source: The Hallelujah Trail

Trailer—The Hallelujah Trail

The Hallelujah Trail

From the era of "epic" comedies like The Great Race and It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, The Hallelujah Trail was the entry in the western category. Lots of funny stuff, but just too long to sustain the hilarity. A favorite bit concerns temperance leader Lee Remick unsuccessfully trying to convince cavalry officer Burt Lancaster of the rightness of her cause: LEE: Three of the women in my movement have lost their husbands to alcohol. The men literally drank themselves to death! BURT: One can only wonder why. There are enough gems like this to make it worth watching, but not up to the standards of Blazing Saddles or Support Your Local Sheriff.

A little piece of sublime brilliance, with each of the characters perfectly played. Burt Lancaster is perfect as the cavalry Colonel slowly losing control over his entire command, and the exchanges between him and Lee Remick are superb. A little gem of a movie

When this film first premiered I sat through it 11 times in the first two weekends. I still enjoy this movie and would recommend it for anyone interested in western comedy. Though not as slaptick as "The Villain", the cast brings together a humor that at first must be acquired. The plot may seem to plod along or to some may not even appear to exist, but one needs to look at the different groups involved, (miners, temperance marchers, indians, teamsters, etc), to see that they all tie together in a good comedy. The narration by John Dehner was excellent and only added to the comedic effect. The Hallelujah Trail is best watched without trying to find a plot which will erase all of mankinds problems. My advice is sit back, watch, and enjoy the movie.

It's sheer entertainment. I think (as an adult) judicious trimming would have made this film a real classic, but the performances and the very pointed outrageous humor are just really fun. I love the narration and the "maps" which don't really show anything, making fun of that old technique. I'm sure many audiences of today might not even get how this is kind of the Airplane of the sixties. My family actually went to see another movie with top billing at the drive in and we all loved this one much more. It's just plain fun. A bit too long, I agree, but well worth it for the giggles. It's quite star packed for the time as well, once again, reminding me of Airplane in later years. I'm not a western fan, but this is more than a western, it's really a spoof or satire, with no one taking themselves seriously and that gives it a great deal of fun quotient.

This movie has always been a mystery to me. I loved it and chuckled to myself all the way through it, however, for some reason I have never been able to explain,it just does not work like it should. Great cast from top to bottom, good charaterization and many good scenes and some others that just don't quite work. I love it anyway and watch my copy at least twice a year.

I saw the movie when I was a very young man (20's) and absolutely loved its spirit. It was great to see seasoned actors playing their roles broadly and for laughs. It is very unusual to see Burt Lancaster blustering this much and Lee Remick is a perfect foil for him. A young Martin Landau has obvious fun in the role of the Indian guide. The gem of casting was Donald Pleasence as the hilarious visionary who "sees" the alcoholic wagon train as it crosses the plains, giving the movie its name.

While others find this glorious Western flawed, I only see one of the most comical motion pictures of all time. Most of the lead actors have never done comedy so well; each is hilarious, a credit to the writing. The music is superb and the (uncredited) voice of the great John Dehner narrating a frankly preposterous fictional set of clashes as though they were embarrassing history is a triumph. With such memorable lines as "Not on my bear rug!" to "... and I hate the Indians!" to a simple "Oh dear" to "...and a good Republican", this is a classic to treasure and watch again and again.