In 1935, after forty years in a West Virginia prison, three released convicts wish to open a legitimate business using the twenty-five thousand dollars earned in jail, but a crooked prison guard in cahoots with the town banker plans to defraud them.
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Title: Fools' Parade (1971)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| 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 (as Kathy Cannon) | |
| 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 |
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Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
See All (16) »
Storyline
When a trio of ex-convicts led by Mattie Appleyard is released from prison, they hope to open a general store using money Mattie has saved during his 40-year sentence. This attempt is met with great resistance from a corrupt prison official and the banker who issued Mattie the check. Written by Greg Helton <ghelton@airmail.net>
Plot Keywords:
ex convict | punctuation in title | apostrophe in title | train | train guard |Taglines:
Every greedy gun-toter in the hills is after this fool and his money! See more »Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
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See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
1971 (UK) See more »Also Known As:
Die Gnadenlosen See more »Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
Color (Eastmancolor) (as Eastman Color)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1
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Did You Know?
Trivia
The bank that is the setting of much of the film's action was a real bank, only four blocks away from the front gate of the West Virginia State Penitentiary from which the heroes are seen emerging at the beginning of the movie. The Grave Creek Indian Mound, a two thousand-year-old Adena burial site, lies directly between them. See more »Goofs
When "Doc" Council stands over Junior and shoots him, his shotgun doesn't kick even one inch. Holding it like he did the gun should have kicked back quite hard. See more »Quotes
Mattie Appleyard: [removing his glass eye] If thine eye offend thee, pluck it out.See more »
Crazy Credits
Opening credits prologue: 1935 See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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The plot is simple: 3 convicts have done their time and are being released from prison. Mattie Appleyard (James Stewart) has saved a large sum of money while behind bars and plans to open a small store with his two compatriots. However, we know from the very first scene that prison authority 'Doc' Council (George Kennedy) is not a friend of inmates nor those who have paid their debt to society, and this is where the story begins. Both Stewart and Kennedy give very solid performances, and as to why this movie is not widely recognised for being one of the best in either actors' careers is very much beyond me. No, it doesn't have space aliens blowing up New York, or laser beams shooting out of mutants' eyes, or even alleged terrorists fighting each other with bio-chemical weapons in some far flung country. However, what it does have are actors practicing their individual crafts as best as they know how to and providing the viewing audience with an extremely good product. This is what is called entertainment.