Showdown with Rance McGrew - Recap

Two cowboys wait for the hero to get into their Western town. Finally their "hero" shows up: actor Rance McGrew, driving his car. Rance goes into the saloon and tells the director how to film him, then takes some antacid. They prepare for the scene and Rance manages to twirl his pistol, drop it, and throw it through a mirror. Once they replace the mirror, they proceed with filming and Rance's Marshal McGrew character comes into the bar and manages to miss the bottle slid to him by the bartender. They start filming again and Rance finally gets it right. The bad guy Jesse James comes in and a shot rings out disarming him. The crew member has made the shot while Rance is struggling with the gun in his holster... and throws it through the mirror again. One new mirror later, they proceed to filming the fist fight with Rance's stunt man filling in. They then go to the death scene where Jesse James prepares to shoot Rance in the back. The actor playing Jesse says that the real-life Jesse James never shot anyone in the back. Rance insists they do it the way he wants and they start to film the scene...



...and Rance finds himself back in the Old West, in a real saloon. Everyone stares at him as an old man comes in to warn him that Jesse James is coming for him. Rance goes out to call his agent and finds Jesse James outside: the real Jesse James. He tries to rile up Rance without success and then has a drink and a talk. After Rance fails to either get a whiskey bottle open or make a cigarette, Jesse gets down to business. He talks about how Rance always manages to win in his shows, defeating up to thirteen rustlers at one time. Jesse explains that he and the other Western bad guys of history are dissatisfied with how they're portrayed on Rance's show. Jesse's there on their behalf to make sure that Rance loses once. He calls Jesse out on the street for a fair gunfight. Rance runs and hides but Jesse calls him out and counts to five. Rance backs up into a hearse and yells for a stuntman. He's unable to get his gun out at first and then drops it. Jesse draws and Rance begs for his life, promising to do anything Jesse says. Jesse decides to consider it and says he'll be sticking around to make sure Rance plays it careful. Jesse lights up a cigarette...



...and fades away. Rance is back on the set. Nobody has noticed he was gone and they prepare for the next shot. Someone arrives to talk to Rance: his new agent. Rance doesn't have an agent and goes out to find that Jesse is waiting for him. Jesse has a new scene: Jesse James knocks Rance through a window. Rance has no chance but to give in and explains to the director what they'll be doing. A minute later, Rance comes flying out a window. Jesse goes over the next few scripts and makes sure that the bad guys are properly represented in future, as he drives off with Rance.



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