Fools' Parade (1971)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Andrew V. McLaglen

Writers:

James Lee Barrett (screenplay)
Davis Grubb (novel)

Release Date:

October 1971 (Austria)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Glory, W.Va., 1935. It wasn't exactly a parade. It wasn't a time for celebration. It was a time to run for your life.

Plot:

When a trio of ex-convicts led by Mattie Appleyard is released from prison, they hope to open a general...

Plot Keywords:

Ex Convict | Depression | Prison Warder | Prostitute | Virginia

Cast

James Stewart	...	Mattie Appleyard
George Kennedy	...	'Doc' Council
Anne Baxter	...	Cleo
Strother Martin	...	Lee Cottrill
Kurt Russell	...	Johnny Jesus
William Windom	...	Roy K. Sizemore
Mike Kellin	...	Steve Mystic
Katherine Cannon	...	Chanty
Morgan Paull	...	Junior Kilfong
Robert Donner	...	Willis Hubbard
David Huddleston	...	Homer Grindstaff
Dort Clark	...	Enoch Purdy
James Lee Barrett	...	Sonny Boy
Kitty Jefferson Doepken	...	Clara
Dwight McConnell	...	Station Master

Also Known As:

Dynamite Man from Glory Jail (UK)

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor) (as Eastman Color)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Norway:16 | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Finland:K-16 | USA:GP

Filming Locations:

Moundsville, West Virginia, USA

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

The locomotive used in this movie is none other than Southern Railway 4501, she was also used in the movie October Sky (1999) and is owned by the Tennessee Valley Railroad.

Quotes:

Cleo: She died doing what my Ma did... what her Ma did. We been puttin' out for soldiers since 1776.

Movie Connections:

References Ridin' for Justice (1932)

Why has this movie been so forgotten?

I too have been waiting for my chance to see this little gem again. I took a date to see this movie in the theater in 1971. I was in high school at the time and happy to be going on a date. Half way through the movie, just as I got the nerve to put my arm around my date and get comfortable, a severe storm rolled through the area, knocking out power to the theater and surrounding area. We hung around for a while until it was determined that the power wasn't coming back on any time soon. The theater operator gave everyone a "rain check". We went back the next night to finish the movie, so I got two dates out of one movie, a guys dream! I loved the movie with its humor, great story line, and great actors looking like they were having fun. It's a mystery to me as to why it is so hard to find this movie anywhere. I looked it up in Leonard Maltin's book and he calls it a "bomb". I haven't liked him since.