Lemonade Joe (1964)

8/10

funkyfry16 December 2002

An excellent satire of the Great American Way, with Lemonade Joe a "clean living" gunfighter who drinks only Kola-Loca Lemonade and convinces everyone else in town (with his gun skills) that all "real men" drink ONLY lemonade! The style of the film mirrors that of silent westerns, including humorous sped-up bar brawls and color-tinting (!). You can either root for Joe or his whiskey-drinking adversaries; it's clear that although the town "bad girl" adores Joe and wants him to "change" her, he is only using her for his cause, as indeed he is using everyone for his opportunistic goals.

Worth a look for western fans looking for a spoof that goes beyond "Blazing Saddles" and adds satire to the mix, or for anyone interested in Euro-Westerns in general for an Eastern European take on the genre.

A funny, charming, and even sometimes graceful film.

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8/10

A strange but hilarious film

DELIA-35 October 1998

Although this film is (obviously) all in Czech, most English speakers won't have any trouble figuring out the story, since it's an extremely broad parody of a genre most people are familiar with. The hero is dressed all in white, the bad guys wear black and skulk around like Snidely Whiplash. On the women's side, we have your basic saloon girl with a heart of gold and the virginal ingenue, who we know will eventually end up with Lemonade Joe. Considering this movie was made under Communist rule, it's a pretty dead-on satire of the American Western.

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7/10

Now I've seen everything...a Czechosloakian parody of an American B-western!

planktonrules8 October 2011

This is an amazingly broad comedy--very silly and cartoon-like. In many ways it's like a Czechoslovakian version of "The Villain".

This western is set in a lawless town in Arizona. A local saloon owner, Doug Badman, is thrilled that the entire town is evil--spending all their time getting drunk and availing themselves of the services of 'professional girls'. However, when Lemonade Joe shows up, he's out to clean up the town and introduce them to the invigorating effects of a lemonade drink, 'Kolaloka'. In fact, he's the regional rep for the product and shows everyone its benefits by shooting baddies right and left and restoring justice. Joe is a clever amalgam of various B-western heroes like Gene Autry and Roy Rogers, though he's even more virtuous--and looks a lot like Gene Raymond.

Doug's brother, the even more evil Horace Badman (also known as 'Hogofogo'), arrives in town and is upset to see that order and sobriety are the rule of the day. He's determined to destroy Lemonade Joe and steal his pure girlfriend. Horace is a LOT like the cartoon character Snidely Whiplash (from the "Dudley Dooright" cartoons). He's very cartoony and silly. I could say more about the plot but don't want to spoil it.

The film doesn't even try to be subtle in any way. The humor is very much the sort kids would like. But, despite being VERY cheesy and silly, it is fun and I had a few good laughs (I loved the cliff scene). The ending is pure chaos and silliness...but works. All in all, a super-silly but enjoyable romp.

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10/10

A rare jewel of a comedy.

ritznk11 April 2001

I saw this film in the early seventies with a number of friends at Portland State University. I've seen it once and only once. Still, I can easily say it is one of the ten funniest movies ever. I am amazed to find it in your database! It is indeed a broad parody of the western movie genre: cliche piled upon cliche, yet still surprising and delightful. This movie can hold its own with Dr. Strangelove and The Marx Brothers. Its that good. I don't know where PSU got their hands on a dubbed in version, but if there is one out there on video tape, I know a lot of people who would do almost anything for a copy.

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10/10

Saw this when I was twelve; unforgettable

winner558 May 2007

For forty years (oops, revealed my age, oh well), I have been trying to track this down. I first saw this film at age twelve, in a drive in theater, on a double bill with (I think) a re-release of "The Great Race". Historical note: the version I saw was dubbed, not subtitled (I long thought it Italian in origin); the tinting was not sepia with yellow highlights, it was just glaring yellow; and it was called "The Lemonaid Kid" not "Lemonaid Joe" (hence part of the difficulty tracking it down). (Since this release title is reminiscent of "The Lemondrop Kid", I can imagine paranoid lawyers at MGM giving this film's release a lot of hassle, which may explain how it got so buried.) I thought it the funniest thing I had ever seen and that impression stuck with me as I grew older and developed a taste for the more absurdist and aggressive style of comedy, e.g., the Marx Brothers, Monty Python, etc. i knew I had seen something very special in "Lemonaid", but found no references to it in movie catalogs like the Maltin book, and nobody who knew films seemed to know anything about it - and I come from Rochester, NY, home of the second largest collection of film in the country, the Dryden-Eastman collection. People there know film. But nobody knew this film.

