a privately owned common carrier. Its Sierra Northern Railway freight division handles all freight operations for all branches owned by the Sierra Railroad. The company's Mendocino Railway group operates th ...

Tuolumne County, California Tuolumne County (), officially the County of Tuolumne, is a county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 55,620. The county seat and only incorporated city is Sonora. Tuolumne County comprises ...

Reception

Vincent Canby Vincent Canby (July 27, 1924 – October 15, 2000) was an American film and theatre critic who served as the chief film critic for ''The New York Times'' from 1969 until the early 1990s, then its chief theatre critic from 1994 until his death in ...

of ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' thought that Kenneth Mars was "very funny" and that Harry Morgan "has some nice moments" as well. ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' wrote that the film "lurches from one set piece to another, in a fashion that makes its 88-minute running time seem much longer. Conway and Knotts have perfected their bumbling routines to a very minor art form, but principal laughs are supplied by drunk jokes, and character names such as Jack Elam's Big Mac. When hamburger trademarks become chief yock-suppliers, time has come to look elsewhere". Kevin Thomas of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'' called the film "delightful" with "much humor and action. Indeed, it's more inventive — and eventful — than the more sophisticated comedy-western ' Butch and Sundance: The Early Days'". Gary Arnold of ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'' dismissed it as "the latest uninspired attempt at juvenile comedy from the Disney studio".Arnold, Gary (July 18, 1979). "Bumbling 'Dumpling'". ''

''. E6.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again, The 1979 films 1970s children's comedy films 1970s Western (genre) comedy films American children's comedy films Walt Disney Pictures films American Western (genre) comedy films American sequel films Films directed by Vincent McEveety Films scored by Paul Smith (film and television composer) Films scored by Buddy Baker (composer) Films produced by Ron W. Miller 1979 comedy films Films shot in Utah 1970s English-language films 1970s American films