William Haines plays Windy, a sideshow trickster who cons a group of cowboys out of $200. They threaten to string him up, but foreman Buck Rankin notes that’s no way to make their money back.
Instead, they take him back to the Rankin ranch, figuring he can work out what he owes. They’ll simply collect his wages.
Windy, obviously, is no cowboy. Sent out to milk, he can’t tell the bulls from the cows. Sent to the stables as the delivery man, he dons his best clothes, not realizing he’ll be hauling manure.
But the worse the cowboys treat Windy, the more sympathy he attracts from pretty ranch owner Molly Rankin (Leila Hyams). She sends him on an errand — to deliver $800 of her money to the local bank — knowing he’ll be tempted to make off with the dough. When he returns, albeit a little late, he wins her heart.
Later, he saves her after she’s been bitten by a snake. The cowboys head off after him, thinking he’s kidnapped their boss. A few antics later, the happy couple is reunited.
Review:
One of the first spoof Westerns of the sound era, this is funny in spots, but obviously played better with filmgoers of the era. Haines was reportedly the top-earning male star the year this film was released.
According to multiple sources, he was also one of the most openly gay actors in Hollywood. He’d leave films four years later and became a successful interior decorator. One of his first clients was Leila Hyams, his pretty blonde co-star in this film.
He was also longtime friends with Polly Moran, who plays the cowboys’ housekeeper. Cliff Edwards turns in a fine comedic peformance as the one cowpoke Haines can fool almost every time. Ralph Bushman plays Steve, a cowboy who’d like to rope Molly in marriage.
Directed by:
Fred Niblo
Cast:
William Haines … Windy
Leila Hyams … Molly Rankin
Polly Moran … Pansy
Cliff Edwards … Trilby
Ralph Bushman … Steve
Charles Middleton … Buck Rankin
Vera Marshe … La Belle Rosa
Jack Pennick … Pete
Buddy Roosevelt … Tex
Jay Wilsey … Hank
Runtime: 71 min.
Memorable lines:
Windy, introducing a pretty blonde dancer: “She’s too hot to handle with bare hands and it’s against the law for her to sleep in a frame building.”
Cowpoke, when Windy shows up with a pail of milk: “It was the first time I ever met the cow and, naturally, she was a little backward about it.”
Windy to Molly: “I’m the wildest pansy you’ll ever pick.”
Pansy, after Windy has dressed up like a cowpoke and the other cowpokes have given him the job of scrubbing the floor: “You can use your spurs to get the dirt out of the corners.”
Buck Rankin to Windy: “If I catch you within 10 feet of Molly again, I’ll make some alterations on you that won’t come under the heading of improvements.”
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