The Over-the-Hill Gang

• Directed by Jean Yarbrough
• October 7, 1969
• ABC

Four retired Texas Rangers clean up a corrupt town that the son-in-law of their leader is trying to get elected the mayor of.

The old man/group of old men proving that they have something left to offer the world and are as good as they once were (or even better) has been around for quite some time. Old gunfighters or old soldiers called back into action for one last adventure is nothing new. The genre has seen a bit of a revival lately with movies like The Expendables series and multiple Ron Perlman and Nic Cage movies. The latter two practically making a second career out of them. 

In a similar vein comes The Over-the-Hill Gang which is about a quartet of retired Texas Rangers that never really get called The Over-the-Hill Gang in this movie. They get back together to fight a distinctly rigged election with similar underhanded tactics. Not a bad idea and it certainly has its moments. There’s a certain level of charm when some of the actors are on screen but it is not perfect.

My first gripe with this is the head of the group Captain Oren Hayes (Pat O’Brien). He doesn’t look nearly as old as some of the other actors do and comes off as having a lot less to prove than their characters do. I’m not sure who I would’ve cast in the part but not him. I might’ve even included Andy Devine as one of the former Texas rangers. Maybe move Pat O’Brien to the part of corrupt judge Amos Polk that Andy Devine played. Aging character actors have never been out of stock in Hollywood since the first films.

Walter Brennan is former Ranger Nash Crawford. Maybe put him in charge. He was a colorful character actor and has that spark that makes him believable as a challenger to a younger foe. Chill Wills and Edgar Buchanan as Gentleman George Asque and Jason Fitch respectively round out the gang. Both add more color to their respective roles than O’Brien did his. Gentleman George is a gambler out of places to gamble because he is not good at cheating and Jason is a rascally charmer that looks like he never met a woman he could not woo. Don’t get me wrong. The Over-the-Hill Gang is a fun movie to watch. Casting in some respects was an issue.

Nothing much changes for the characters by the credits. Admittedly Hayes visiting his son-in-law Jeff and daughter Hannah (Ricky and Kristen Nelson) doesn’t need too much change for him to prove he still has it but Crawford is an old man who lives with his daughter and her two sons and she doesn’t quite believe everything he says. There is even a hint of doubt in his own mind. He needed to prove at least to himself that he was as big and tough as he had claimed to be.

Jason who now wears glasses and states that his other senses have been vastly improved to cover his failing eyes never really gets to prove that belief. Gentleman George is clearly feeling at the end of the line yet doesn’t get any kind of redemption or better path. The movie kind of ends down beat with three of them riding off their separate ways.

I guess to give a touch of older sex appeal we have saloon owner Cassie (Gypsy Rose Lee) that owns the only other saloon in town. She is against the mayor because his establishment is her direct competitor. That’s it. She was once a famous singer and might be flirty with the guys.

Edward Andrews as Mayor Nard Lundy was great casting. He was a prolific character actor and could add sinister even in comedy much like here. Paired with the equally talent Jack Elam as Sheriff Clyde Barnes you can believe both are a threat even though this is a lighter movie.

Unable to physically live up to their reputations, they resort to using their wits and this becomes one of those movies where the heroes start planting seeds of doubt and distrust amongst the bad guys. No moments of “we still got it!” There’s one genuinely bad ass moment missing for the cast. There is nothing here that shows that they can lay down the law when push comes to shove. They do show they’re smarter but not necessarily tougher than the other guys. It’s a bit of a cliché in movies like this but it’s a cliché that is almost a necessity.

The Over-the-Hill Gang is a comedy but it’s not a comedy with serious laughs. It’s more one that will make you smile with a little bit of silliness here and there. It is tame even by 1969 TV standards. It just needed some more overt humor or even slapstick. It just does not get very special.

The Over-the-Hill Gang is entertaining. Not great because it misses a few things it should do. This is more for a Western movie addict than it is the general moviegoer.