Brothers O'Toole

1973 "The Brothers O'Toole get into trouble faster than you can say..."
Brothers O'Toole
4.7| 1h35m| G| en| More Info
Released: 16 May 1973 Released
Producted By: CVD Studios
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Synopsis

The O'Toole Brothers are Eastern con men, exceptionally good at talking their way out of tight situations. When they ride into Molybdenum, Colorado, not suspecting the riches beneath the streets, they turn the sleepy mining town upside-down for their search for the gold. High-spirited hijinks ensue, with the brothers involved in everything from stolen gambling equipment to a "belchin', cussin' and spittin' " contest.

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bkoganbing The Brothers O'Toole is meant for a vehicle for John Astin to strut his comedy talents and strut he does. He's only one O'Toole brother, the other is Steve Carlson. But Astin is also the wild and crazy bandit living common law with wild and crazy Lee Meriwether.Brothers Astin and Carlson are a pair of city slickers, Astin is a rogue gambler in the Maverick tradition, Carlson is a love 'em and leave 'em type. But Astin is chased out of town and Carlson runs out of town with an angry father with a shotgun chasing him.They arrive at a town named Mollybedamned because some passing geologist said the lead mine that is now played out is full of nothing but this stuff called molybdenum. And the stuff is not really good for anything. Too bad for the town because everybody there has stock in it and the certificates paper the walls, line the spittoons and such.Astin is quite good in his dual roles and a lot of familiar character faces like Hans Conreid, Pat Carroll, Allyn Joslyn, Jesse White, and director Richard Erdman all do their shtick.But essentially the film is built around a one joke premise and it isn't really enough for a great comedy, just a passably good one.
aimless-46 About the only movie I consider funnier than "The Brothers O'Toole" (1973) is "The Big Lebowski" (1998). Both have the same combination of huge exaggeration coupled with subtle parody, exploding film conventions of their respective genres with completely out-of-place dialog. My appreciation of this no doubt speaks to a twisted sense of humor and an appreciation of the absurd; of which there is so little in more mainstream comedy features. So if you happen to be "Duckman" off-kilter, then "The Brothers O'Toole" is a film that you should seek out.John Astin's success the year before in another western parody, "Evil Roy Slade" (1972), inspired a sequel of sorts. Or at least a reprise of his title role, this time playing a very similar extreme outlaw character named "Desperate" Ambrose J. Littleberry. When not busy terrorizing citizens, poor Desperate is a henpecked husband. An almost unrecognizable Lee Meriwether wonderfully overplays his shrewish wife Poloma. It is definitely her signature performance and I laugh every time I think about what the Miss America pageant people must have thought about this hysterical portrayal.The humor in both films is nicely twisted but the "The Brothers O'Toole" is several notches above "Evil Roy Slade" on the IQ scale, which may account for it being a bit more obscure. Think "Support Your Local Sheriff" vs "Support Your Local Gunfighter" for an example of the same type of comparative difference.For Astin this is a duel role, as he and Steve Carlson play the title characters; a pair of too sophisticated drifter brothers Michael and Timothy O'Toole. Michael is an unambitious cardsharp and Timothy is a small-time rogue and roué. They come to the tiny town of Molybdenum, Colorado (Molly B'Damn to the locals) from separate disasters. Michael has just been ridden out of another town and Timothy is fleeing the shotgun wedding bells and angry father of his latest conquest, Bonnie Lou MacClanahan (Miranda Berry who is flat out irresistible).The town is a collection of characters played by a collection of character actors like Richard Erdman, Pat Carroll, Allyn Joslyn (the reluctant sheriff), Jessie White (the slimy mayor). Joslyn and White are especially good, as is Hans Conried who plays a financier obviously modeled on Cornelius Vanderbilt.The main plot device is mistaken identity as Michael O'Toole is mistaken for A. J. Littleberry and thrown in jail. Michael's summation at his trial and a later diatribe about the town are simply comedy classics, as is pretty much everything done and said by Richard Jury who plays the town's greedy undertaker, Harmon P. Lovejoy.Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
jsedmo I first saw this movie when the local TV station was running a "World's Worst Movies Week", and this was one of the movies.Some people might say the movie is so bad, it's good.It's a comedy / spoof / parody, and some people don't care for movies like that.If you like movies like "Young Frankenstein", "Blazing Saddles", "Buckaroo Banzai", etc., you'll most likely enjoy this movie!I had always liked John Astin in the original "The Addams Family" TV series, and enjoyed him in this movie.It's been a number of years since I saw the movie, and I'd certainly enjoy seeing it again.
fatburgr If there were no other single redeeming feature of the movie, John Astin's incredible diatribe reviling every obvious wart of the benighted little town of Molly-Be-Damn as it's known for a truly tortured pun on Molybdenum, would be worth the price of admission.There is a plot, but you don't need to worry about it. Go for Astin's bluster. He appears in a dual role and takes both completely over the top.If you can take a comedy-western on a fairly broad tack, this is a good one. Crank up the popcorn machine, set your brain on farce and relax. And memorize that cussing. Someday you'll need it.