Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971)

A con artist arrives in a mining town controlled by two competing companies. Both companies think he's a famous gunfighter and try to hire him to drive the other out of town.

Director:

Burt Kennedy

Writer:

James Edward Grant

Stars:

James Garner, Suzanne Pleshette, Jack Elam

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Garner	...	Latigo
Suzanne Pleshette	...	Patience
Jack Elam	...	Jug May
Harry Morgan	...	Taylor
Joan Blondell	...	Jenny
Marie Windsor	...	Goldie
John Dehner	...	Col. Ames
Henry Jones	...	Ez
Dub Taylor	...	Doc Schultz
Kathleen Freeman	...	Mrs. Perkins
Dick Curtis	...	Bud Barton
Willis Bouchey	...	McLaglen
Walter Burke	...	Morris
Gene Evans	...	Butcher
Grady Sutton	...	Elmer / Storekeeper

Storyline

James Garner plays a ladies' man who ends up on the run from a conquest. He has an embarrassing problem that requires a doctor, but that is not immediately disclosed. He and a town barsweep form a plot to impersonate a well-known gunfighter so that Garner can pay off his debts and skip town before the soon to come arrival of the real gunfighter. The cast is almost identical to Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969) and the humor is similar. Typical: "You hit him from behind!" Garner: "Just as hard as I could!"

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Plot Keywords:

cowboy comedy | gunfighter | doctor | mining town | con | 

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Taglines:

The story of a man who took the law into his own finger!

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

It is a bit of a technicality the train seen at the beginning and end of the movie was not the Durango and Silverton it was still the Denver and Rio Grande Western. In 1971 the DRGW was still owner and operator of the line and this trackage was still part of a class 1 railroad and not a tourist / heritage railroad. Even though DRGW was looking at the time for a buyer or just the permission to the interstate transportation board for abandonment of the rail grade. They would find neither until the mid 1980s.

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Goofs

At the big bonfire celebration, Col. Ames confesses to Latigo that he never really sent off telegrams to Swifty Morgan; it was just a stunt to scare off the miners. If true, why was the telegrapher expecting Swifty on the train? Obviously the telegrapher sent something.

This is not a goof because Col. Ames was not talking about the situation near the end when the telegrapher was waiting for Swifty Morgan; he was talking about at the very beginning when he pretended to send a telegram to Swifty so his sister would tell Taylor Barton about it to scare him. This was why Taylor and his men thought Latigo Smith was Swifty Morgan, because they were expecting him, and it's why Patience Barton thought Latigo was Swifty come to kill her pa. Only later when Col. Ames found out that Jug May was impersonating Swifty Morgan did he actually telegraph him, and THAT is when the telegrapher saw the message and knew Swifty Morgan was coming to Purgatory.

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Quotes

Latigo: Well, there's one thing that don't change about women. That's the fact that... they're changeable.
Doc Schultz: Where'd you learn so much about women?
Latigo: I worked at it.

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Connections

Spoofs Yojimbo (1961)

User Reviews

For the entire family

Good wholesome family entertainment without any of today's obvious little references towards sex and bad language. James Garner always gives a fine performance with his flair for comedy. Be sure to also see "Support Your Local Sheriff". The kids will love it.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 May 1971 (UK)

Also Known As:

Latigo

Filming Locations:

Newhall, California, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$551,500

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cherokee-Brigade Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1