The Sheepman (1958)

Director:

George Marshall

Writers:

William Bowers (screenplay) and
James Edward Grant (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

7 May 1958 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Western

Tagline:

They called him the STRANGER WITH A GUN...

Plot:

A stranger in a Western cattle-town behaves with remarkable self-assurance, establishing himself as a man to be reckoned with...

Plot Keywords:

Sheep | Sheepman | Duel | One Against Others

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 nominations

Cast

Glenn Ford	...	Jason Sweet
Shirley MacLaine	...	Dell Payton
Leslie Nielsen	...	Col. Stephen Bedford / Johnny Bledsoe
Mickey Shaughnessy	...	Jumbo McCall
Edgar Buchanan	...	Milt Masters
Willis Bouchey	...	Frank Payton
Pernell Roberts	...	Chocktaw Neal
Slim Pickens	...	Marshal
Robert 'Buzz' Henry	...	Red (as Buzz Henry)
Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez	...	Angelo

Also Known As:

Stranger with a Gun (USA) (new title)

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Perspecta Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #18830) | West Germany:12 (nf) | Norway:12 | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Finland:S | Sweden:15 | Canada:G (Ontario)

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: After being run out of town on the train the night of the party, the next day when Jason had the train back into town, a con trail is clearly visible above the locomotive cab.

Quotes:

Dell Payton: Was he very bad?
Jason Sweet: Well, let's just say that he wasn't in any danger of getting a headache from the weight of all the gold stars on his crown.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 100 Years of the Hollywood Western (1994) (TV)

One of the funniest westerns ever done

Glenn Ford comes to town after winning a herd of sheep in a poker game and wants to settle down. Unfortunately it's in the middle of cattle country and we western fans know sheep and cattle don't mix. The whole town is against him. Leading the fight against Ford is Leslie Nielson in one of his earliest screen roles. Ford and Nielson have a common past together and Ford knows he's using an alias in the town.

It sounds like a serious range war film is opening. But actually it is one of the funniest westerns ever done. Glenn Ford is perfectly cast as the would be sheep rancher and his deadpan delivery is just wonderful to hear. Credit must go to Director George Marshall. Marshall had worked with Ford in one other film before in Ford's early Hollywood days, Texas. After the success of The Sheepman, the two of them collaborated on a whole slew of films. Marshall was one of the best comedy directors ever in Hollywood.

Shirley MacLaine has a good Calamity Jane like part and makes the most of it with her special brand of quirkiness. Edgar Buchanan who was in just about every other Glenn Ford film does fine as the livery stable owner with few scruples, but a surprising sense of integrity.

However in the supporting cast I have to mention Mickey Shaughnessy as Nielson's chief henchman. Shaughnessy specialized in playing slow witted oafs on the screen who usually were good for a few laughs. His scenes with Ford are something to behold as Ford is constantly getting the better of him in a battle of wits and/or fists. I think this film was Mickey Shaughnessy's finest screen hour.

Good comedy and enough action for the fans of traditional western fare.