This film had a major impact on a very young man and changed his taste in comedy forever, and perhaps changed all of his perceptions, insofar as humor is one of the most important responses we make to the world. That says a lot for the power of this film. I certainly hope another viewing will justify my warm memories of it.

Note added August 26, 2009:

Well, I finally found it - it is currently available in 10 chapters at Youtube.

It is not only everything I remember it for, but far more - one of the wildest visual comedies of its era and one of the sharpest satires I have ever seen.

The only weakness is the ending - while it makes its point, it's too blunt and too easy.

But the rest of the film is basically Brecht-Weill remaking "Support Your Local Sheriff" (which hadn't been made yet, of course) - absolutely incredible mix of pop culture and art-house comedy styles, as unforgettable now as it was 40 years ago (well beyond mere 'camp,' it hasn't aged a bit), decidedly one of a kind.

(PS - I've read Leone fans wondering if this film references "fistful of Dollars" - oh, no - Leone, Corbucci, and other Italian directors were almost certainly influenced by this.)

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Bizarre, but interesting, communist-era satire of traditional American Westerns

Bobs-914 August 2003

The concept of this film (an affectionate send-up of old-fashioned American cowboy films) is one that seems to have been kicked around in the movie business, both here and abroad, for quite a few years. The first realization of it that I'm familiar with is the 1949 stop-motion puppet animation short "Arie Prerie," or "Song of the Prairie," by the Czech animator Jiri Trnka. With no more dialog than some snickers and shouts, along with an operatic-style song performed by the singing cowboy hero and his heroine, it does a nice job of satirizing the old conventions of the singing cowboy movie. It's a charming film, well worth seeing.

"Lemonade Joe," done in 1964 by yet another Czech filmmaker, Oldrich Lipsky, seems to be expanding greatly on the subject in order to extend it to feature length, and aside from the basic concept the plot bears no relation to "Song of the Prairie." Yet, anyone who's seen "Song of the Prairie" will immediately see the connection. In fact the soaring, operatic song belted out by a tenor over the opening title turns out to be the very same song that the puppet protagonists of "Song of the Prairie" sang. To an English-speaking person like myself, the lyrics sound tantalizingly like English, even finishing up with the repeated phrase "goodbye, goodbye." Yet, if you look at the lyrics spelled out (as they are in the Czech DVD that I watched), you can see that they mean nothing at all in English. Are they in fact Czech, or some gibberish concocted to sound like English? Not understanding Czech, I can't really say.

Laurie Edwards' sourpuss review (see "External Reviews" and "CultureDose.net") demonstrates that not everyone will appreciate this film's style, which is certainly foreign in comparison to typical Hollywood fare. While the film's basic concept appeals to me greatly and I enjoyed its bizarre, surreal, and anarchic qualities, I can see how it might rub people the wrong way, particularly those with more conventional tastes. One user comment suggests that its humor is quintessentially Czech and cannot be fully appreciated by outsiders, and as one of those outsiders I'm not in a position to dispute that. I wouldn't argue that it's a paragon of good taste, perfect form, and artistic refinement, but I did get a kick out of it and wasn't bored or irritated, as Ms. Edwards was. Besides being a satire of the American singing cowboy genre, there seems to be some jabs at American commercialism, and perhaps even racism. This film was made in a communist country during the height of the cold war, after all. On the other hand, far harsher criticisms were made by American filmmakers in American films during the same era, so I wouldn't dream of taking any offense at it at this point in time.

