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The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West

The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West
The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West.jpg
Directed by Jack Arnold
Earl Bellamy
Bruce Bilson
Oscar Rudolph
Produced by Elroy Schwartz
Written by Ron Friedman
Howard Ostroff
Brad Radnitz
Sherwood Schwartz
Elroy Schwartz
Starring Bob Denver
Forrest Tucker
Cinematography Alan Stensvold
Edited by Jack Woelz
Distributed by Danton Films
Release date
August 1, 1976
Running time
86 mins.
Country United States
Language English

The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West is a 1976 American Western comedy film directed by Jack Arnold. The film stars Bob Denver as Dusty, the bumbling assistant to Wagonmaster Callahan featured in the syndicated series Dusty's Trail.

The film itself consists of four episodes of Dusty's Trail edited together: "Tomahawk Territory", "Horse of Another Color", "There Is Nothing Like a Dame", and "The Not So Magnificent Seven".

A stagecoach and covered wagon heading west across the plains become separated from their wagon train thanks to Dusty (Denver), a bumbling assistant to Wagonmaster Callahan (Forrest Tucker). Lost in the wilderness, seven hapless souls must now make their way to California on their own using what brains they have or haven't got.

First, the characters meet "Injuns" who are not unlike the Hekawis in F Troop. Then there is a "necktie party" looking to hang Dusty as a horse thief. Third, a couple of cattle rustlers want to "get friendly" with some willing females. And finally, a "shootout" takes place, with Dusty dressed up as Bat Masterson in a ghost town setting.

When it comes to the main cast of characters, each are very similar to those of Gilligan's Island, as seen by a comparison of characters:

Other elements of the series are reproduced/recycled:

The Wackiest Wagon Train in the West was released on VHS by JTC, Inc., Front Row Video, Inc. and Direct Source Special. The film has also been released on Region 1 DVD by numerous companies including Tango Entertainment, Digiview and St. Clair Vision. These releases by numerous budget labels were due to the fact that the copyrights on all episodes of Dusty's Trail lapsed without any effort at renewal, making the series one of the last television series to enter the public domain before the Copyright Act of 1976 (and its much longer copyright terms) took effect. As the film was sourced from this series, the film itself is also in the public domain.


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