Rustlers' Rhapsody

Infobox Film | name = Rustlers' Rhapsody
caption = DVD cover
director = Hugh Wilson
producer = David Giler
Walter Hill
writer = Hugh Wilson
starring = Tom Berenger
G.W. Bailey
Marilu Henner
Fernando Rey
Andy Griffith
Sela Ward
Patrick Wayne
music = Steve Dorff
cinematography =
editing =
distributor = Paramount Pictures
released = May 10, 1985 (USA)
runtime = 88 min.
language = English
budget =
imdb_id = 0089945

"Rustlers' Rhapsody" (1985) is an American comedy-Western film. It is a parody of many Western conventions, most visibly of the singing cowboy films that were prominent in the 1930s and the 1940s. The film was written and directed by Hugh Wilson and stars Tom Berenger as a stereotypical good cowboy Rex O'Herlihan, who is drawn out of a black-and-white film and transferred into a more self-aware setting. Though supposedly Wilson received his inspiration from working at CBS Studio Center, the former Republic Pictures backlot, the movie was filmed in Spain.

Plot

The conceit of the movie is explained in a voiceover intro by G. W. Bailey, who wonders what it would be like if one of the 1930s/1940s Rex O'Herlihan movies were to be made today. At that point, in a scene reminiscent of "The Wizard of Oz", the cinematogaphy shifts from black & white to color and the soundtrack changes from mono to Dolby Digital surround sound.

As a consequence of this paradigm shift, Rex O'Herlihan (Berenger), "the singing cowboy", is the only character aware of the plot outline: he explains that he "knows the future", as "these Western towns are all the same" and that it's his "karma" to "ride into a town, help the good guys, who are usually poor for some reason, against the bad guys, who are usually rich for some reason, and ride out again." Rex's abilities and knowledge are also connected to the unspecified "root" vegetables he digs up and eats.

Rex rides into the town of Oakwood Estates, walks into a Really Tough bar, and meets Peter, the Town Drunk (Bailey). Peter, in exchange for a free drink, explicates the background: the town, and especially the sheep herders ("nice enough, but they smell God-awful"), are being terrorized by the cattle ranchers, headed by Colonel Ticonderoga (Griffith). Miss Tracy (Henner) is the Prostitute with a Heart of Gold. The Sheriff is "a drunken coward who takes his orders from the Colonel".

As soon as the explanation is given, Blackie, the foreman at Rancho Ticonderoga, swaggers into the bar with two of his henchmen and shoots one of the sheep herders. When Miss Tracy objects, hot words are exchanged, and Blackie is accidentally shot in the back by his henchmen. Rex then shoots the guns out of their hands.

Peter exchanges his Drunk Suit for a Sidekick Outfit, catches up with Rex, and is reluctantly accepted as a sidekick. (Rex has sworn off Sidekicks as they keep dying.) The Colonel goes to the boss of the Railroad Men (Rey) (who wear raincoats and have theme music like characters in spaghetti westerns) for help. "We should stick together. Look what we have in common: we're both rich, we're both power-mad, and we're both Colonels -- that's got to count for something!"

Rex outwits the Bad Guys, for a time, because he knows their every move before they do, and because "they're the Bad Guys." Then the Colonels import "Wrangler" Bob Barber (Wayne), apparently another Good Guy. Bob psychs out Rex in their first meeting by attacking Rex's claim to be the "most good Good Guy" and pointing out that a Good Guy has to be "a confident heterosexual". "I thought it was just a heterosexual", Rex objects. "No, it's a confident heterosexual", responds Bob. Rex then backs down from the shootout. On his way out of town, while preparing to change roles to that of a sidekick, Rex explains to Peter that he rides into town, kisses the girls and rides out again. "That's all: I just kiss 'em. I mean, this is the 1880s. You gotta date and date and date and date and sometimes marry 'em before they, you know ..."

Bob then reports that Rex is finished as a Good Guy, but the Colonels, over Bob's objection, arrange for Peter to be bushwhacked. This rouses Rex to round up the sheep herders and face down Bob and the rancher/railroad combine. Bob is revealed as "not a Good Guy at all", but in fact a lawyer, and shoots Rex in the arm, but before Bob gets the chance to fire another shot at Rex, Rex pulls his gun on Barber and kills him (by shooting him in the head). Rex recovers from his wounds, and Colonel Ticonderoga makes peace and apologizes to Rex. After a party at Rancho Ticonderoga, Rex and Peter (who survived because Rex knew that Peter would be killed, as most sidekicks are in the westerns, and had him wear a bulletproof vest) ride off into the sunset.

"Forgotten Film"

"Rustlers' Rhapsody", in spite of its outstanding cast and soundtrack, has become something of a "forgotten film" in the years since its theatrical release in 1985. Paramount Pictures did not release it in DVD format until 2004, and even then there were no special features added (with the exception of format changes in aspect ratio, Dolby Digital sound and English-only subtitles). Even the blurb on the back cover of the DVD is unchanged (and uncorrected) from the VHS release:

"Tumblin' tumbleweeds! The Wild West goes wacko when the Greatest Fast Drawin', Fancy-Dressin', Silver-Spurred, Geetar Playin', Singin Cowboy movie matinee idol Rex O'Herlihan (Tom Berenger) hits the saddle in "Rustlers' Rhapsody", a cockeyed, affectionate send-up of the '40s B-movie western.

"Classic Western stereotypes and clichés get turned on their ear when our fearless hero, fully dressed in white and atop his dancing horse Wildflower (sic), rides into the tackiest town west of the Pecos to do good deeds and defy desperados. Written and directed by Hugh Wilson, who was responsible for the hilarious "Police Academy, Rustlers' Rhapsody" also stars Andy Griffith and Marilu Henner."

Not only is this description misleading and unflattering to the film, it's also factually incorrect: the horse is named Wildfire, not "Wildflower". Nor is this insignificant: it's a plot point, as Sela Ward's character ("I'm the Cattle Baron's daughter!") also has a horse named Wildfire.

Further, a Parade Magazine biography of Berenger to promote his 2003 TV series "Peacemakers", makes no mention of his starring role in this big-screen Western. Perhaps, since the film is a classic example of metahumor, it fails to fit in an easily-defined category, making it more difficult to market and promote.