The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975)

Director: Norman Tokar

Starring: Bill Bixby, Susan Clark, Don Knotts, Tim Conway, David Wayne, Slim Pickens, Harry Morgan, John McGiver, Don Knight

More info: IMDb

Tagline: Wanted: For chicanery, skulduggery, tomfoolery and habitual bungling!

Plot: Three orphaned siblings are forced upon confirmed bachelor Donovan (Bixby) in a 19th century boom town of Quake City, CA. After an earthquake shakes the area, the children find a large gold nugget worth tens of thousands of dollars. But their newfound wealth is causing more problems than it's solving, so they agree to "give" the gold to two bumbling outlaws (Knotts & Conway). But they only way they can get the gold is to steal it from the bank vault where it's being held for safe keeping.

My rating: 6/10

Will I watch it again? Only if I have kids which means no.

Here's another blast from my past. I haven't seen this since the 70s. Does it hold up well? Considering I was a kid then and I thought it was hilarious (I was a rabid fan of THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW and Tim Conway back then), now it's mildly amusing but the draw for me is still Conway and Don Knotts. These two guys are great and I'll watch them in anything.

The stuff with the kids, Bill Bixby and Susan Clark is above average family fare which doesn't mean a whole heck of a lot to me. If I had a family it probably would but that's not going to happen so I'm not going to worry about it. For family comedies, it's above average but it's a must see for die hard fans of Conway & Knotts. I'm also a huge Slim Pickens fan but he's only in it for a few scenes near the end. I suppose I'm a-gonna have to watch the sequel soon, THE APPLE DUMPLING GANG RIDES AGAIN (1979), because, you know, Conway and Knotts are back.