The most recent attempt to satirize the singing cowboy genre that I'm aware of is Hugh Wilson's 1985 film "Rustlers' Rhapsody," starring Tom Berenger as the western hero. It seems to me more subtle and complex than "Lemonade Joe," but not nearly as stylish or entertaining.

I enjoy seeing all three of the above films, but I think perhaps the cartoon format is the best for this concept after all. "Song of the Prairie" is my favorite, being an actual animated film, followed by "Lemonade Joe" which is a live-action film that is decidedly cartoon-like, followed by "Rustlers' Rhapsody," which to my taste seems a bit tame and conventional in execution.

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6/10

Meet Our Noble Hero & Protector: Lemonade Joe

strong-122-4788853 December 2015

Before sitting down to watch Lemonade Joe, you really have to be in the right frame of mind to fully appreciate this film in all of its eccentric quirkiness. And, it would also help if you were something of a fan of Hollywood, B-Westerns from the 1940's, as well.

Opening with one of the absolute, best, over-the-top, bar-room brawl scenes that I have ever seen in any Western, I found Lemonade Joe's cartoon-ish surrealism to be very entertaining, for the most part.

This 1964 Western from Czechoslovakia was, of course, a total spoof of the genre. And, from my point of view, it certainly hit its intended mark more often than it missed.

Featuring some really outlandish stunts (worthy of The Three Stooges), lots of interesting camera-work, and a non-stop barrage of exaggerated characters (including a nasty villain named Hogofogo), Lemonade Joe (set in 1885 in the lawless town of Stetson, Arizona) was very competently directed by Czech film-maker, Oldrich Lipsky, who obviously must have watched a helluva lot of Hollywood B-Westerns in his youth.

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10/10

Before Blazing Saddles and Greaser's Palace, there was Lemonade Joe.

NateManD7 July 2005

Oldrich Lipsky was a Czech director who was well known in his country for unique bizarre comedies. Silly, wacky and crazy are just a couple words to describe his films. "Lemonade Joe" is a musical western comedy. It's a fun parody that pays homage to the old west, and is filmed in awesome sepia tones. The movie makes many jokes and references to western culture, such as the town name of Stenson City. I love how over the top the film is. Great music, bar fights, slapstick and cartoonish gunfights. Lemonade Joe knows that alcohol will ruin his ability to shoot, so that's why he enjoys Kola-Loka Lemonade. Did I mention the film has hot and voluptuous Czech actresses. Eastern Europe women rock!(dobre) You must Czech out Lemonade Joe. For more Lipsky madness also watch "Dinner for Adele".

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10/10

One of the best Czech Classics

antos12 April 2003

It is known that Henry Fonda watched this title at the International Film Festival in Karlovy Vary (Carlsbad) and declared it as the greatest enjoyment for the long time. And he did not know the Czech actors playing in the movie! This Czech elite made one of the most unforgettable happenings of all the time, and also the collaboration of director Oldrich Lipsky and the writer Jiri Brdecka made one of the best (not only Czech) parodies I have ever seen.

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9/10

A treasure

Levana4 February 1999

Made during the "Prague Spring", which produced a burst of creativity, this movie brims with lightheartedness and wild satirical wit. It's a spoof of Westerns, not so much the John Ford type as silent-movie serials. I could go on a long time telling you my favorite jokes from it, but I won't... Lobby your local revival theater or TV station, because too few people have had the opportunity to see this utterly original movie.

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1/10

Incompetent on every level.

russellt-766-5007616 February 2012

A film this bad is rare,really. You have to actually seek movies this bad out,they don't just pop out of nowhere. Enter lemonade joe. I had no knowledge of this movie until a friend of mine told me I had to watch it. He explained the premise(as ridiculous as the rest of the movie) and told some odd things about it. so when I finally watched it with him I was completely unprepared for how horrible it would be. He warned me of some things, but it still wasn't enough. The film starts with an absolutely idiotic and pointless bar fight that is never explained and gets worse and worse from there. The dialog is really cheesy and i think very badly translated from its original Czech( I am referring to the subtitles) The characters are ridiculously exaggerated and poorly written. Basically,this film just sucks. The directing,writing,acting and everything that goes into a film is just horribly gone here. i think the only other time I saw filmmaking this bad was when I saw Troll 2.This movie is just so horrible I cant articulate it. Just...ugh

