The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970)

Director:

Sam Peckinpah

Writers:

John Crawford (writer)
Edmund Penney (writer)

Release Date:

22 May 1970 (Finland)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance | Western

Tagline:

Cable Hogue says..."Do unto others... as you would have others do unto you."

Plot:

A hobo accidentally stumbles onto a water spring, and creates a profitable way station in the middle of the desert.

Plot Keywords:

Stagecoach | Desert | Water | Revenge | Reverend

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Jason Robards	...	Cable Hogue
Stella Stevens	...	Hildy
David Warner	...	Joshua
Strother Martin	...	Bowen
Slim Pickens	...	Ben Fairchild
L.Q. Jones	...	Taggart
Peter Whitney	...	Cushing
R.G. Armstrong	...	Quittner
Gene Evans	...	Clete
William Mims	...	Jensen
Kathleen Freeman	...	Mrs. Jensen
Susan O'Connell	...	Claudia
Vaughn Taylor	...	Powell
Max Evans	...	Webb Seely
James Anderson	...	Preacher

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:PG | Singapore:NC-16 | West Germany:12 (re-rated) | West Germany:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 (1970) | USA:R | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Apache Junction, Arizona, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Sam Peckinpah started work on this film almost immediately after finishing work on the landmark The Wild Bunch (1969). That is why Strother Martin and L.Q. Jones were cast in similar roles in both films.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When the Rev. Sloan is comforting Claudia and unbuttons her blouse, it is obvious that her skirt has a zipper. The movie takes place in 1908, but the modern zipper that would be used on clothing wasn't designed until 1913 and patented in 1917.

Quotes:

Hildy: [singing] Butterfly mornings / And wildflower afternoons.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Ladiest Damn'd Lady: An Afternoon with Stella Stevens (2006) (V)

Soundtrack:

Wait for Me, Sunrise

Lyrical and touching fable lamenting the passing of the mythic "Old West.".

If you think Sam Peckinpah only made violent films, you owe it to yourself to rent this from your video store. A lovely, lyrical, and emotionally satisfying fable about the last western hero, trying to scratch out an existence as he watches his era pass him by. Wonderful performances by Jason Robards, Stella Stevens, and David Warner; an entertaining script; all directed with a light and subtle touch - for a change - by Sam Peckinpah. Although I am a great fan of the Wild Bunch, Straw Dogs, and Major Dundee, Cable Hogue is in my opinion Peckinpah's masterpiece.