Ronald Reagan has more narrow escapes than James Bond and Flash Gordon combined in this embarrassment. Reagan called it, “The worst picture I ever made.” That’s a bold statement considering “Bonzo Goes To College.” That makes this a must see. It’s so bad it’s a lot of fun. Reagan is a secret service agent that is assigned to bring down a gang of counterfeiters.. Eddie Foy,Jr. has some perfectly awful comedy throughout.
Lt.Brass Bancroft (Ronald Reagan) is out to break up a gang of counterfeiters that operate from a mission in the Mexican hills. Agent Dan Crockett is the only guest in a small hotel in a small Mexican town. He’s been tracking the gang that’s been grabbing dollar bills at a casino. They refuse to give paper money to gamblers when they win. They have to take silver. The outfit bleaches the bills and uses treasury plates to make them into higher denominations.
Crockett has been spotted and two gang members are outside keeping an eye on him. They decide to use a gag that’s come in handy before. At the Silver Dollar Saloon Brass will pretend to be drunk and they’ll get into a fight. That way the gang will think Brass is okay. During the brawl a gang member cuts the lights and another stabs Crockett. The frame is around Brass. Agent Gabby (Eddie Foy Jr.) helps him escape.
Brass hops a train and asks the conductor how to get to Santa Margarita. There are numerous places with that name but it looks like the hard to get to mission in the hills is where he has to go. Two members of the gang are in the next car and Brass has to pill another escape. The two tossed a note through a window of s station and a wire goes out to the cops. When they board, Brass jumps off a bridge and swims away. The cops open fire but obviously need more time on the firing range.
Brass grabs a hollow reed so he can breathe underwater. The cops go right by him. He walks through the hills and is picked up by a Friar (Moroni Olsen). When they get to the mission Brass drops a box of groceries. He can’t help but notice the Friar’s pegleg. Hmmmmm. The gang leader has one of those too. Yep. The Friar is actually Parker, the head of the gang.
Parker puts a bullet in him and Brass is finished. That’s what he thinks. Our superhero is saved by…well….you’ll see. During this escape Brass is captured and tossed in jail. He did convince the police Captain to have one of his men wire Washington to confirm his story. While in his cell he hears someone whistling “Yankee Doodle Dandy.” It’s Gabby. As the movie takes another ridiculous turn Gabby helps him escape.
Brass hides under the table of a potter. Thanks to a runaway dog belonging to Elaine (Rosella Towne) Brass has to hoof it out of there again. But this time he forces Elaine to go with him.
Now things get even dumber. But that just adds to the fun. If you like movies with unintended laughs then be sure and check this one out.
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