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Best prophecy since Nostradamus (for Eastern Europe)

przgzr7 April 2004

Warning: Spoilers

I'm pleasantly surprised there are so many reviews for "Lemonade Joe", considering that most reviewers on IMDb are American or West-European movie fans. But films like this have some special meanings for people on the other side of Europe.

While communism controlled every segment of life, it was natural that only regime-approved movies could be made, so they had to glorify socialism, Soviet Union (except in Yugoslavia and Albania), expectation of better future (due to Communist party), also they had to condemn capitalism, USA, religion (not in all countries equally). That's why movie about USA (if not pure propaganda) could have been just a parody. In the same time, ordinary people (even some members of Communist parties) envied West Europeans and Americans, secretly wishing capitalism to come to their countries, and especially USA was a Shangri-La and a liberator. Today, with socialism more than a decade behind, East Europe can see West half-closed, mostly indifferent; USA disappointed them even more as one of the last to recognize newborn countries (though, for example, they always declared that they do not recognize occupation of Baltic states). As soon as Soviet Union ceased to exist all those small states full of hope suddenly went out of USA interest. So a white suit and hat of a good cowboy lost its meaning and he can wear anything now, his mask fell, all he wants is to sell Cola-Loca. It doesn't matter who is good or bad (who started killing and who was defending himself), who is poor/rich, honest/thief, as long as business can develop free... And, of course, who has the oil! If there were oil in Czech rep. it would be in EEC long ago, if there were oil in Yugoslavia a war maybe wouldn't have started (and if it did, the winner would have probably been the one with biggest oil supplies). But, instead of that, US showed complete lack of interest in East Europe, taking them away their biggest hope. Disappointed and betrayed by those who inspired them for more than 4 decades (and some still bleeding from war wounds) East Europeans can see this movie as a unbelievable exact prophecy. And the biggest irony, it was made from those communists that were so desperately expected to vanish! (Do I hear a big laugh from Stalin's grave?)

Not only parodying westerns (mildly, gently, with a smile) and American consumers way of living (much more bitter), it shows people as a herd: the first one is followed by all the others. If drinking whiskey is declared to be modern, everybody does it, when it's modern to drink Cola-Loca, they all change their attitudes and habits, and it doesn't matter if a black or white suit guy leads - people accept what is said to be "in" (they didn't have satellite TVs and talk-shows, but Joes and Horáces were enough). I also thought it was a parody to European art-movies but this one seems to be older. Photo and editing is western-like during action, but when music starts it changes to Vera Chytilova-style (though it's older than her well known works), so it can be a parody to modern art too.

* A spoiler describing the end *

Finally, resurrection in last scene connects past and today again (remember Jackson-McCartney "Say, Say, Say" music video, and all modern magic curatives). Everyone appears to be a family like in soap-operas (again something ahead of the time). Most supporting characters were copied from Goscinny's Lucky Luke and Jacovitti's Coco Bill (Europe vision again!), and it's funny. Main characters were symbolic (even names - Goodman, Badman), and the standard clichés are well and justly used. Everything seems to be done O.K. - just I feel a little cheated, because a smile never became a laughter (rather a yawning). The plot was simply enough for 20 minutes cartoon, interrupted by countless songs (don't get me wrong, I have some Gott and Matuska records!), and it all seems like a big wasted chance. Are we too spoiled by Mel Brooks' parodies?

Just one more answer: the title song doesn't contain Czech words, but English and Spanish words were obviously intentionally used without a meaning - common c&w words put together like common characters and action in western movies.

Wear a smile, take a cup of coffee, and read between the lines!

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10/10

Once upon a time there was a cold war between East and West...

