27/11/2016 2:47 pm  #1


Showdown at Ulcer Gulch

I purchased a box set recently The Marx Brothers TV Collection and was surprised to see this show was included. I didn't watch it yet. I will watch it today. I know Bob and Bing make cameo appearances in film. I heard of this film but never came across it till now. The reason why it is in the set is because Saturday Evening Post hired Chico's Daughter's company to create a promo film for them. Grouch has a cameo also. I will watch it and get back to you.


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29/11/2016 3:06 pm  #2


Re: Showdown at Ulcer Gulch

Bing and Bob appear briefly. They walk by each other with umbrellas.


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29/11/2016 3:50 pm  #3


Re: Showdown at Ulcer Gulch

It seems from examination of information on the internet that just about everyone who appeared in it was taking a "cameo" role, Bing and Bob each as an "influential man".

It was a ten minute promotional short for The Saturday Evening Post, which had very wide circulation in the US but was possibly almost unknown in the UK. As a lad in South Africa in the '40s and early '50s I was familiar with it though - my parents had it every week. I don't know how delayed it might have been in reaching us, but my Mother loved it.

Remembered now for those Norman Rockwell illustrations.

An illustrated extract from Bing's "Call Me Lucky" that was serialised in the "post" can be downloaded here.  
 

 

30/11/2016 7:12 am  #4


Re: Showdown at Ulcer Gulch

The review rather puts me off seeing it.
Jimmy “Shamus” Culhane was a major Disney animator and the author of a how-to book which continues to inspire budding artists to become animators. OnHollywood’s social ladder, animators have always occupied a very low rung … but Culhane was the son-in-law of Chico Marx, a relationship which enabled Culhane to socialize with the Marx Brothers and their famous Hollywood friends such as Bob Hope and Bing Crosby. Culhane shanghaied some of those big stars to appear in this awful little film.         “Showdown at Ulcer Gulch” is Culhane’s home movie. It’s about as funny as your Uncle Irving’s home movies, with slightly better production values. Like a lot of other Hollywood animators, Culhane wanted to escape from the cartoon ghetto and get a job making “real” movies; “Showdown at Ulcer Gulch” was apparently meant to be his demo reel. This film has lots of arty-tarty little “auteur” touches that make it even less funny than it started out to be. Ted Key, the creator of the grossly unfunny Saturday Evening Post feature “Hazel”, is credited (?) with the script of this film. There doesn’t really seem to be a script. Most of the participants (“actors” would be the wrong word) seem to be ad-libbing, and they’re ad-libbing very badly. Even those great improv-meisters Groucho and Chico Marx are ad-libbing badly here.         When you look at IMDB’s cast list for this film - Groucho, Chico, Hope and Crosby, Ernie Kovacs and his wife (the under-rated Edie Adams) - you’ll assume that “Showdown at Ulcer Gulch” must be a lost masterpiece of comedy, a sure-fire laff-riot. No, honestly: it’s awful. I’ll rate it one point out of 10.(Review dated April 2, 2002 by F Gwynplaine MacIntyre on the Internet Movie Database)

 

30/11/2016 7:52 am  #5


Re: Showdown at Ulcer Gulch

Certainly not something to splash out oodles of cash on the set just to get this bit of Bing.
Marx fans might not even be enthused - but it is just a filler.

 

 

02/12/2016 1:38 pm  #6


Re: Showdown at Ulcer Gulch

Richard, I collect dvd's and I'm up to the Marx Brothers. I purchased the set not knowing SaUG was on it. The set itself is Great for any Marx Brothers fan because it contains many funny moments from TV shows, commercials, home movies, ect..Although SaUG isn't that great I was glad to finally have it and see it for myself. Thanks Richard and Malcolm for sharing your input here. Malcolm , thanks for posting the review. Another actor that can be seen in SaUG is a very young Orson Beam.


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