in the fighting kentuckian john wayne step back a couple of generation on the american frontier from where he usually have his movie role to play a frontier soldier . he one of the kentucky rifleman who saw action in the indian war and the battle of new orleans with andrew jackson . his company be go home to kentucky to be de mobilized . but in a town in alabama call demopolis and wayne get a bit sidetrack by the lovely vera hruba ralston . ralston be the daughter of hugo haas who play one of napoleon former general who be now lead a party of french exile settler who have settle on land grant to them in demopolis . the problem be that the french settler be be set up for a big con game by a quartet of villain and marie windsor and paul fix and john howard and and grant withers . because of wayne grow involvement with ralston he and sidekick oliver hardy get draw into the problem of the settler . that right i do say oliver hardy . while partner stan laurel be have health problem hardy do this film with john wayne and another and rid high and with bing crosby . it a different ollie we see in the fighting kentuckian and not the know it all forever get hoist on his own petard by his bumbling partner laurel . for most of the film he a traditional sidekick to wayne in the gabby hayes tradition . however there be one scene where ollie get to use the duke a a substitute stan laurel . wayne and hardy sneak into a party give by haas a musician and fiddler to be precise . hardy actually play and but wayne be go to fake it . that be until the piece theyre play call for a solo . a each musician do his bit and the expression on wayne face be pure stan laurel . ollie who be never the creative one in their partnership have to have coach wayne on this . he do all the traditional stan laurel shtick and but cry . it very funny and totally not what you would expect from john wayne . it the highlight of the film for me . on the negative side the film be a bit overplotted . the quartet of villain mention above be all not quite work in tandem . each one have his own agenda and it make the film a bit hard to follow . still i believe the duke fan will enjoy a somewhat different john wayne and laurel and hardy fan would appreciate wayne attempt at a salute to stan . i think ollie work well with the duke than he do with harry langdon in zenobia .