Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969)

In the old west, a man becomes a sheriff just for the pay, figuring he can decamp if things get tough. In the end, he uses ingenuity instead.

Director:

Burt Kennedy

Writer:

William Bowers

Stars:

James Garner, Joan Hackett, Walter Brennan

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
James Garner	...	Jason McCullough
Joan Hackett	...	Prudy Perkins
Walter Brennan	...	Pa Danby
Harry Morgan	...	Olly Perkins
Jack Elam	...	Jake
Henry Jones	...	Henry Jackson
Bruce Dern	...	Joe Danby
Willis Bouchey	...	Thomas Devery
Gene Evans	...	Tom Danby
Walter Burke	...	Fred Johnson
Dick Peabody	...	Luke Danby
Chubby Johnson	...	Brady
Kathleen Freeman	...	Mrs. Danvers
Dick Haynes	...	Bartender

Storyline

McCullough is "passing through on my way to Australia" when he takes a job in a gold rush town. After a startling display of marksmanship he immediately arrests the youngest son of the evil landowner (Danby). A battle of hired guns begins as McCullough continues to tame the town and defeat the gunslingers with a combination of skill and wit.

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Plot Keywords:

sheriff | australia | mud wrestling | courage | conscience | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Western

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 March 1969 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Sheriff

Filming Locations:

Iverson Ranch - 1 Iverson Lane, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cherokee Productions, Three Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Though not a sequel or related to the original story line, this movie was followed by Support Your Local Gunfighter with most of the cast intact playing similar characters.

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Goofs

As they ride into town for the big showdown, We see the Danby clan from the rear. The angle changes to a front view and some of the riders have changed position. Specifically, the Danby sons are now on either side of Danby, who is still in his same position.

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Quotes

Joe Danby: I hear you're gonna try and arrest me. You know you don't look near as tough as some of them other sheriffs we've had lately. Particularly that old boy that done run off about an hour and a half after he took the job.
Jason McCullough: Joe, you just make me feel tired all over when you talk like that.
Joe Danby: Now, what do you mean by that?
Jason McCullough: It's bad enough to have to kill a man without having to listen to a whole lot of stupid talk from him first.

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Connections

Spoofs Cimarron (1960)

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Soundtracks

"Rock of Ages"
Lyrics by Augustus Montague Toplady
Music by Thomas Hastings
Hummed by Joan Hackett

User Reviews

Excellent Western Parody

This is a classic example of a genre parody. It's not one of those jokes-coming-at-100mph kind of spoofs (such as Blazing Saddles), it simply plays everything by genre rules. It shares this with the 1939 version of Destry Rides Again, but it goes much further in exhibiting the hilarious potential of the genre by just slightly exaggerating the kind of improbable situations classic Westerns so often throw at us.

To appreciate this film properly you need to be familiar with the classic Western genre, mostly to understand how the genre works when played straight but you may also recognise some movie references.

The cast is absolutely marvellous, James Garner is a commanding lead, Jack Elam has never been better, and there are first-rate character actors for all the supporting roles. Especially Harry Morgan and Walter Brennan are excellent in roles very similar to ones they played straight in High Noon and My Darling Clementine, respectively.