Alias Jesse James (1959)

When an insurance agent (Bob Hope) mistakenly sells a $100,000 life insurance policy to the outlaw Jesse James (Wendell Corey), the company sends him to Missouri to get the policy back or stay there as long as necessary to keep James alive so he can't collect on the policy. Directed by Norman Z. McLeod. Two of Hope's best comedies were westerns, THE PALEFACE and SON OF PALEFACE. This effort isn't in their league but it's an innocuous divertissement. Rhonda Fleming provides the pulchritude and even joins Hope in a duet. If you're a Hope fan or a TV western buff, this should be right up your alley. The last five minutes are crammed with cameos from Gary Cooper, Bing Crosby, Roy Rogers, Hugh O'Brian, James Arness, Ward Bond, Fess Parker, Jay Silverheels and Gail Davis. Also in the cast: Gloria Talbott, Jim Davis, Scatman Crothers and Will Wright.