John Anderson has come up with a great idea in The Great Train Robbery. He has
a bank in the town of Friendly, Texas that caters to bank robbers who want to hide their loot. People like the James Brothers, the Daltons, the Youngers all
swear by him and it's a pretty secure facility. In effect Anderson has invented
money laundering.
The big gangs avoid this place especially since Claude Akins gang is responsible
for security. But a Mexican gang headed by father and son Akim Tamiroff and
Larry Storch want to take it down.
And also there's a gang of confidence men disguised as clergy people and Zero
Mostel heads it as the new town preacher. Other members are Peter Whitney,
John Fiedler, Sam Jaffe, and Kim Novak. They've got a rather involved scheme
to rob this place.
Before there was Blazing Saddles there was The Great Bank Robbery. Maybe
this could have used the touch of Mel Brooks, but it's funny enough for me.
Best scene for me is Kim Novak exposed to peyote and then treating Texas
Ranger Clint Walker. Walker is busy satirizing the cowboy hero myth and what
peyote does to a cowboy hero is something to see.
Lots of laughs in this forgotten comedy.