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

1 win & 3 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:

australia | sheriff | violence | embarrassment | accident prone | 

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Taglines:

Our trouble-shooting sheriff always put his finger on it (or in it). No wonder they call him The Fastest Finger in the West.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Romance | 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

Walter Brennan's part is a spoof of his part in My Darling Clementine (1946), in which he is head of the Clanton clan.

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Goofs

When the Danbys come into town for the final showdown there are 13 of them. During the battle, two are shot down by Prudie yet when they all come to the cannon at the end there are still 13 of them.

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Quotes

Prudy: I said it before and I'll say it again: The men in this town are nothin' but a bunch of lowdown, miserable, cowardly curs!
Mayor Ollie Perkins: As your father, I may have to take that kind of talk from you; but as the mayor of this town I sure as hell don't. Throw her out, boys... and don't be too gentle with her!

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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.