Support Your Local Sheriff!

A laidback, friendly and funny western spoof—the same adjectives could be used to describe its star. James Garner plays a man who comes to a small gold mining town on his way to Australia, becomes its sheriff and challenges a family of criminals. The writer and the director have done a fair share of straight westerns. They know all the old clichés and how to turn them into jokes. Saloon brawls, hired killers and what not are made fun of here in a traditional but effective way. Garner is cool and easy-going in a part that reminds one of Maverick; Jack Elam and Walter Brennan also send up the parts they played in the westerns of yesteryear.

The YouTube clip shows a scene where Mr. Garner and Ms. Hackett discuss maturity and cowardice.

1969-U.S. 95 min. Color. Produced by William Bowers. Directed by Burt Kennedy. Screenplay: William Bowers. Cast: James Garner (Jason MacCullough), Joan Hackett (Prudy Perkins), Walter Brennan (Ira Danby), Harry Morgan, Jack Elam, Bruce Dern.

Trivia: The director reunited with Garner, Elam and Morgan for Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971), but it’s not an official sequel.

Quote: “Joe, you just make me feel tired all over when you talk like that. It’s bad enough to have to kill a man without having to listen to a whole lot of stupid talk from him first.” (Mr. Garner to Mr. Dern)

Published by Stefan Hedmark 2002-09-24 09:49

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Support Your Local Sheriff!

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