Cat Ballou

Last updated

Cat Ballou
Cat Ballou Poster.jpeg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Elliot Silverstein
Written by Walter Newman
Frank Pierson
Based onThe Ballad of Cat Ballou
1956 novel
by Roy Chanslor
Produced by Harold Hecht
Starring Jane Fonda
Lee Marvin
Michael Callan
Dwayne Hickman
Nat King Cole
Stubby Kaye
Cinematography Jack A. Marta
Edited by Charles Nelson
Music by Frank De Vol (score)
Mack David (songs)
Jerry Livingston (songs)
Production
company
Distributed by Columbia Pictures
Release dates
  • May 7, 1965 (1965-05-07)(Denver) [1]
  • June 18, 1965 (1965-06-18)(Los Angeles)
Running time
96 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$20.7 million [2] [3]

Cat Ballou is a 1965 American western comedy film starring Jane Fonda and Lee Marvin, who won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his dual role. The story involves a woman who hires a notorious gunman to protect her father's ranch, and later to avenge his murder, only to find that the gunman is not what she expected. The supporting cast features Tom Nardini, Michael Callan, Dwayne Hickman, and Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye, who together perform the film's theme song, and who appear throughout the film in the form of travelling minstrels or troubadours as a kind of musical Greek chorus and framing device.

Contents

The film was directed by Elliot Silverstein from a screenplay by Walter Newman and Frank Pierson adapted from the 1956 novel The Ballad of Cat Ballou by Roy Chanslor, who also wrote the novel filmed as Johnny Guitar . Chanslor's novel was a serious Western, and though it was turned into a comedy for the film, the filmmakers retained some darker elements. The film references many classic Western films, notably Shane . The film was selected by the American Film Institute as the 10th greatest Western of all time in its AFI's 10 Top 10 list in 2008.

Plot

Catherine "Cat" Ballou, a notorious outlaw, is set to be executed in the small town of Wolf City, Wyoming. Two banjo and guitar playing "Shouters", Professor Sam the Shade and the Sunrise Kid, sing the ballad of Cat Ballou and regale the audience with the tale of how she began her career of crime.

Some months prior, Catherine, then an aspiring schoolteacher, is returning home by train to Wolf City from finishing school. On the way, she unwittingly helps accused cattle rustler Clay Boone elude his captor, Sheriff Maledon, when Boone's Uncle Jed, disguised as a preacher, distracts the lawman.

Arriving home at her father Frankie Ballou's ranch, Catherine learns that the Wolf City Development Corporation is scheming to take his ranch. Frankie's sole defender is his ranch hand, educated Native American Jackson Two-Bears. Clay and Jed appear and reluctantly offer to help Catherine. She hires legendary gunfighter Kid Shelleen to help protect her father from gunslinger Tim Strawn, the tin-nosed hired killer who is threatening him.

Shelleen arrives and proves to be a drunken bum who is a crack shot only when he is inebriated. His presence proves to be useless, as Strawn abruptly kills Frankie. When the townspeople refuse to bring Strawn to justice, Catherine becomes a revenge-seeking outlaw, known as Cat Ballou. She and her gang rob a train carrying the Wolf City payroll, then take refuge in the desperado hideout "Hole-in-the-Wall". Shelleen is shocked to discover the legendary outlaw Cassidy is, now, a humble saloonkeeper in Hole-in-the-Wall.

The gang is thrown out when it is learned what they have done, due to Hole-in-the-Wall's continued existence being dependent on the sufferance of Wolf City. Strawn arrives and threatens Cat. Shelleen, motivated by his affection for Cat, works himself into shape. Dressed up in his finest gunfighter outfit, he goes into town and kills Strawn, then reveals he is Strawn's brother.

Cat poses as a prostitute and confronts Sir Harry Percival, the head of the Wolf City Development Corporation. She attempts to force him into confessing that he ordered her father's murder. A struggle ensues; Sir Harry is killed, and Cat is sentenced to be hanged. With Sir Harry dead, Wolf City's future is hopeless, and the townspeople have no mercy for Cat. As the noose is placed around her neck, Uncle Jed, again disguised as a preacher, appears and cuts the rope just as the trapdoor opens. Cat safely falls through and onto a wagon, and her gang spirits her away in a daring rescue.

