Once Upon a Texas Train [DVD] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC]

This made for TV film is certainly no classic, but it is good fun and memorable for giving a lot of veteran stars another screen outing. It was great to so many stars reunited on the screen again. Ken Curtis and Hank Worden who acted in the classic "The Searchers" both appear. Royal Dano that wonderfully eccentric actor from films like "Man of the West" and "Saddle the Wind" also appears. Some like Harry Carey who was a star in John Ford's "3 Godfathers" you might miss if you blink. The eye rolling Jack Elam who graced countless westerns also adds comic relief riding a bicycle instead of a horse. The very distinctive and funny Dub Taylor provides more laughs. If you have watched westerns you will recognise them. We also have A list players like Richard Widmark, Chuck Connors and Stuart Whitman. The country and western singer Willie Nelson also takes one of the main leads. He had already proved himself in the very good western "Barbarosa". The still beautiful Angie Dickenson who acted in that other classic western "Rio Bravo" provides the love interest. Burt Kennedy like a friendly old master has whistled up the old war horses from the meadow and they have heeded the call, still willing to act their hearts out. And so they do.

Burt Kennedy was a master of the comedy western. He was first and foremost a writer of some reknown. His work with Budd Boetticher and Randolph Scott in a series of fine westerns is now very highly regarded. He made the good humoured western "The War Wagon", getting some good comic moments out of John Wayne and Kirk Douglas. In this film Willie Nelson plays an old bandit who breaks out of jail and robs a bank. He gets his old gang together knowing he will be pursued by old Texas ranger Richard Widmark who gets his old band of brothers together. But another younger gang want the proceeds from the robbery. The two old enemies enter an uneasy truce to deal with the new young guns. Will they win, and if they win will the truce still hold.

The film is good innocent fun. It has a U rating which indicates the level of violence. The veteran cast made the film a sort of western Dads Army. Some of the lines are typically crisp like much of Kennedy's work. One of the young guns before the gunfight with the veterans says "My parents told me to respect old folks, not go around shooting them". There are also some other funny moments mostly on the subject of aging. The film is an affectionate homage to the western and the stars and support actors that illuminated so many films. I found myself liking it. Don't expect a classic, but if like me you have watched countless westerns then you will be more than happy just watching this stellar cast of old greats strut their stuff. Highly recommended.