The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975)
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56% of critics liked it
(9 reviews) -
59% of users liked it
(10,898 ratings)
The Apple Dumpling Gang stars Bill Bixby as Russell Donovan, a slick frontier gambler. In Runyon-esque fashion, he is compelled to look after three precocious oprhaned kids. He can't handle the responsibilities alone, so he agrees to an in-name-only marriage to hoydenish stagecoach driver,… More The Apple Dumpling Gang stars Bill Bixby as Russell Donovan, a slick frontier gambler. In Runyon-esque fashion, he is compelled to look after three precocious oprhaned kids. He can't handle the responsibilities alone, so he agrees to an in-name-only marriage to hoydenish stagecoach driver, Magnolia Dusty Clydesdale (Susan Clark). Fortuitously, they discover that a mine belonging to the kids' late father is worth millions. This brings several disreputable characters into the storyline: bumbling "nice" bandits Theodore Ogelvie and Amos (Don Knotts and Tim Conway), and deadly "bad" bandits headed by Frank Stillwell (Slim Pickens). Based on a novel by Jack M. Bickham, The Apple Dumpling Gang was successful enough to spawn a sequel-not to mention several future screen teamings for Don Knotts and Tim Conway. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Norman Tokar
- Written By
- Jack M. Bickham, Don Tait
- Genres
- Western, Kids & Family, Comedy
G,
- In Theaters
- Jul 1, 1975 Limited
- Studio
- Buena Vista
Critic Reviews
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, Time Out
The traditional ingredients of homely moralising, sentimentality and raucous slapstick are used sparingly, the dialogue is fairly bright, some visual gags are neatly executed.
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Richard Eder, New York Times
Walt Disney started by making movies in which animated drawings played the parts of people or animals who stood for people. Later he turned to making movies in which people or animals play the parts of animated drawings.
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Everytime I see one of these antiseptic Disney films, I'm reminded of the thrills and genuine artistry that went into the studio's films during its golden age in the 1940s and 1950s.
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Heather Boerner, Common Sense Media
Rollicking Old West ride lassos some stereotypes.
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, TV Guide's Movie Guide
A delightful cast of character actors helps the childish story, with Conway and Knotts beginning what would become a somewhat famous, but very simple-minded, film comedy duo.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Bill Bixby
as Russel Donavan
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Susan Clark
as Magnolia Dusty Clydesdale
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Don Knotts
as Theodore Ogelvie
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Tim Conway
as Amos
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David Wayne
as Col. T.R. Cyldesdale
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Slim Pickens
as Frank Stillwell
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John McGiver
as Leonard Sharpe
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Don Knight
as John Wintle
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Clay O'Brien
as Bobby Bradley
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Brad Savage
as Clovis Bradley
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Stacy Manning
as Celia Bradley
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Iris Adrian
as Poker Polly
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Wally K. Berns
as Cheating Charley
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Jim Boles
as Easy Archie
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James Brodhead
as The Mouthpiece
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Pepe Callahan
as Clemons
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Dennis Fimple
as Rudy Hooks
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Richard Lee-Sung
as Oh So
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Bing Russell
as Herm Dally
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Fran Ryan
as Mrs. Stockley
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Joshua Shelley
as Broadway Phil
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Olan Soule
as Rube Cluck
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Dick Winslow
as Slippery Kid
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Arthur Wong Ngok Tai
as No S'o
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Dawn Little Sky
as Big Foot
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Tom Waters
as Rowdy Joe Dover
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Harry Morgan
as Homer McCoy
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Bill Dunbar
as Fast Eddie Card Dealer