Artemis-920 January 1999

...and even longer ago, there was an invasion of the American Wild West by depraved Eastern (a)morals. Therefore, the Comunist regime financed a satire on western films that is, by a long shot, one of the most funny, intelligent, vivid, wild, riotous, excellent movies I saw on TV a wonderful night. So many years ago it was, and I still feel good remembering it.

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10/10

Maximum Insanity & Masterful Direction

Ziglet_mir25 March 2020

Where and how do I even start?

This was a film I was recommended around 7 years ago and I recently found the time to watch it due to the Covid-19 lockdown. How I regret not having seen it sooner!

Lemonade Joe is a brilliant, brilliant, brilliant satire brought to us in the form of a western musical. Yes, you heard me right... a satiric western musical. Ever find yourself moping around the house because you can't quench your thirst for this genre? Well, my friend, search no longer.

This film is by all accounts maximum insanity but it still never gets away from itself. Even within the realm of complete wackiness do we have well-written, memorable characters and songs that shine in front of the very technical and masterful direction of Oldrich Lipsky. The most fascinating choice among everything is probably the use of color filters to suggest mood changes throughout. Everything still looks beautiful though, and the decision adds wonderful atmosphere.

From the first moments of a raucous saloon fight to the bustling town shot at the end, have I never seen such pure cartoonish slapstick pulled off so smoothly (and by no means am I downplaying the slapstick of Chaplin/Keaton and the general vaudeville era, it's just REALLY well done here). It's also really too much for me to cover examples without spoiling the set-ups which are all worth it on their own.

Now go get yourself some Kolalola Lemonade, sit back, and bask in the gloriousness that is Lemonade Joe.

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10/10

really nice movie

carbon-1214 February 2007

I am happy to find out that also in USA, where the parody aims to, are people that find the movie funny. It is a bit different view to Europeans and American westerns, using distinctive style of humor. I am not kind of people who would laugh from the beginning to the end, but i can see it many times and I find always the style of humor interesting and i enjoy the seeing. There are a bit slower parts what can someone understand as an attempt for seriousness in the movie but it really does not compete with real western movies.

For the people writing here about the projections in USA with English dubbing. There is out a DVD with both English and Czech tracks. {published by www.filmexport.cz, but quite expensive}

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10/10

Typically Czech ...

Rychyl29 December 1998

Oh yes, you may watch it even if you are an American or Japanese, but - what for ? You will not understand all of these jokes so typical for the Czechs, like you will not understand all of the jokes in Hasek´s Good Soldier Svejk. But you may try - I voted 10 points for this film ...

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9/10

"Faith works miracles."

morrison-dylan-fan8 April 2016

Warning: Spoilers

After watching 7 Czech Sci-Fi flicks I decided that it was time to start looking at a new area of Czech cinema. Checking movies that a DVD seller, (who is a big Czech film fan) had tracked down,I remembered him praising what might be the only Czech Western ever made!,which led to me having a glass of lemonade with Joe.

The plot:

1885:

Disguised at how drunk everyone is in the salons, evangelists Ezra Goodman and his daughter Winnifred decide to go round the salons and get the cowboys off hard drinks for their own, non-alcoholic drink Kolaloka. Initially taking no notice,the cowboys quickly change their mind when legendary cowboy Lemonade Joe rides into town a praises the drink.Fearing that his bars are about to go bust,owner Doug Badman brings his brother Horace (aka: "Hogofogo, the Master Criminal of the Wild West") in,to give Joe his last drop of lemonade.

View on the film:

Pulling the most American genre over the Iron Curtain,co- writer/(along with Jirí Brdecka)director Oldrich Lipský crossfires surreal cowboy shootouts with a glance towards the early beginnings of the genre.Filling the barrooms with Vlastimil Hála & Jan Rychlík's piano-led score, Lipský and cinematographer Vladimír Novotný spill stylish blue,red and lemon tints over the movie,which along with wrapping the title in an elegant Silent Movie appearance,are joined by film speed manipulation,that give the title a unique,quirky atmosphere.

