Rancho Deluxe (1975)

Two drifters, of widely varying backgrounds, rustle cattle and try to avoid being caught in contemporary Montana.

Director:

Frank Perry

Writer:

Thomas McGuane

Stars:

Jeff Bridges, Sam Waterston, Elizabeth Ashley

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jeff Bridges	...	Jack McKee
Sam Waterston	...	Cecil Colson
Elizabeth Ashley	...	Cora Brown
Clifton James	...	John Brown
Slim Pickens	...	Henry Beige
Charlene Dallas	...	Laura Beige
Harry Dean Stanton	...	Curt
Richard Bright	...	Burt
Patti D'Arbanville	...	Betty Fargo
Maggie Wellman	...	Mary Fargo
Joe Spinell	...	Mr. Colson (as Joseph Spinell)
Bert Conway	...	Wilbur Fargo
Anthony Palmer	...	Karl
Richard McMurray	...	Mr. McKee
Danna Hansen	...	Mrs. McKee

Storyline

Jack McKee (Jeff Bridges) and Cecil Colson (Sam Waterston) are bumbling drifters who make a living by rustling cattle in the wilds of Montana. Jack left his wealthy parents because he resented their posh lives. Cecil is of Caucasian and Native American descent seeking his own path in life away from his grumpy cowboy father (Joe Spinell). Both Jack and Cecil hustle and rustle their way in the world by targeting cattle owned by wealthy ranch-owner John Brown (Clifton James). Frustrated that someone is killing his cattle, John hires a pair of ranch hands, Burt and Curt (Richard Bright and Harry Dean Stanton), to find the rustlers. When Brown realizes he cannot trust his two inept ranch hands, he turns to the grizzled former rustler Henry Beige (Slim Pickens) to find the cattle thieves. Jack and Cecil always stay a step ahead of their pursuers, not realizing that their luck must run out sometime.

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Plot Keywords:

yellowstone national park | ranch hand | ranch | drifter | rustler | 

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Taglines:

Oh give me a home, with a low interest loan, A cowgirl and two pickup trucks. A color TV, all the beer should be free, And that, man, is Rancho Deluxe.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance | Western

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 March 1975 (USA)

Also Known As:

Amigos e Aventureiros

Filming Locations:

Yellowstone National Park, Montana, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Elliott Kastner Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (DeLuxe Color)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

At the Wrangler, Jimmy Buffett's backup band features not only local Livingston resident (at the time) Warren Oates, but also neighbor and film screenwriter Thomas McGuane (with the long hair playing mandolin).

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Quotes

Jack McKee: Let's skip these runners-Up and also-Rans. Let's go for the biggest and the best.
Cecil Colson: What's that?
Jack McKee: Let's see what won the top seed bull.
Cecil Colson: I want to see the winning chicken.
Jack McKee: We're gonna skip the chicken.
Cecil Colson: I'm into blue-Ribbon cabbages. I want to see one.
Jack McKee: Let's keep our eye on the ball, Cecil.

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Alternate Versions

Television version features two additional minutes of alternate footage and runs 95 minutes.

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Connections

Features Pong (1972)

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Soundtracks

Left Me With a Nail to Drive
Written and Performed by Jimmy Buffett

User Reviews

For "grown ups", if not all "adults".

A truly funny, gentle, intelligent movie. A rare cinematic experience, in that the surprise ending doesn't leave one feeling manipulated. Slim Pickens' performance was on a par with his work in Dr. Strangelove. A great "western" for those who,like myself, don't particularly like "westerns".