Lemonade Joe

And now for something completely different: a 1964 Czechoslovakian musical western spoof that owes as much to silent comedy as it does to the classic Hollywood horse opera. Welcome to the Trigger-Whiskey Saloon, where brutes hassle the local temperance crusader (former Playboy cover girl Olga Schoberová), and singer Tornado Lou holds court. Enter Lemonade Joe (Karel Fiala), "defender of the law, avenger of wrongs," and purveyor of the magic elixir Kolaloka. Enter also the black-clad gunslinger Hogo Fogo (Milos Kopecký), outlaw and long-lost brother to the saloon owner. Perhaps the most bizarre western since The Terror of Tiny Town, Oldrich Lipský's disarmingly entertaining curiosity has to be seen to be believed. Recommended. (K. Lee Benson)[DVD Review—May 2, 2006—Facets, 99 min., in Czech w/English subtitles, not rated, $29.95—Making its first appearance on DVD, 1964's Lemonade Joe sports a nice transfer considering its age, but features no DVD extras. Bottom line: even without any extras, this is still a hoot.]