Working in the "traditional" clichés of the genre, Lipský and Jirí Brdecka's adaptation of Brdecka's shoots pointed satirical darts at US capitalism and Soviet Union communism.Stuffing the bars full of their own brand of Coca Cola/ Kolaloka,the writers wonderfully paint Joe as a good kid determined to spread a capitalism product across the west.Keeping a black and white minstrel in line to "play his part",the writers brilliantly open the characters strongly held ideas over tradition,as a sly card game to play the Soviet Union's ridged belief over "what part" people must play against the wild west.Entering what was to become the biggest hit at the 60's Czech box office, Karel Fiala gives Czech's their own lemon drop kid,by blending a heroic sense of adventure in Joe with a dashing animated smile,as Lemonade Joe pours himself some lemonade.

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5/10

Please take care of your eyes

weadasalpoder19 September 2018

A parody movie about a soda mascot that always solves his problems with said product, this surely should be funny unless you decide to be "very experimental" and decide to saturate the vision of your audience with a single color. Imagining it sounds funny, a way to parody the old western movies who only used black and white due to the time but now...it just is like that, the color changes with the staging or the emotions of the characters but honestly looks awful. In case you get used to it and do not get a headache when the movie ends you still will feel a bit disappointing.

That's because some jokes really do not give grace and the ones who give grace are random you know the ones who do not make the characters in question but how the characters interact with the enviroment, but hey I have a good reason for it, they have only one characteristic to show and so one joke from some of them at least the ones who are random enough.

Due to what I said that the story is turned into something predictable and I did not witness any effort to improve it, yes we have some jokes through the whole movie with some that I found very funny like I admitted but it does not help at all when the whole story is about bad boy does bad thing and ruins good boy but then good guy comes back and reestablishes the status quo a certain number of times through all the movie.

The other aspect that I liked besides some few jokes were the music that really is not so good but compared to the bad pop music made by four producers of today I can say that it was good especially the one that the protagonist sings recurely, is not a lot but I didn't want to be so negative.

5/10 A movie with some terrible saturated colors that only hipsters will give it a masterpiece title, if you manage to don't let the colors bother you then it will give you some giggles just that and nothing more.

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Parody to Wild West movies

dtomek3 August 2000

"Limonadovy Joe" is part of the golden fund of Czech cinema; it is broadcast every year on TV and you find it in most Czech households on VHS. The fact that this movie was made in the Communist times and that it is a parody to Wild West pictures, does not mean that "Limonadovy Joe" is an ideological trash; I am sure Wild West lovers would not feel offended by this movie. It is a skeptical and self-ironic piece, but in my view, still rather homage to western. 60-ies were the best time for Czech cinema. `Limonadovy Joe' fits into those liberal years of good movies. It is a family comedy with cheerful, but still intelligent humor. Joe remained the only important role for Karel Fiala, but guaranteed him a life-long popularity in his country. Please note excellent performance of actors in episode roles, like e. g. Vladimír Mensik in the role of barman. Also the graphical aspect of the movie is worth mentioning; it is stylized in retro black and white, whereas each scene is colored to another color.

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9/10

A beautiful, beautiful western

lhmcm5 October 2022

Warning: Spoilers

In the classic Czechoslavakian western-comedy-musical, everything goes when you're on Kolaloka Lemonade.

This film is beautiful. In the way that many movies are black and white, Lemonade Joe is black and white and yellow in some scenes, or black and white and blue in others. There is no other movie like this, and there never will be another one like it. No movie will ever capture the same comedic tone, music, western feeling or visual style of this.

Lemonade Joe takes everything I love about the genres it blends and rolls them up into one crazy film. In westerns like 'The Ox Bow Incident', I love the mysterious villains and saloon fights. In '60s musicals such as 'Funny Face', I love the creative, surreal music scenes and great antagonist songs. In comedies like 'Blazing Saddles', I like unconventional humor and memorable jokes. This film delivers on not only all of those, but more.

