Support Your Local Sheriff!

source: Support Your Local Sheriff!

This is a fun movie. It's not a great movie, by any stretch. In order to be both fun and great, it would have to have emotional impact. You could see where "Sheriff" aspired to transcend being a "lite" entertainment snack. But ultimately the storyline and writing wasn't managed well enough to quite pull that off. For example, the romantic interest wasn't handled properly. They sort of played at building this man-of-romantic-integrity character trait for Jason, but they didn't pull it off. I was half-expecting Jason to tell Prudy he was keeping a friendly distance because he's gay. The big shootout with the Danbys was sort of wild west "standard equipment" and didn't resolve well. It just sort of petered out, they tacked on a romantic boy-gets-girl "resolution" of a sort, and the flim's over. We never really find out how the Danby issue gets resolved long-term. It may sound I'm holding a comedy to unreasonable standards, but I'm not. I'm just letting you know that movies like this can (and do) do better; they can rise above the "constraints" of the genre and pack a wallop, while being perfectly silly and making your laugh. Nonetheless, this is a tidy little vehicle for the talent, and there are lots of great moments. I suspect at least a few priceless ad-libbed lines.

I first saw this film as a child and really enjoyed it. Now, over three decades later, I saw it again. I still enjoyed it, but can see that it's a film that would probably have a bit more appeal to kids. This film is set in a boom town in the Old West. Because gold was recently discovered (in a tacky and funny way at the beginning of the film), there is a lot of violence. The last three sheriffs didn't last--so everyone expects the new sheriff, James Garner, to either be killed or run off like one of his predecessors. Garner plays a part that is very much like his character from Maverick--a guy who uses his wits to win the day instead of brawn. Now this isn't to say that Garner can't shoot--in this movie he's an amazing shot. However, being a bit lazy and pragmatic, he usually finds a way to avoid the violence and STILL keep the town crime-free. Most of these ways are pretty funny (I particularly liked the red paint scene) and the film is a nice change of pace from the usual violent and brainless Western. This movie was so successful that it triggered a sequel that was exceptionally similar--heck, the name was even similar. In SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL GUNFIGHTER, the plot is pretty similar and so is the action, so if you liked one movie you'll no doubt like the other. A good film that is more than just another formulaic Western.

This comedy western skirts the edge of parody and never falls over the edge,I suggest, thanks to the solid construction of the story-line by William Bowers.  What I like about it as a writer is that it draws its humor from one-liners, in-character speeches, actions, reactions, plans, stories, character confrontations, satirical moments and ideas.  The only near-parody element in the film that matters is the fantastic-level ability of the sheriff played by James Garner to shoot a six-gun.  In the story-line, he is a man trying to earn his way to Australia, a place which fascinates him.  He comes to a town where gold has been discovered, and finding the inflation of food prices going up faster than he can eat, he takes a job a sheriff with meals provided despite what the town's councilors tell him about the fate of the last gentlemen to wear the badge. He is helped in a shooting situation by Jack Elam, whom he takes on as a deputy since he knows he can trust him when the chips are down.  He promptly loads him with all the dirty work and sets about taking care of his one prisoner, a member of the murderous Danby family, the youngest and dumbest.  He pour a red line in paint across the floor of the ufinished jail cell, leads Joe in and mentions that the red stain came from the last occupant; instant jail is achieved.  The remainder of the film consists of two strands of development.  Old man Danby and his other sons, the patriarch played by Walter Brennan, tries to get his youngest out of jail and then to rid the town of the sheriff by hiring gunfighters to ventilate him, And the sheriff in his odd fashion thwarts them and courts the Mayor's daughter; played by Joan Hackett, she is feisty, lovely and lethal with weaponry.  When the Danby's round up all their cowboys and make one final try for Joe, the youngest, played by Bruce Dern, the sheriff ties him to a cannon and threatens to fire it, thereby ending the shooting war the Danby's had begun.  Inisisting it had never been loaded later, to his team, he sets it off and it destroys the local house of ill repute, where the council had taken refuge.  Surrendering to his fate, the sheriff then marries Miss Prudie Hackett, becomes governor and gives up on Australia, while, as he reports, Elam becomes "one of the most beloved characters in all of western folklore'.  The film is shot as if the world were always full of sunlight; it is color-filled, only a touch cynical around the edges of the dialogue and generally makes light of a solid western dramatic duel between a lawman and a gang of outlaws.  Many viewers believe it to be one of the most hilarious of westerns, myself among them. Veteran Burt Kennedy directed; music was supplied by Jeff Alexander.  The vivid full- color cinematography was supplied by Harry Stradling, Jr.; art direction was done by Leroy A. Coleman and the very fine set decorations were the work of Hugh Hunt. Perfomers in this laugh-riot besides the excellent leads included Harry Morgan as the Mayor, Henry Jones, Willis Bouchey, and Walter Burke as the town council, with Kathleen Freeman, Gene Evans, Dick Peabody, Dick Haynes, Chubby Johnson, John Milford and Tom Reese. Garner, in my judgment, offers one of his best performances in this film, and Jack Elam did award-level comedy in this comedic offering.  In a spin-off called "Support Your Local Gunfighter", director Kennedy tried to repeat the basic elements  so well used here but was much less successful.

