The Paleface

The Paleface, directed by Norman Z. McLeod, is a western comedy starring Bob Hope and Jane Russell; Russell plays Calamity Jane, undercover on a government mission to infiltrate a gang smuggling weapons to Native Americans, who marries a bumbling dentist as her cover. The song "Buttons and Bows," sung by Bob Hope in the film, won the Academy Award for Best Original Song. The film grossed nearly 4.5 million dollars, making it Paramount's most successful release of 1948. Who it's for: anyone curious about a classic western comedy home to an Oscar winning song, one of Bob Hope's biggest box office successes. Who it's not for: viewers wanting a film that clearly credits real heroism to the right character, since the film runs on the comic misunderstanding of Jane's heroics being mistakenly credited to the male lead.