Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Son of Paleface Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf August 15, 2017

Reuniting with star Bob Hope after their work on “The Paleface” and “The Lemon Drop Kid,” director Frank Tashlin, a veteran of animated entertainment, goes full cartoon with 1952’s “Son of Paleface.” Technically, it’s a sequel, but Tashlin and Hope treat the production as their own rocket ride to the moon and back, going insanely broad to keep audience attention, staging a highly bizarre romp that’s truly unpredictable and utterly exhausting.

Hope plays Junior, a Harvard graduate (perhaps their oldest) riding into the tiny town of Sawbuck Pass to collect on his father’s fortune. When nothing of value is found, Junior becomes caught in the middle of debt collectors and the mysterious ways of The Torch, a masked bandit, also making enemies with cowboy Roy (Roy Rogers) and submitting to saloon singer Mike (Jane Russell). The production actually works relatively hard to come up with a plot for the star, gifting him plenty of adversaries and uncomfortable conflicts to wisecrack his way out of. When that fails, “Son of Paleface” cranks up silliness, which includes Looney Tunes-style special effects, and multiple scenes that pit Hope against Roy’s beloved horse, Trigger. The pair even end up in bed together.

Son of Paleface Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.34:1 aspect ratio) presentation, from what looks to be an older scan (slightly processed), provides a passable amount of detail on "Son of Paleface," including orate costuming. Sharpness isn't strong, but sets and locations retain distance, preserving background activity and decoration. Colors sustain their heightened appearance, with bright reds and blues, and western hues are equally appealing, along with greenery. Skintones are comfortable. Delineation is capable but not remarkable. Source is in fine shape, with no overt damage.

Son of Paleface Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix delivers a simple listening event, but a secure one. Musical moods are easy on the ears, with agreeable instrumentation and vocals, while scoring is more aggressive but enjoyable. Dialogue exchanges are clean, handling Hope's bang-boom comic timing and occasionally hushed one-liners, while the rest of the cast is clear. Sound effects are loud, including gunfire and pratfalls, but there are no distortive extremes.

Son of Paleface Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features filmmaker Greg Ford.

• "The Lady Said No" (8:15, HD) is a reconstruction of a once lost 1946 puppet short from director Frank Tashlin. Commentary is also provided by Ford.

• A Theatrical Trailer has not been included.

Son of Paleface Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Hope works overtime to sell everything in "Son of Paleface," and he's invested in the work, which is nice, but laughs are scarce, often overwhelmed by the tonal extremity. More appealing are the musical numbers, which allow the picture to relax, but those are few and far between, as most of "Son of Paleface" is engineered to be as big as possible, transforming the western into a circus.