I grew up with “The Apple Dumpling Gang” (1975). I would have been 8 years old upon its release. It showed repeatedly at local theaters for years afterwards on “kiddie matinee day” and I must have seen it at least half a dozen times on the big screen.
Part of the film’s appeal is, admittedly, nostalgic. But even for those who have never seen “The Apple Dumpling Gang” before, it is a top-rate comedy as well as a well-executed Western.
Quake City’s Satellite Citizens Orbit Judge (and Sheriff and Barber) Homer McCoy
The center of the spoke from which the major characters and their conflict rotate is Sheriff Homer McCoy, wonderfully played with gusto and punch by Harry Morgan, best known as Colonel Potter on “M*A*S*H” (1972-83).
“The Apple Dumpling Gang” (1975)
Director: Norman Tokar
Writers: Don Tait, Jack M. Bickham
Stars: Bill Bixby, Susan Clark, Harry Morgan
A well-dressed but not too well-heeled gambler stops by one of Quake City’s two saloons to wet his whistle and play some poker: Russell Donovan, played by Bill Bixby. Donovan unwittingly wins a trio of young orphans at the table and the sheriff is insistent that Donovan live up to his obligations, telling him:
“This is just a half-portion of a town, but we do have certain what you might call rules to live by.
“One: You don’t jump another man’s claim.
“Two: You don’t steal his wife, woman or whiskey.
“Three: You don’t strike a bargain and then entertain second thoughts about the matter.
“Any one of these offenses can make you the exalted guest of honor at a hemp party. Best keep these youngsters or provide for their safekeeping.”
Quake City is no utopia. None of its citizens is generous enough to take the whelps off Donovan’s hands. But a comely stagecoach driver named Dusty (Susan Clark) does help out with a donation of stew.
The folks are flawed, but decent, and they follow the sheriff’s code more or less unerringly. Even the town’s resident thieves, Theodore (Don Knotts) and Amos (Tim Conway), are quite harmless. The villains – the gang led by Frank Stillwell (named after a real-life gunslinger and played by Slim Pickens), the Irish trickster/deadbeat John Wintle and his “checker-pants lawyer” – all come from out of town.
Quake City has an effect on folks
Russell Donovan had just been passing through, but his departure is delayed by the unexpected responsibilities of parenting. After he’s been there awhile, his heart softens and he warms to the children. Quake City has that effect on folks. Stay long enough and you’ll learn the sheriff’s ways.
The orphans’ only inheritance from their father is an abandoned gold mine outside of town. As the children explore it, an earthquake threatens their safety. But the tremors reveal a massive gold nugget that the children haul into town. Predictably, suddenly, everyone wants to adopt the tykes.
“The Apple Dumpling Gang” is an adorable film to behold. It excels in theme, arrangement and impact. Its pace is perfect. And at its beating center is a lawman named Homer.