It is about a slick gambler named Russell Donovan (Bill Bixby) who is duped into taking care of three orphans who eventually strike gold.

[3] They developed different styles of pulling off their comedy; Conway's characters were usually their less intelligent, which made Knotts usually their brains, though they were both equally inept.

Buddy Baker composed the music for the film and its sequel, The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again, with Joseph Dubin performing the orchestration.

The song "The Apple Dumpling Gang", as heard in the opening and closing credits, was composed by Shane Tatum and was sung/performed by Randy Sparks and the Back Porch Majority.

Set in the Wild West in 1879, a slick gambler named Russell Donovan (Bill Bixby) comes to the town of Quake City en route to open a casino in New Orleans.

The stagecoach driver, Magnolia "Dusty" Clydesdale (Susan Clark), explains that Wintle is in fact their relative and legal guardian.

The town's sheriff, barber, Justice of the Peace, and judge, Homer McCoy (Harry Morgan), tells him that he is legally obligated unless he can have someone else take custody of them.

It consists of two ne'er-do-well former members of the Stillwell Gang named Amos Tucker (Tim Conway) and Theodore Ogelvie (Don Knotts).

The theme song, "The Apple Dumpling Gang", was written by Shane Tatum and performed by Randy Sparks and the Back Porch Majority.

"[5] Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune gave the film one star out of four and called it "the latest piece of treacle from the Walt Disney sitcom kitchen.

The recipe is well-known: Mix smiling moms and pops with the dash of villains, fold in saccharine children, and beat with slapstick.

[7] Variety called the film "an engaging gentle-humored comedy melodrama ... Don Tait's screenplay based on the book by Jack M. Bickham would benefit by some sharp editing of certain Knotts-Conway routines but otherwise picture generally is a fast-paced situation caper".

[8] Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times called it "a pleasant and funny Disney family comedy" that was "a bit long but amiable enough to get away with overstaying its welcome".

[9] Gary Arnold of The Washington Post called it "the summer's second consecutive stale confection from the Disney organization, whose comedy formulas are solely in need of rejuvenation".

One year later saw the premiere of a television series, Gun Shy, with a completely different cast, including Barry Van Dyke in the Bixby role.