| The Over-the-Hill Gang Rides Again | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Richard Carr |
| Directed by | George McCowan |
| Starring | Walter Brennan Fred Astaire Edgar Buchanan Andy Devine Chill Wills Lana Wood |
| Country of origin | US |
| Language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Shelley Hull |
| Cinematography | Fleet Southcott |
| Running time | 75 min. |
| Distributor | ABC |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | The Over-the-Hill Gang |
The Over-the-Hill Gang Rides Again starring Walter Brennan and Fred Astaire is a 1970 ABC Movie of the Week sequel to the Western comedy The Over-the-Hill Gang. The supporting cast includes Edgar Buchanan, Andy Devine, Chill Wills, Lana Wood, and Burt Mustin (all of whom, except Wood, were in The Over-the-Hill Gang). Like the 1969 original, the sequel involves aging Texas Rangers and was written by Richard Carr and directed by George McCowan.
Walter Brennan ... Nash Crawford
Fred Astaire ... The Baltimore Kid
Edgar Buchanan ... Jason Fitch
Andy Devine ... Amos Polk
Chill Wills ... Gentleman George Asque
Paul Richards ... Sam Braham
Lana Wood ... Katie Flavin
Parley Baer ... Waco Mayor
Walter Burke ... Mac aka Tom - Waco Stableman
Lillian Bronson ... Mrs. Louise Murphy
Jonathan Hole ... Parson
Burt Mustin ... Best Man
Don Wilbanks ... Bar X Cowboy
Pepper Martin ... Drifter
Film starts with old and retired Texas ranger Sergeant Nash Crawford (Walter Brennan) enters a saloon where his former partner Gentleman George Asque (Chill Wills) plays poker with a man and beats him ten times in a row. Man calls him a cheater and prepares to draw his gun, but Nash saves his comrade by calling him Wyatt. The two exit the saloon.
Nash gives George a telegram which says they should go to Waco because former partner The Baltimore Kid (Fred Astaire) is in trouble. It is signed "Friend".
Scene changes to Jason Fitch's (Edgar Buchanan) wedding to Louise Murphy (Lillian Bronson). Couple of moments later, George and Nash come to take Jason with them to Waco and they convince him shouting the ranger code "Brazors!". Jason promises Louise he will return and leaves with his friends.
As they arrive to Waco, they find out "Friend" was Amos Polk, a former outlaw, now a newspaper man. Polk takes them to Baltimore Kid's grave. It's unclear why Polk called them, but he shows Kid's wallet to them in which is a note where Kid leaves that to his comrades when he dies. The four go to the saloon for a whiskey, where they meet a drunk who looks very familiar to Baltimore Kid. They take him to newspaper office where he tells he was a Texas ranger once. The group is now sure he is Baltimore Kid.
Kid puts some elegant clothes, new gun and gravestone is removed. Kid becomes the Waco City Marshall and rangers his deputies.
Now it's clear that the bandit who killed marshall and his deputies is a fake one. The gang of Sam Braham returns to Waco to kill real Baltimore Kid. At the end of the film, a large gunfight is at the streets of Waco and rangers win against the outlaws, but Kid is shot and dead. Citizens of Waco bury Kid and ranger leave. But, at the end of the town alive Baltimore Kid is waiting and all of them go with Jason Fitch who has to marry.