The Plot:
When Rose Hood loses her main man marshal husband in one of those typical quick-draw "accidents" so popular in the Old West, she decides to carry on his law-abiding legacy herself. Too bad that slutty saloon hag, Erica, wants any enforcer of the rules deader than Newt Gingrich's presidential chances. If she has her way, Rose will be pushing up the daisies, or in the case of this ghost town's locale, the sagebrush. Figuring that murder is the best way to rid oneself of any sheriff-like barrier, Erica hires black-hatted bad guy, Cane Myro, to give the femme fuzz a permanent dirt nap. Cane worms his way into Rose's good graces, and slowly, the couple falls in love. Realizing that Erica is responsible for the increase in the town's debauchery as well as a rash of pointless land purchases, our heroine sets her sights on stopping her. Next thing you know, Erica is bumping off businessmen, and she and Rose are fighting like overheated pussy...cats. Soon, there's an all-points contract out on Rose's life, and Cane must decide which side he is on. Naturally, it's six-guns, not sex, that decide the fate of the characters.

The DVD:
Roger Corman was responsible for a lot of smoldering cinematic cowflops over the course of his economically sound career, but Gunslinger has got to be one of the most overripe and ridiculous. While Beverly Garland, who plays our dispassionate Rose, and John Ireland, as the cool and callous Cane Myro, are decent enough, they are not capable of keeping this noxious narrative from petrifying, like so much of the rocky firewood found languishing in the movie's main setting. The concept of a female sheriff is rather novel, but Roger is not out to push buttons or expand boundaries. Instead, Gunslinger is only using the girlie guardian as a gimmick, and then only for a way too tight in the bustline boost. Rose represents a controversial conditioned response, a non-innovation that will make people pause and say, "A woman marshal? What is the world coming to?" It also gives Corman the ability to have his leading lady fem-wrestle with another buxom costar...so there actually is an upside to all this stunted publicity seeking, depending on your dated dame proclivities.

About the only other actual fun one can have with Gunslinger is to play a few rounds of "Name that Familiar Day Player," a game always suggested by a Corman production. If you look carefully, you'll see Jonathan "Seymour Krelborn" Haze, Dick "Walter Paisley" Miller, and good old reliable Bruno "Dave Walker" VeSota. But aside from a few static saloon numbers, and the aforementioned gal-on-gal grappling, there isn't much to recommend this movie. There's too much unresolved intrigue, too many easy answers to rotten questions, to make heads or tails of what is supposed to matter. Is Rose cleaning up the town, following in her husband's footsteps, showing him up, stopping a land grab, or preserving his legacy? Perhaps she is just rabid, like a raccoon with power? Why is Erica so POed? Is running the prairie version of an escort service really that tough? Or similar to a life in organized crime? Shouldn't her desire to outsmart the railroad be sport enough? And should she really be spending her equity on ineffectual hit men? These queries and dozens more come bubbling to the surface during the dragged-out running time of this sloppy soap oater.

On a historic note, Gunslinger was indeed Joel Hodgson's penultimate show of the series (the magnificent Mitchell, Episode 513, would be his last), and you can sense a seriousness in the air that seems missing from other installments. While not actually present, you can feel everyone looking beyond this episode toward that history-making presentation. There is also a weird whiff of nostalgia, as some old childhood items are again offered up--like the old balloon-based board game Ka-Boom idea that was utilized during the first couple of seasons--as part of the SOL comedy skits. Overall, Gunslinger can best be described as MST on autopilot. It is the cast doing what they do best, trying to make their way through a very uninspiring film. Instead of creating some satire from the tired wild Western motifs Corman is employing (aside from the Pony Express portion of the show), the Brains appear flummoxed by the tedious tumbleweeds casually cascading across the screen. While no episode of this series can ever be considered "bad," Gunslinger won't be making anyone's Top Ten (or even Top 40) list anytime soon. Leave it to Corman to nearly scuttle the greatest TV series ever.

The Video:
Presented on a single disc in a standalone DVD box, the solo shot of Gunslinger looks no better or worse than it did when it was part of an original Shout! Factory box set. The full screen image is colorful and bright, and the print proffered of the title treat is typical public domain dull. The tints tend to stay on the blue and red end of the scale and the whole production feels cheap and financially challenged. The MST material is just fine. The film within the fun is very flawed indeed.

The Audio:
Standard Dolby Digital Stereo without much depth or atmosphere. Granted, all we want to hear is the movie's dialogue and the cast's comebacks, so the lack of real immersion is insignificant.

The Extras:
Sadly, there are no added features here - not even the original, non-riffed film. Rats.

Final Thoughts: The sadness felt by every MSTie upon learning of Joel Hodgson's leaving was compounded by the fact that, for most of Season Five, the show was still pretty sensational. Installments like Warrior of the Lost World, Eegah, I Accuse My Parents, and The Girl in Lover's Lane suggested where the series' best, as well as where it was going, and the view was very pleasant (and quite funny) indeed. Gunslinger may not be one of the classic episodes of all time, but it is important in the Mystery Science mythology. Earning an easy Highly Recommended rating, it stands as a strange send-off for a truly brilliant TV genius. Mitchell might have been the moment when the Joel Hodgson era of MST3K ended proper, but this episode is where we first felt the loss - and it was a dizzying experience indeed.

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