Sidekicks (DVD), Warner Archives, Western

Two bumbling con artists attempt to outsmart a dimwitted outlaw gang in this rollicking sequel to Skin Game, starring Larry Hagman and Oscar winner Lou Gossett (Best Actor in a Supporting Role, An Officer and a Gentleman) in his original role. While escaping a posse, con men Quince Drew (Hagman) and Jason O'Rourke (Gossett) are bushwhacked by Prudy (Blythe Danner), the sheriff's daughter, and hauled off to jail at gunpoint. Mistaken for a couple of outlaws, the pair is busted out by the Boss (Jack Elam) and his gang, who want them to help rob a bank. Kidnapping Prudy as part of their scam, Quince and Drew pose as the best dynamite men in the business as they attempt to capture the bandits and collect the reward before everything blows up in their faces. A feature-length pilot for a proposed TV series, Sidekicks aired on CBS-TV on March 11, 1974, and is a rib-tickling comedy from veteran Western director Burt Kennedy (Support Your Local Sheriff!), a filmmaker who knew how to make 'em.