The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970)

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

Director:

Sam Peckinpah

Writers:

John Crawford, Edmund Penney

Stars:

Jason Robards, Stella Stevens, David Warner

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jason Robards	...	Cable Hogue
Stella Stevens	...	Hildy
David Warner	...	Reverend Joshua Douglas Sloan
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

Storyline

Double-crossed and left without water in the desert, Cable Hogue is saved when he finds a spring. It is in just the right spot for a much needed rest stop on the local stagecoach line, and Hogue uses this to his advantage. He builds a house and makes money off the stagecoach passengers. Hildy, a sex worker from the nearest town, moves in with him. Hogue has everything going his way until the advent of the automobile ends the era of the stagecoach.

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Plot Keywords:

arizona desert | arizona territory | territory | buxom | big breasts | 

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Taglines:

Cable Hogue says..."Seek...and ye shall find."

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 March 1970 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Ballad of Cable Hogue

Filming Locations:

Gold Canyon, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,716,946 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Eaves Movie Ranch, Warner Bros.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Several crew members were fired from this film. It was the job of one crew member to have bus tickets back to Los Angeles for a fired crew member. If someone lost their job, Sam Peckinpah would ask, "Do you have a bus ticket for them?"

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Goofs

Before Hildy kicks a hole in the door, the the shape of the weakened section can be made out from the outside.

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Quotes

Hildy: Honey, you was smelling bad enough to gag a dog off a gut wagon!

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Connections

Referenced in Image Makers: The Adventures of America's Pioneer Cinematographers (2019)

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Soundtracks

Butterfly Mornin's
Written by Richard Gillis
Arranged by Jerry Goldsmith
Performed by Jason Robards and Stella Stevens

User Reviews

The Mild Bunch

Peckinpah followed up his masterpiece, "The Wild Bunch," which featured slow-motion violence, with this gentle comedy western featuring fast-motion comedy. Robards is wonderful in the title role, a good-natured loser who hits upon a goldmine by stumbling upon a water spring in the desert. Stevens looks hot and has one of her best roles as a hooker with a heart of gold. The great supporting cast includes Martin and Jones, who seem to have picked up right where they left off in "The Wild Bunch." While enjoyable, it is perhaps a little too low-key to sustain a running time of two hours, and the ending is rather contrived. The soundtrack includes a couple of tuneful songs.