Cat Ballou (1965)

A young schoolteacher turns into an outlaw to avenge her murdered father.

Director:

Elliot Silverstein

Writers:

Walter Newman (screenplay), Frank Pierson (screenplay) (as Frank R. Pierson)

Stars:

Jane Fonda, Lee Marvin, Michael Callan

Won 1 Oscar. Another 9 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jane Fonda	...	Catherine 'Cat' Ballou
Lee Marvin	...	Eli 'Kid' Shelleen / Tim Strawn
Michael Callan	...	Clay Boone
Dwayne Hickman	...	Jed
Nat 'King' Cole	...	Shouter - Sunrise Kid (as Nat King Cole)
Stubby Kaye	...	Shouter - Sam the Shade
Tom Nardini	...	Jackson Two-Bears
John Marley	...	Frankie Ballou
Reginald Denny	...	Sir Harry Percival
Jay C. Flippen	...	Sheriff Ed Cardigan
Arthur Hunnicutt	...	Butch Cassidy
Bruce Cabot	...	Sheriff Maledon
Burt Mustin	...	Accuser
Paul Gilbert	...	Train Messenger

Storyline

Cat(herine) Ballou's family farm is being threatened by the railroad. She sends for Kid Shelleen, finding him to be the drunkest gunfighter in the west. When her father is killed by the rail road magnate's gunman, she vows to fight on. Shelleen manages to ride sideways in several scenes, while minstrels sing the ballad of Cat Ballou in between scenes.

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Plot Keywords:

death of father | hanging | drunken horse | blowing out a candle | hideout | 

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Taglines:

It's That Way-Out Whopper Of A Funny Western...A She-Bang To End All She-Bangs!

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film's horse trainer told Elliot Silverstein that the scene where a horse leans against a wall with its front legs crossed could not be shot because horses don't cross their legs, but that it might be possible if he had a couple of days. Silverstein invoked his rank as director and gave him an hour. The trainer plied the horse with sugar cubes while repeatedly pushing its leg into position, and they were able to get the shot.

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Goofs

When Kid is having his bath just after Jackson has poured in some hot water, the surface of the water is mostly all steam. As Kid is lathering up his face to shave, a closer shot shows all of the steam replaced by lots of suds that weren't there just before.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Professor Sam The Shade, The Sunrise Kid: [singing] Well now friends just lend an ear for you're now about to hear the Ballad of Cat Ballou.

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits appear in the pages of a Playbill magazine.

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Connections

Referenced in Halloween II (2009)

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Soundtracks

Rock of Ages
(uncredited)
Written by Augustus Montague Toplady
Sung by the Townsfolk

User Reviews

Tour de force performance by Marvin makes this a hit!

Jane Fonda plays Cat Ballou, back in the days when she was not only acting but also accepting sexy kittenish roles, a rancher's daughter out to avenge the murder of said rancher by the bad guys who run the town. Yep, it's a sex Western, one that gives us the one-of-a-kind performances of Fonda and of Lee Marvin, who has two roles - an alcoholic gunslinger who's supposed to be Cat's saving and a mean, dastardly hit man with a prosthetic nose - and who won himself an Oscar for his delightful work. But it's not just the lighthearted performances of the actors that floats this film, it's also the riveting, uproarious script. The pace is never dull - there are some Westerns that'll slow things down to kind of add mood to a story, but not this one. This would make a nice double-bill with another of Fonda's sexy early roles, "Barbarella."

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 June 1965 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cat Ballou

Filming Locations:

Custer County, Colorado, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$20,666,667

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures, Harold Hecht Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastman Color)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1