Cast

Production

Cat Ballou was director Elliot Silverstein's second feature film, with the pressure of filming leading to some quarrels with the producer Harold Hecht, although the film was ultimately a box office success. [3]

Ann-Margret was the first choice for the title role, but her manager turned it down without letting the actress know. [5] Ann-Margret wrote in her autobiography that she would have taken the part. [6] Among others, Kirk Douglas and Dick Van Dyke turned down the role of Shelleen. [3] [7]

The film was shot on location in Colorado, including parts of Canon City and Texas Creek, as well as the ghost towns of Rosita and Buckskin Joe. It was also filmed around the Tunnel Drive Trail and the Wet Mountain Valley. [8]

Nat King Cole was ill with lung cancer during the filming of Cat Ballou. A chain smoker, Cole died four months before the film was released.

Jay C. Flippen suffered a circulatory failure during filming and, as a result, later had his leg amputated, due to gangrene. [9]

Reception

Box office

Cat Ballou earned over $20.6 million in North America, making it the 7th highest-grossing film of 1965. [3]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 90% of 31 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.3/10. [10] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 60 out of 100, based on 7 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [11]

Bosley Crowther of The New York Times called it "a breezy little film" which "does have flashes of good satiric wit. But, under Elliott Silverstein's direction, it is mostly just juvenile lampoon." [12] Variety wrote that the film "emerges middlingly successful, sparked by an amusing way-out approach and some sparkling performances." [13] Richard L. Coe of The Washington Post praised the film as a "springy satire", adding, "What makes this fun is the style. Forming a mighty cool duo, Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye sing their way in and out of the plot with folk songs which Cole 'Don't Fence Me In' Porter would have relished. The format is novel and stylishly delivered." [14] Pauline Kael in Film Quarterly called it "lumpen, coy, and obvious, a self-consciously cute movie," adding that "mainly it is full of sort-of-funny and trying-to-be-funny ideas and a movie is not just ideas." [15] Philip K. Scheuer of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "I'm in the minority, apparently. Cat Ballou, which is being hailed as a cowboy Tom Jones or something of the sort, seems to me about as funny as a soundtrack burp." [16] The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote, "The jokes in Cat Ballou are uneven, but the mood behind the film is happily consistent." [17]

Awards and nominations

AwardCategoryNominee(s)ResultRef.
Academy Awards Best Actor Lee Marvin Won [18]
Best Adapted Screenplay Walter Newman and Frank Pierson Nominated
Best Film Editing Charles Nelson Nominated
Best Original Score Frank De Vol Nominated
Best Song "The Ballad of Cat Ballou"
Music by Jerry Livingston;
Lyrics by Mack David 		Nominated
Berlin International Film Festival Golden Bear Elliot Silverstein Nominated [19]
Best Actor Lee MarvinWon
Special MentionWalter Newman and Frank PiersonWon
Youth Film Award – Honorable MentionElliot SilversteinWon
British Academy Film Awards Best Foreign Actor Lee MarvinWon [20]
Best Foreign Actress Jane Fonda Nominated
Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles Tom Nardini Nominated
Directors Guild of America Awards Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures Elliot SilversteinNominated [21]
Golden Globe Awards Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Nominated [22]
Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Lee MarvinWon
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Jane FondaNominated
Best Original Song – Motion Picture "The Ballad of Cat Ballou"
Music by Jerry Livingston;
Lyrics by Mack David		Nominated
Most Promising Newcomer – Male Tom NardiniNominated
Laurel Awards Top ComedyWon
Top Male Comedy PerformanceLee MarvinNominated
Top Female Comedy PerformanceJane FondaWon
Top Song"The Ballad of Cat Ballou"
Music by Jerry Livingston;
Lyrics by Mack David		Nominated
National Board of Review Awards Best Actor Lee Marvin (also for Ship of Fools )Won [23]
New York Film Critics Circle Awards Lee MarvinNominated [24]
Writers Guild of America Awards Best Written American Comedy Walter Newman and Frank PiersonNominated [25]

