The Frisco Kid
Encyclopedia
The Frisco Kid is a 1979 movie directed by Robert Aldrich
. The movie is a Western comedy featuring Gene Wilder
as Avram Belinski, a Polish
rabbi
who is traveling to San Francisco
, and Harrison Ford
as a bank robber who befriends him.
scroll for the San Francisco synagogue. Avram, an innocent, trusting and inexperienced traveler, falls in with three con men, the brothers Matt and Darryl Diggs and their partner Mr. Jones, who trick him into helping pay for a wagon and supplies to go west, then brutally rob him and leave him and most of his belongings scattered along a deserted road.
Still determined to make it to San Francisco, Avram fends for himself on foot for a while, spends a little time with some Pennsylvania Dutch
(whom he takes for Jews
at first), and manages to find work on the railroad. On his way, he is befriended and looked after by a stranger named Tommy Lillard (Ford), a bank robber with a soft heart who is moved by Avram's helplessness and frank personality, despite the trouble it occasionally gives him. For instance, when Tommy robs a bank on a Friday, he finds that Avram (an orthodox Jew) does not ride on the Sabbath—even with a posse on his tail. With some luck and lenience, however, they still manage to get away. While traveling together, the two also experience American Indian
customs and hospitality, disrupt a monk order's vow of silence with an innocent gesture of gratitude, and learn a little about each other's culture.
While stopping in a small town not too far of San Francisco, Avram and Tommy encounter the Diggs brothers and Jones again and take back what they have stolen from Avram. In revenge, the three bandits follow them and ambush them at the Californian beach. Avram experiences a crisis of faith when he is forced to shoot Darryl Diggs in self-defense, but it is Tommy who brings him back to the path by reminding him that he still is what he is inside. When Matt Diggs, the sole survivor of the ambush, prepares to kill Avram in revenge and Tommy springs to his friend's defense, Avram regains his composure and courage and exiles Diggs from San Francisco. The story ends happily with Avram marrying one of the daughters of the head of the Jewish community, with Tommy attending the ceremony as his best man.
.
described The Frisco Kid as "harmless chaos": "People keep coming and going and doing ferociously cute things, but never anything that could appeal to anyone except a close relative or someone with a built-in weakness for anything ethnic whatsoever." He criticized the lack of plot development, saying that, while based on a clever idea, The Frisco Kid ultimately fails to deliver on its promise.
Robert Aldrich
Robert Aldrich was an American film director, writer and producer, notable for such films as Kiss Me Deadly , The Big Knife , What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? , Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte , The Flight of the Phoenix , The Dirty Dozen , and The Longest Yard .-Biography:Robert...
. The movie is a Western comedy featuring Gene Wilder
Gene Wilder
Gene Wilder is an American stage and screen actor, director, screenwriter, and author.Wilder began his career on stage, making his screen debut in the film Bonnie and Clyde in 1967. His first major role was as Leopold Bloom in the 1968 film The Producers...
as Avram Belinski, a Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
who is traveling to San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, and Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford
Harrison Ford is an American film actor and producer. He is famous for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series. Ford is also known for his roles as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, John Book in Witness and Jack Ryan in...
as a bank robber who befriends him.
Plot
Rabbi Avram Belinski arrives in Philadelphia from Poland en route to San Francisco where he will be a congregation's new rabbi. He has with him a TorahTorah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
scroll for the San Francisco synagogue. Avram, an innocent, trusting and inexperienced traveler, falls in with three con men, the brothers Matt and Darryl Diggs and their partner Mr. Jones, who trick him into helping pay for a wagon and supplies to go west, then brutally rob him and leave him and most of his belongings scattered along a deserted road.
Still determined to make it to San Francisco, Avram fends for himself on foot for a while, spends a little time with some Pennsylvania Dutch
Pennsylvania Dutch
Pennsylvania Dutch refers to immigrants and their descendants from southwestern Germany and Switzerland who settled in Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th centuries...
(whom he takes for Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
at first), and manages to find work on the railroad. On his way, he is befriended and looked after by a stranger named Tommy Lillard (Ford), a bank robber with a soft heart who is moved by Avram's helplessness and frank personality, despite the trouble it occasionally gives him. For instance, when Tommy robs a bank on a Friday, he finds that Avram (an orthodox Jew) does not ride on the Sabbath—even with a posse on his tail. With some luck and lenience, however, they still manage to get away. While traveling together, the two also experience American Indian
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
customs and hospitality, disrupt a monk order's vow of silence with an innocent gesture of gratitude, and learn a little about each other's culture.
While stopping in a small town not too far of San Francisco, Avram and Tommy encounter the Diggs brothers and Jones again and take back what they have stolen from Avram. In revenge, the three bandits follow them and ambush them at the Californian beach. Avram experiences a crisis of faith when he is forced to shoot Darryl Diggs in self-defense, but it is Tommy who brings him back to the path by reminding him that he still is what he is inside. When Matt Diggs, the sole survivor of the ambush, prepares to kill Avram in revenge and Tommy springs to his friend's defense, Avram regains his composure and courage and exiles Diggs from San Francisco. The story ends happily with Avram marrying one of the daughters of the head of the Jewish community, with Tommy attending the ceremony as his best man.
Cast
- Gene WilderGene WilderGene Wilder is an American stage and screen actor, director, screenwriter, and author.Wilder began his career on stage, making his screen debut in the film Bonnie and Clyde in 1967. His first major role was as Leopold Bloom in the 1968 film The Producers...
- Avram Belinski - Harrison FordHarrison FordHarrison Ford is an American film actor and producer. He is famous for his performances as Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and as the title character of the Indiana Jones film series. Ford is also known for his roles as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner, John Book in Witness and Jack Ryan in...
- Tommy Lillard - Ramon BieriRamon BieriRamon Arens Bieri was an American actor who has starred in many films and many TV shows.-Biography:He co-starred on the short-lived 1981 TV series Bret Maverick with James Garner. Bieri appeared in many TV movies as well...
- Mr. Jones - Val BisoglioVal BisoglioVal Bisoglio is an Italian-American character actor primarily known for his work on television. Bisoglio performed in numerous TV series in the 1970s including M*A*S*H, Roll Out, Kojak and The Rockford Files...
- Chief Gray Cloud - George DiCenzoGeorge DiCenzoGeorge Ralph DiCenzo was an American character actor and one-time associate producer for Dark Shadows. He was in show business for more than 30 years, with extensive film, TV, stage and commercial credits.-Life and career:...
- Darryl Diggs (as George Ralph DiCenzo) - Leo FuchsLeo FuchsLeo Fuchs was a Polish-born Jewish American actor. According to YIVO, born Avrum Leib Fuchs in Warsaw; according to Schechter, born in Lemberg, Galicia, then Poland, now Lviv, Ukraine)....
- Chief rabbi - Penny PeyserPenny PeyserPenny Peyser is an actress. She graduated from Emerson College in Boston in 1973.-Career:Peyser is best known for her role as Cindy in the 1980s series Crazy Like a Fox...
- Rosalie Bender - William SmithWilliam Smith (actor)William Smith is an American actor who has appeared in almost 300 feature films and television productions.Smith began his acting career at the age of 8 in 1942...
- Matt Diggs - Jack Somack - Samuel Bender
- Beege Barkette - Sarah Mindl Bender
- Shay DuffinShay DuffinShay Duffin was an Irish-born American character actor of the stage and screen. Was in the 1993 film Leprechaun. He also had a role in the 1997 film Titanic....
- O'Leary - Walter Janovitz - Old Amish man (as Walter Janowitz)
- Joe KappJoe KappJoseph Robert Kapp is a former professional American and Canadian football quarterback. He is also a former college football head coach of the University of California, and a former general manager of the CFL's BC Lions. Kapp played primarily with the NFL's Minnesota Vikings and the CFL's BC Lions...
- Monterano - Clyde KusatsuClyde KusatsuClyde Kusatsu is a U.S. actor.Kusatsu was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he attended ʻIolani School. Kusatsu began acting in Honolulu summer stock, and after studying theatre at Northwestern University, started to make his mark on the small screen in the mid-1970s...
- Mr. Ping (railroad work crew) - Clifford A. Pellow - Mr. Daniels (as Cliff Pellow)
Production notes
According to Gene Wilder's autobiography, the Tommy role, played by Harrison Ford, was originally planned for John WayneJohn Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
.
Critical reception
Vincent Canby of The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
described The Frisco Kid as "harmless chaos": "People keep coming and going and doing ferociously cute things, but never anything that could appeal to anyone except a close relative or someone with a built-in weakness for anything ethnic whatsoever." He criticized the lack of plot development, saying that, while based on a clever idea, The Frisco Kid ultimately fails to deliver on its promise.