Wow, did I just have a crazy last 24 hours! In the space of only a day, I have managed to see two of the fifty films listed in "The Fifty Worst Films Of All Time" by Harry Medved (a classic book that is now, unfortunately, out of print). After first seeing the very bellicose VALLEY OF THE DOLLS, I just finished watching THE TERROR OF TINY TOWN--purported to be the only all-midget Western ever made. With such a claim, it's no wonder that bad film lovers like myself are drawn to this insanely offensive film! I mean, think about it...audiences across America were expected to watch and laugh at a film whose sole "humorous" element was that the actors were midgets!! Well, despite being a very bad and offensive film, in a way it was still oddly fun when it wasn't being creepy. In a "Bevis and Butthead" sort of way, I suppose most people might smile when they first see the diminutive actors and actresses riding tiny ponies and acting like "normal" Western actors--though this enjoyment is a bit unsettling when you think about it! What was worse than this, though, was one of several musical numbers which was sung by a cabaret singer in a bar. This scantily clad wench sang about "making love with me" and seeing this tiny woman singing such a suggestive song made me feel a bit uneasy...no, now that I think about it, it made me queasy. Also, while the other songs weren't sleazy like this one, they did seem to portray the actors and actresses as happy little children. Again, this sure was disturbing!
The plot was in many ways much like an old Gene Autrey film but with midgets. Some of them, like the lead Billy Curtis, were actually pretty good actors and could ride their ponies well. I was particularly amazed at Curtis' horsemanship when he stopped the runaway midget stage coach. But, many of the actors looked as if they were ready to fall off their ponies and others could barely deliver their lines. Oddly, about half of the midgets spoke with German accents!
So here's the final verdict. Is it bad enough to make the bottom 50 of films? Probably not--as there must be at least 50 films worse than this. But this is STILL hardly a glowing endorsement!! No, it's still deserving only of 1 star and perhaps, if you are a bad film fan, it's worth a look. Otherwise, watch this mess at your own peril.
The plot was in many ways much like an old Gene Autrey film but with midgets. Some of them, like the lead Billy Curtis, were actually pretty good actors and could ride their ponies well. I was particularly amazed at Curtis' horsemanship when he stopped the runaway midget stage coach. But, many of the actors looked as if they were ready to fall off their ponies and others could barely deliver their lines. Oddly, about half of the midgets spoke with German accents!
So here's the final verdict. Is it bad enough to make the bottom 50 of films? Probably not--as there must be at least 50 films worse than this. But this is STILL hardly a glowing endorsement!! No, it's still deserving only of 1 star and perhaps, if you are a bad film fan, it's worth a look. Otherwise, watch this mess at your own peril.