The Over The Hill Gang

The Over-the-Hill Gang is a 1969 American made-for-television Western comedy film about a group of aging Texas Rangers, starring Walter Brennan and Pat O’Brien. Chill Wills, Edgar Buchanan, Andy Devine, and Jack Elam play supporting roles. The film was written by Richard Carr and directed by Jean Yarbrough.

Description

The plot concerns a young newspaper editor who is conducting a campaign to unseat the town’s “tinhorn” mayor. The mayor is backed by a “gun-happy sheriff” and a “whiskey-soaked judge”. The editor’s campaign receives a boost when he is joined by a former Texas Ranger and “three of the fightin’-est straight shooters around.”^[1]

The movie premiered on October 7, 1969, as the ABC Movie of the Week.^[1] It was one of the first films of that series. It was ABC’s top-rated program of the week – the first time that status had been achieved by a film made expressly for television.