Lemonade Joe creates a unique tone for each scene not just with the colors, but also with the camera movement. In zany action scenes, cameras move frantically back and forth. In one beautiful scene where a black silhouette of a man plays guitar in the blue night, the camera stays mostly still.

This film is something special. There is an infinite amount of memorable parts, and this film sets up a tone that hasn't been in any movie before it, even though it was thought of as just a parody. And while it is partly a parody, Lemonade Joe is much more than that. It sets up a unique tone that you'll find in no other movie. So don't wait to watch it. Watch it now.

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10/10

One of a kind

whiterabbit0619 March 2019

This movie was such a fantastic surprise. Great director's vision. It's not perfect but I give it a 10 for it's all out effort and creative juices. Not to be missed if you're looking for something to shake things up.

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10/10

whis-kola

volaricnenad6 July 2015

Warning: Spoilers

This one is a beautiful movie. through jokes is presenting how the world is or better said; the world of business. i loved this one. and the fact that it is a western in czech language is an add to a joke. all the characters are a joke. the good guy, the bad guy they all are funny. the movie is also called the horse opera which is much better to call it like that then a western. everything in this movie is ridiculed. since i've seen this movie(10 years or so ago) every time i want to order a whiskey and coke in a bar i call a whis-kola even they, in the movie, don't mix whiskey with coke but thats how they call drink they make. this one is a shining example of czech film industry, better said European film industry. i just love it..

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8/10

blazing Czechs

lee_eisenberg1 September 2014

The most famous western spoof in history is Mel Brooks's "Blazing Saddles". Another one is Oldřich Lipský's "Limonádový Joe aneb Koňská opera" ("Lemonade Joe" in English). This one combines the western spoof with the Ostern, a western genre in the Eastern Bloc. Basically, these movies were westerns that took a swipe at the US. One that I've previously seen is the East German movie "The Sons of Great Bear", featuring an Indian as the protagonist.

Anyway, "Lemonade Joe" pokes fun at the old western musicals. The main character is a jolly man trying to rid an alcohol-soaked town of booze in favor of a drink called Kolaloka (I see that they also decided to take a swipe at Coca Cola). In the process, Joe woos a young woman while fighting a dastardly villain.

I should note that the movie is basically a slapstick comedy. They incorporate sound effects to add to the humor, and Joe occasionally breaks into song (sometimes in English!). It's a pretty enjoyable movie, understanding the propaganda factor. I suspect that they had fun making it. Olga Schoberová sure is a fox.

I wonder if the Eastern Bloc ever made its own "Blazing Saddles"-type movie.

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One of the Funniest Ever

cafescott24 December 2005

"Lemonade Joe" is one of the funniest movies ever made. Certainly it is the funnest western. It is also a triumph of expressionism.

The sequences are dazzling. The opening sequence catches you by surprise; you're watching the funniest western fight in a saloon without warning. Throughout, the film just explodes with these sequences that are hysterically funny and reflect a world gone mad.

The last third of the film begins to slow down. It also becomes very expressionistic, which annoys people who do not allow themselves to appreciate disruptions to how they process their cinema.

However, the film finishes very strongly. "Lemonade Joe" is a wildly adventurous and pleasurable experience.

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zany western!

frbrooks9 April 2000

I first saw this film, an excellent English dubbed version which made it totally comprehensible, at an El Paso, Texas movie theatre many years ago. The imagery and style are what really carry the movie. It is a brilliant, hilarious, outrageous spoof of the early American cowboy western. The central character, Lemonade Joe, is a personification of "clean living" and a combination of all those early movie cowboy heroes in the tradition of William S. Hart, Tom Mix, and Hopalong Cassidy. The movie follows Joe as he attempts to rid the town saloon of liquor and promote his own product creation Kola-Loca-Lemonade. As you can well imagine, Joe in his efforts has to confront some rather mean varmints especially one appropriately name Duke Badman who at one point in the movie gets the better of Joe by spiking his lemonade drink with liquor causing him to gag and pass out. But in the end, good triumphs over evil for as Lemonade Joe so philosophically declares at one point in the movie "Evil can not stand against a clean-living man."

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