Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

"Look at your eyes... they're red, bloodshot." Jackson Two Bears
"You oughta see em from my side!" Kid Shelleen

Cat Ballou (1965)

Cat Ballou is a classic example of the whole being more than the sum of its parts. When taken piece by piece it can seem trite and mediocre, but the combination of everything makes it a fun romp and a great spoof on the western genre.

The story is one of revenge, where mild mannered schoolmarm Catherine "Cat" Ballou (Jane Fonda) decides to take on the company that killed her daddy for the water on his land. But getting there is half the fun, and the way this all comes about is quite a story, with ne'er-do-well but useless outlaws (Michael Callan and Dwayne Hickman), a tame Indian Jackson Two Bears (Tom Nardini) and a notorious but gone-to-seed gunslinger known as Kid Shelleen (Lee Marvin). When gunman Tim Strawn (also Lee Marvin) kills Frankie Ballou (John Marley) despite the best efforts of Kid Shelleen, Jackson Two Bears and the two outaws, Cat is driven from her land. She turns outlaw, taking the reluctant men with her because she's so hot...

They hole up at the Hole in the Wall - that's right - Butch Cassidy's place, but Cassidy (Arthur Hunnicutt - Red Badge of Courage) is not the man he used to be, either. When Cat's gang robs the train, stealing $50,000 from the Wolf City Development Company (the evil one that killed her pa) the Hole in the Wall Gang wants nothing to do with them. They were let alone because it was more trouble than it was worth to dig them out, while Cat's robbery had suddenly made it worthwhile. Cat has her encounter with Sir Henry Percival the bad company man, and Kid Shelleen has his showdown with bad guy Tim Strawn. Beyond that, I'll leave the rest of the story to your viewing pleasure.

As I mentioned, the component parts of Cat Ballou are a bit suspect; the story is moved forward by a pair of balladeers Stubby Kaye (Guys and Dolls) and Nat King Cole - Istanbul, called "shouters" in the credits. The song they sing is an endless variation of a fairly plebeiean tune, however their voices are very good. The story is episodic with various pieces unwinding, punctuated by the two troubadours singing again.

The acting has a number of familiar faces, Jay C. Flippen and Arthur Hunnicutt among them but the two outlaws, sixties stars Dwayne Hickman (Dobie Gillis) and Michael Callan (They Came to Cordura) are only marginally useful. However, when you add Jane Fonda, who at that age had a wide-eyed look coupled with the most adorable bottom a pair of skin tight jeans was ever stretched across, and Lee Marvin, cast against type as the drunken, used up Kid Shelleen, the entertainment potential increases exponentially.

Marvin won the Best Actor Oscar for his dual role and maybe the Academy was wrong as it often is, but I think Marvin was certainly among the best actors of his era. Marvin had a number of classic scenes including the one where he gets cleaned up and dressed in his gunfighter rig to the tune of bull fighter music. Has to be seen; and his shooting exhibition, and his entry into Wolf City are classic, not to mention his drunken horse routine. In addition, Tom Nardini as Jackson Two Bears added a lot of interest to the proceedings. Stunts were by Yakima Canutt, one of the most used cowboy stunt coordinators, a veteran of dozens of western movies.

The direction was by Elliot Silverstein and I think he did a good job with his broadly comic treatment. Music by Frank De Vol is only marginal but Stubby Kaye and Nat King Cole do a great job selling it making it better than it has a right to be. The color is by Eastman and is excellent, which is not always the case with these older films.

The Columbia Special Edition DVD is presented in 1.85:1 theatrical format and 4x3 television format on either side of the disk. The Special Features include a ~ 12 minute featurette with Elliot Silverstein's remembrances of the filming and a full length commentary by stars Michael Callan and Dwayne Hickman. You can skip the commentary which is mainly a bunch of self congratulatory back slapping, but the featurette has some interest and I wish Elliot Silverstein had done the commentary. All in all Cat Ballou is a zany romp that does what it does admirably and a film the whole family will like.

Thanks for reading!

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening