The Sheepman (1958)

Director:

George Marshall

Writers:

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

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 | Quick Draw | Gunfight | Cowboy | Fist Fight

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
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Richard Alexander	...	Barfly (uncredited)
Roscoe Ates	...	Town Loafer (uncredited)
Irene Barton	...	Mme. Fifi (uncredited)
Lane Bradford	...	Ranch Hand (uncredited)
Chet Brandenburg	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Brandy Bryan	...	Miss Rafferty (uncredited)
Ralph Bucko	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Lorraine Carol	...	Amy Masterson (uncredited)
Edith Clair	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Bill Clark	...	Ranch Hand (uncredited)
G. Pat Collins	...	Elmer - Engineer (uncredited)
Gene Coogan	...	Rancher (uncredited)
Franklyn Farnum	...	Town Loafer (uncredited)
Lee Tung Foo	...	Willie, Proprietor of Restaurant (uncredited)
Tom Greenway	...	Rancher (uncredited)
Kit Guard	...	Town Loafer (uncredited)
Bill Hale	...	Ranch Hand (uncredited)
Harry Harvey	...	General Store Proprietor (uncredited)
Lasse Hellman	...	Ranch Hand (uncredited)
Percy Helton	...	Station Master (uncredited)
Jimmy Horan	...	Dancer at Party (uncredited)
Wes Hudman	...	Curly (uncredited)
Norman Leavitt	...	Town Loafer (uncredited)
Forrest Lewis	...	Mr. Baker - Tack Shop Proprietor (uncredited)
Tom London	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Frank Marlowe	...	Barney - Townsman (uncredited)
Kermit Maynard	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Burt Mustin	...	Man on Stairs (uncredited)
William Newell	...	Bartender (uncredited)
Charles Perry	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Bob Reeves	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Dick Rich	...	Loudmouth Man at Bar (uncredited)
Robert Robinson	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Jack Stoney	...	Townsman (uncredited)
Peggy Taylor	...	Laura Witkum (uncredited)
Dan White	...	Rancher (uncredited)
Harry Wilson	...	Town Loafer (uncredited)
Harry Woods	...	Cattle Rancher in Restaurant (uncredited)

Directed by
George Marshall

Writing credits
William Bowers		(screenplay) and
James Edward Grant		(screenplay)
William Roberts		(adaptation)
James Edward Grant		(story)

Produced by
Edmund Grainger	....	producer

Original Music by
Jeff Alexander

Cinematography by
Robert J. Bronner		(director of photography) (as Robert Bronner)

Film Editing by
Ralph E. Winters

Art Direction by
Malcolm Brown
William A. Horning

Set Decoration by
Henry Grace		(set decorations)
Hugh Hunt		(set decorations)

Costume Design by
Walter Plunkett

Makeup Department
Sydney Guilaroff	....	hair stylist
William Tuttle	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Al Jennings	....	assistant director

Art Department
Matty Azzarone	....	construction (uncredited)

Sound Department
Wesley C. Miller	....	recording supervisor (as Dr. Wesley C. Miller)

Special Effects by
Robert R. Hoag	....	special effects

Stunts
Martha Crawford	....	stunt double: Shirley MacLaine (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Charles K. Hagedon	....	color consultant

Music Department
Arthur Morton	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Charles C. Coleman	....	location (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1958) (USA) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1958) (UK) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1958) (France) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1967) (USA) (TV) (original airing) (pan/scan)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1958) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Swashbuckler Films (2005) (France) (theatrical) (re-release)
• atlas Film (????) (West Germany) (theatrical) (re-release)

Other Companies

• Westrex Recording System  recording system

Also Known As:

"Stranger with a Gun" - USA (informal alternative title)

Runtime:

85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Perspecta Stereo (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

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

Filming Locations:

Montrose, Colorado, USA

Company:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Goofs:

Continuity: When Chocktaw confronts Jason he fires seven shots from his six-shooter before stopping to reload.

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:

Referenced in Come Fly with Me (1963)

Mutton and Veal Don't Get Along

In 1957, there was enough phony gun smoke on the screen to choke Superman. Most Westerns were filled with cardboard characters, unimaginative stories, and predictable showdowns. Too bad this under-rated little entry got lost in the shuffle, because it's both highly original and genuinely humorous, with an expert cast, a great script, and some magnificent Colorado landscapes.

What really distinguishes this oater is Ford's droll character (Mr. Sweet!) and the film's sprightly dialogue, neither of which sounds like you've yawned through it all before. In fact, Sweet is one of the few original cowboy creations of the time. He's a sly dog, so you never know what he'll do next, which keeps the audience riveted. Then too, Ford plays the part beautifully, his typical low-key manner making the many clever twists all the more surprising. Watch how adroitly Sweet wakes up the sleepy town at movie's outset. It amounts to a real head-turning treat.

So why do cattlemen hate sheep, the crux of the story. I don't think the screenplay explains, but it's because sheep don't just graze, they eat the roots, killing the forage, which leaves nothing for the cattle. So you know sheepman Glenn Ford is in for a passel of trouble when he brings his flock to cattle country. And trouble he gets in the form of slickster Leslie Nielsen (before Nielsen showed his own comedic talents).

And whose inspiration was it to cast the very un-frontier-like Shirley McLaine in the girl role. She's just wacky enough to make her pairing with Sweet seem natural. Then too, there're those two impossibly colorful characters-- the sneaky Edgar Buchanan at his slipperiest and the half-clown, half-thug Mickey Shaughnessy at his schizo best.

What really surprises me is that this little gem came from Western-averse MGM, which always seemed to be above such common fare as horse operas. Still, the movie does benefit from that studio's emphasis on production values-- even the outdoor sets are hard to detect.

My only complaint-- the two shootouts look like unimaginative sops to convention. It's as if the writers had to surrender to what someone thought the audience expected. Too bad. Anyway, don't let the movie's relative obscurity fool you. It's one of those sleepers that sometimes wandered away from the Dream Factory only to get lost in the crowd. Nonetheless, it's still well worth a look-see, even 50 years later.