In his Oscar acceptance speech, Lee Marvin concluded by saying: "I think, though, that half of this belongs to a horse somewhere out in San Fernando Valley", a reference to the horse Kid Shelleen rode, which appeared to be as drunk as Shelleen was. [26]

American Film Institute

Television pilots

Two separate television pilots were filmed. A 1970 pilot, written and produced by Aaron Ruben, featured Lesley Ann Warren as Cat, Jack Elam as Kid Shelleen and Tom Nardini repeating his role, while a 1971 pilot starred Jo Ann Harris as Cat, Forrest Tucker as Kid Shelleen and Lee J. Casey as Jackson Two-Bears. [33]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye (who introduce each other's character, in the opening song, as Sunrise Kid and Sam the Shade, respectively), are billed simply as "Shouters", acting as a Greek chorus. They intermittently appear onscreen to narrate the story through ongoing verses of the ballad, one of the songs written by Mack David and Jerry Livingston for the film. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Marvin</span> American actor (1924–1987)

Lee Marvin was an American film and television actor. Known for his bass voice and prematurely white hair, he is best remembered for playing hardboiled "tough guy" characters. Although initially typecast as the "heavy", he later gained prominence for portraying anti-heroes, such as Detective Lieutenant Frank Ballinger on the television series M Squad (1957–1960). Marvin's notable roles in film included Charlie Strom in The Killers (1964), Rico Fardan in The Professionals (1966), Major John Reisman in The Dirty Dozen (1967), Ben Rumson in Paint Your Wagon (1969), Walker in Point Blank (1967), the Sergeant in The Big Red One (1980), and Jack Osborne in Gorky Park (1983).

<i>Easy Rider</i> 1969 film by Dennis Hopper

Easy Rider is a 1969 American road drama film written by Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, and Terry Southern, produced by Fonda, and directed by Hopper. Fonda and Hopper play two bikers who travel through the American Southwest and South, carrying the proceeds from a cocaine deal. Other actors in the film include Jack Nicholson, Karen Black and Toni Basil. The success of Easy Rider helped spark the New Hollywood era of filmmaking during the early 1970s.

<i>The Lady Eve</i> 1941 film by Preston Sturges

The Lady Eve is a 1941 American screwball comedy film written and directed by Preston Sturges and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda. The film is based on a story by Monckton Hoffe about a mismatched couple who meet on board an ocean liner. Regarded amongst the greatest films of all time, The Lady Eve was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry in 1994 by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant".

<i>12 Angry Men</i> (1957 film) 1957 American film by Sidney Lumet

12 Angry Men is a 1957 American legal drama film directed by Sidney Lumet in his feature directorial debut, adapted by Reginald Rose from his 1954 teleplay. A critique of the American jury system during the McCarthy Era, the film tells the story of a jury of twelve men as they deliberate the conviction or acquittal of a teenager charged with murder on the basis of reasonable doubt; disagreement and conflict among the jurors forces them to question their morals and values. It stars an ensemble cast, featuring Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Ed Begley, E. G. Marshall, and Jack Warden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nat King Cole</span> American singer and jazz pianist (1919–1965)

Nathaniel Adams Coles, known professionally by his stage name Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's career as a jazz and pop vocalist started in the late 1930s and spanned almost three decades where he found success and recorded over 100 songs that became hits on the pop charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stubby Kaye</span> American actor, comedian, vaudevillian and singer (1918–1997)

Bernard Shalom Kotzin, known as Stubby Kaye, was an American actor, comedian, vaudevillian and singer, known for his appearances on Broadway and in film musicals.

<i>Ski Party</i> 1965 film by Alan Rafkin

Ski Party is a 1965 American teen musical comedy film directed by Alan Rafkin and starring Frankie Avalon and Dwayne Hickman. It was released by American International Pictures (AIP). Ski Party is considered as a beach party film spin-off, with a change of setting from the beach to the ski slopes – although the final scene places everyone back at the beach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank De Vol</span> American composer and arranger (1911–1999)

Frank Denny De Vol was an American bandleader, arranger, composer and actor. As a composer, he was nominated for four Academy Awards.

