Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsABFFPride MonthOutfest OutfrontsSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

The Sheepman

  • 1958
  • Passed
  • 1h 25m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
2.8K
YOUR RATING
Shirley MacLaine and Glenn Ford in The Sheepman (1958)
A brash stranger and his sheep arrive in a small town, but not soon after, the townspeople decide they've seen enough of him.
Play trailer2:30
1 Video
76 Photos
Western

A brash stranger and his sheep arrive in a small town, but not soon after, the townspeople decide they've seen enough of him.A brash stranger and his sheep arrive in a small town, but not soon after, the townspeople decide they've seen enough of him.A brash stranger and his sheep arrive in a small town, but not soon after, the townspeople decide they've seen enough of him.

  • Director
    • George Marshall
  • Writers
    • William Bowers
    • James Edward Grant
    • William Roberts
  • Stars
    • Glenn Ford
    • Shirley MacLaine
    • Leslie Nielsen
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    6.8/10
    2.8K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • George Marshall
    • Writers
      • William Bowers
      • James Edward Grant
      • William Roberts
    • Stars
      • Glenn Ford
      • Shirley MacLaine
      • Leslie Nielsen
    • 39User reviews
    • 9Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 3 nominations total

    Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 2:30
    Watch Trailer

    Photos76

    Glenn Ford on the set of "Sheepman," MGM 1957.
    Glenn Ford with Shirley MacLaine and director, George Marshall, on the set of "Sheepman," MGM 1957.
    Glenn Ford on the set of "Sheepman," MGM 1957.
    Glenn Ford in The Sheepman (1958)
    Shirley MacLaine and Glenn Ford in The Sheepman (1958)
    Shirley MacLaine and Glenn Ford in The Sheepman (1958)
    Glenn Ford and Pernell Roberts in The Sheepman (1958)
    Glenn Ford in The Sheepman (1958)
    Pernell Roberts in The Sheepman (1958)
    Shirley MacLaine, Glenn Ford, and Edgar Buchanan in The Sheepman (1958)
    Walter Bacon, Sam Bagley, and Pernell Roberts in The Sheepman (1958)
    Leslie Nielsen, Walter Bacon, Sam Bagley, and Pernell Roberts in The Sheepman (1958)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Glenn Ford
    Glenn Ford
    • Jason Sweet
    Shirley MacLaine
    Shirley MacLaine
    • Dell Payton
    Leslie Nielsen
    Leslie Nielsen
    • Col. Stephen Bedford
    Mickey Shaughnessy
    Mickey Shaughnessy
    • Jumbo McCall
    Edgar Buchanan
    Edgar Buchanan
    • Milt Masters
    Willis Bouchey
    Willis Bouchey
    • Frank Payton
    Pernell Roberts
    Pernell Roberts
    • Chocktaw Neal
    Slim Pickens
    Slim Pickens
    • Marshal
    Robert 'Buzz' Henry
    Robert 'Buzz' Henry
    • Red
    • (as Buzz Henry)
    Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez
    Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez
    • Angelo
    Richard Alexander
    Richard Alexander
    • Barfly
    • (uncredited)
    Leon Alton
    Leon Alton
    • Party Guest
    • (uncredited)
    Roscoe Ates
    Roscoe Ates
    • Town Loafer
    • (uncredited)
    Emile Avery
    • Party Guest
    • (uncredited)
    Walter Bacon
    • Townsman
    • (uncredited)
    Sam Bagley
    • Townsman
    • (uncredited)
    Irene Barton
    Irene Barton
    • Mme. Fifi
    • (uncredited)
    Danny Borzage
    • Accordionist
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • George Marshall
    • Writers
      • William Bowers
      • James Edward Grant
      • William Roberts
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    The Fastest Gun Alive
    7.1
    The Fastest Gun Alive
    Cowboy
    6.7
    Cowboy
    The Desperadoes
    6.4
    The Desperadoes
    The Violent Men
    6.9
    The Violent Men
    Cimarron
    6.4
    Cimarron
    Rawhide
    7.1
    Rawhide
    From Hell to Texas
    6.9
    From Hell to Texas
    The Way West
    6.2
    The Way West
    Hot Spell
    7.0
    Hot Spell
    The Man from Colorado
    6.6
    The Man from Colorado
    The Americano
    5.6
    The Americano
    Jubal
    7.1
    Jubal

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Glenn Ford was nearly 20 years older than Shirley MacLaine.
    • Goofs
      After being run out of town on the train the night of the party, the next day when Jason had the train back into town, a contrail is clearly visible above the locomotive cab.
    • Quotes

      Angelo: How come you get into the sheep business, boss?

      Jason Sweet: Well, I'll tell ya, Angelo. You see, it's this way. I just got tired of kicking cows around. You know how dumb they are.

      Angelo: And you think sheep are smarter?

      Jason Sweet: Oh, no, no. They're dumber. Only their easier kicking...and woollier.

    • Connections
      Featured in 100 Years of the Hollywood Western (1994)
    • Soundtracks
      Buffalo Girls
      (uncredited)

      Traditional

      [Sung at the party when Sweet is taken to visit the colonel]

    User reviews39

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    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.
    helpful•22
    7
    • dougdoepke
    • Oct 29, 2007

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 7, 1958 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Stranger with a Gun
    • Filming locations
      • Montrose, Colorado, USA
    • Production company
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $1,283,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 25 minutes
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Shirley MacLaine and Glenn Ford in The Sheepman (1958)
    Top Gap
    By what name was The Sheepman (1958) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.