<i>Beach Blanket Bingo</i> 1965 film by William Asher

Beach Blanket Bingo is a 1965 American beach party film directed by William Asher. It is the fifth film in the Beach Party film series. The film stars Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, Linda Evans, Deborah Walley, Paul Lynde, and Don Rickles. Earl Wilson and Buster Keaton appear. Evans's singing voice was dubbed by Jackie Ward.

The Stinkers Bad Movie Awards was a Los Angeles–based group of film buffs and film critics devoted to honoring the worst films of the year.

<i>The Naked Brothers Band: The Movie</i> 2005 film by Polly Draper

The Naked Brothers Band: The Movie is a 2005 American teen musical comedy film written and directed by Polly Draper, which stars her sons, Nat Wolff and Alex Wolff, who portray members of a fictional rock group. It tells of the boys' struggles with their fame and an internal dispute that causes the band to split before reuniting in the end. The film is emboldened by Nat's band, The Silver Boulders, which he created in preschool with his friends Joshua Kaye, Thomas Batuello, and David Levi, who all act as themselves. It also includes Allie DiMeco as Nat's fictional female interest, the siblings' real-life cousin Jesse Draper as the group's babysitter, Draper's husband Michael Wolff playing his sons' widowed accordion-playing dad, and real life friends Cooper Pillot and Cole Hawkins portraying the other members of the band.

<i>Killer Diller</i> (1948 film) 1948 American film

Killer Diller is a 1948 American musical comedy race film directed by Josh Binney and released by All American. Academic and comedienne Eddie Tafoya wrote that "Killer Diller is really more concerned with showcasing black talent appearing at Harlem's legendary Apollo Theater than it is with providing audiences with a satisfying story." The movie features The Clark Brothers, Nat King Cole, Moms Mabley, Dusty Fletcher, Butterfly McQueen, the Andy Kirk Orchestra and the Four Congaroos. René J. Hall was the film's arranger.

Elliot Silverstein was an American film and television director. He directed the Academy Award-winning western comedy Cat Ballou (1965), and other films including The Happening (1967), A Man Called Horse (1970), Nightmare Honeymoon (1974), and The Car (1977). His television work includes four episodes of The Twilight Zone (1961–1964).

This article contains a list of albums by Nat King Cole and compilations of his recordings, together with a list of his chart singles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Nardini</span> American film actor

Tom Nardini is an American film actor who had a lengthy career in television. His best-known roles were in Cowboy in Africa (1967), and in Cat Ballou (1965), for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe award.

<i>The Big Street</i> 1942 film by Irving Reis

The Big Street is a 1942 American drama film starring Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball, based on the 1940 short story "Little Pinks" by Damon Runyon, who also produced it. It was directed by Irving Reis from a screenplay by Leonard Spigelgass.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jane Fonda filmography</span>

The following is a complete filmography of Jane Fonda. An American actress, writer, activist, former fashion model and fitness guru, Fonda has won two Academy Awards, for Klute (1971) and Coming Home (1978).

<i>The Defense Rests</i> 1934 film by Lambert Hillyer

The Defense Rests is a 1934 American film directed by Lambert Hillyer and starring Jack Holt, Jean Arthur, and Nat Pendleton. The movie was produced in May 1934 and released on 15 July 1934.

<i>Winter A-Go-Go</i> 1965 American comedy-drama film

Winter A-Go-Go is a 1965 American comedy-drama film directed by Richard Benedict and starring James Stacy, William Wellman Jr., Beverly Adams, John Anthony Hayes, Jill Donohue, Tom Nardini, Duke Hobbie, Julie Parrish, Buck Holland, Linda Rogers, and Nancy Czar. The film was released by Columbia Pictures on October 28, 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lee Marvin on screen and stage</span>

Lee Marvin was an American film and television actor. Known for his bass voice and premature white hair, he is best remembered for playing hardboiled "tough guy" characters. Although initially typecast as the "heavy", he later gained prominence for portraying anti-heroes, such as Detective Lieutenant Frank Ballinger on the television series M Squad (1957–1960). Marvin's notable roles in film included: Charlie Strom in The Killers (1964), Rico Fardan in The Professionals (1966), Major John Reisman in The Dirty Dozen (1967), Ben Rumson in Paint Your Wagon (1969), Walker in Point Blank (1967) and the Sergeant in The Big Red One (1980).

References

  1. ↑ "Cat Ballou - Details". AFI Catalog of Feature Films . American Film Institute. Archived from the original on November 19, 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Cat Ballou, Box Office Information". The Numbers. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Cole, Georgelle. "Cat Ballou" Archived 2017-05-04 at the Wayback Machine on TCM.com
  4. ↑ "Music" Archived 2012-09-12 at the Wayback Machine on TCM.com
  5. ↑ Watters, Jim (March 24, 1975). "Ann-Margret's Juicy Role". People . Vol. 3, no. 11. Archived from the original on November 23, 2010.
  6. ↑ Passafiume, Andrea. "Cat Ballou (1965)". TCM Movie Database. Archived from the original on May 4, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Dick van Dyke Reveals Iconic Hollywood Roles He Passed on". December 14, 2023.
  8. ↑ "Custer, Fremont Counties Selected for Film Locale". Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph. September 5, 1964. p. 22.
  9. ↑ Cat Ballou at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films
  10. ↑ "Cat Ballou". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved December 15, 2024. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  11. ↑ "Cat Ballou". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
  12. ↑ Crowther, Bosley (June 25, 1965). "The Screen: 'Cat Ballou'". The New York Times : 36.
  13. ↑ "Cat Ballou". Variety : 6. May 12, 1965.
  14. ↑ Coe, Richard L. (June 24, 1965). "'Cat Ballou' Is Zingy Spoof". The Washington Post . p. D20.
  15. ↑ Kael, Pauline (Fall 1965). "Cat Ballou". Film Quarterly . 19 (1): 54. doi:10.2307/1210823. JSTOR   1210823.
  16. ↑ Scheuer, Philip K. (June 19, 1965). "Why the Hullabaloo About 'Cat Ballou?'" Los Angeles Times . p. 19.
  17. ↑ "Cat Ballou". The Monthly Film Bulletin . 32 (380): 131. September 1965.
  18. ↑ "The 38th Academy Awards (1966) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
  19. ↑ "Berlinale 1965: Prize Winners". berlinale.de. Archived from the original on October 15, 2013. Retrieved February 28, 2010.
  20. ↑ "BAFTA Awards: Film in 1966". BAFTA . 1966. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  21. ↑ "18th DGA Awards". Directors Guild of America Awards . Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  22. ↑ "Cat Ballou – Golden Globes". HFPA . Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  23. ↑ "1965 Award Winners". National Board of Review . Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  24. ↑ "1965 New York Film Critics Circle Awards". New York Film Critics Circle . Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  25. ↑ "Awards Winners". Writers Guild of America. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
  26. ↑ Osborne, Robert. Outro to Turner Classic Movies presentation of Cat Ballou (May 14, 2011)
  27. ↑ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies Nominees" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on October 26, 2013. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
  28. ↑ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs" (PDF). American Film Institute. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 16, 2013. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
  29. ↑ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains Nominees" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on November 4, 2013. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
  30. ↑ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs Nominees" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on April 17, 2015. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
  31. ↑ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies Nominees (10th Anniversary Edition)" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on October 8, 2016. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
  32. ↑ "AFI's 10 Top 10: Top 10 Western". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
  33. ↑ Goldberg, Lee (1991). "Big Screen to Small Screen | Pilots Based on Movies". Unsold Television Pilots: 1955-1990 . New York: Citadel Press. p. 89. Retrieved December 16, 2024– via Internet Archive Book Reader.
  34. ↑ Gross, Terry. "Fresh Air: From Walter White To LBJ, Bryan Cranston Is A Master Of Transformation" Archived 2017-10-21 at the Wayback Machine NPR (March 27, 2014)
  35. ↑ Beck, Jerry (December 31, 2018). "The Trippy Columbia Logo Art in "Spider-Man Into The Spiderverse"". Cartoon Research. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.