The casual tone of James Garner..and Jack Elam's kinda ditzy way of worrying made it worth watching for me...but then to put Bruce Dern as an not too bright gunman and Walter Brennan as his exasperated father makes me watch it over and over for the little simple and yet careful undertones....liked it alot...3 1/2 stars here...

"Support Your Local Sheriff!" is a superb comedy Western that seemed to give a real career boost to its star performer: Mr. James Garner. Garner was the perfect choice for the role of Jason McCullough, who is simply the greatest sheriff any town could ever hope to have. Jason seems amiable and mild-mannered, but he has very sharp senses and a witty intelligence. He can always predict when somebody will run afoul of the law and when disaster will strike, and he can always tell without looking when an outlaw is trying to escape his jurisdiction. (He takes care of one particular outlaw by simply tossing rocks at him as he flees!) Jason's romantic interest is Prudy Perkins, well played by Joan Hackett. Prudy is quite a spunky gal who just can't seem to give Jason a good first impression, resulting in some embarrassing mishaps. The elderly Walter Brennan is terrific as the cranky Pa Danby, and Henry Morgan is great as the friendly mayor Olly Perkins, father of Prudy. And who could forget the superb Jack Elam as Jason's deputy Jake? Although he is uneasy about it at first, Jake provides the perfect sidekick for Jason as he quickly develops a great rapport with the new sheriff and willingly becomes his deputy. Bruce Dern as Pa Danby's outlaw son Joe is quite laughable; he may appear rough & tough on the exterior, but his personality is very whiny & childish! In fact, some of the funniest dialogue in the film centers around Joe being in jail; Pa Danby and his two other sons (Gene Evans and Dick Peabody) are in a bar discussing how to break Joe out ("He stuck his finger in the end of your WHAT?" "Would you shut up! Everybody'll be lookin'!" and "What's a martyr?" "Oh, I'm sorry. They didn't use words like that in the third grade, did they?"). On a personal note, a dear friend of mine who passed away in March of 2005 made a cameo appearance in "Support Your Local Sheriff!" His name was Richard Hoyt. Richard portrayed the slender bad guy who walks up to Jake asking him for Jason's whereabouts; upon spotting the sheriff exiting a hardware store, this outlaw tries to gun him down, but not in time! The part of Joe Danby was originally written for Richard, but since director Burt Kennedy declared that Richard Hoyt was not a household name, he gave the part to Bruce Dern and slated Richard for a cameo. Richard Hoyt was a man of many talents: he was a singer, actor, painter, dancer, martial arts instructor, counselor, and overall, a darn good entertainer. He lived his life to the fullest and declared that the kind of day you have is a choice you make. It shall therefore come to no surprise that I never watch "Support Your Local Sheriff!" without paying close attention to the special cameo appearance by a fine gentleman whom I have always admired and will always truly miss: Dr. Richard Hoyt.

One of my favorite western comedies; there isn't a false note in the whole film. No matter how many times I've seen it, I always laugh out loud throughout the film. The cast is simply wonderful: James Garner is playing tongue in cheek as the naive yet witty Sheriff, and Walter Brennan, Bruce Dern and Jack Elam are simply marvelous. Add in the physical comedy of Joan Hackett and it's just a wonderful film. My highest recommendation.

The late sixties and early seventies were an extraordinary period for the comic western. Although not all western comedies were directed by Burt Kennedy, some of the best of them were. Kennedy worked with some of the best if slightly aged Hollywood leading men who looked right at home on a western set. In James Garner, Kennedy found his perfect leading man. Although Garner had done some really serious westerns like Duel at Diablo, Hour of the Gun and A Man Called Sledge, he was really at his best in comedy. The man who first became known to us on TV's Maverick was perfect for films like Support Your Local Sheriff. One element of the humor of Support Your Local Sheriff is lost on today's audience. Back in the day among the more conservative elements in America there was a backlash against protesters in the Sixties. The right wing kind of liked police using nightsticks on the heads of irate citizens. Three years before in New York City when Mayor Lindsay tried to put in an independent Civilian Review Board for the NYPD, the Conservative Party of New York State and the Patrolman's Benevolent Association led a referendum campaign against it. The slogan of the campaign; Support Your Local Police. Out west of course that means Support Your Local Sheriff. So as Kennedy spoofed the title, it has a double meaning, because in this film James Garner, an amiable stranger who drifts into a mining boom town, gets the job so he can earn enough money to get passage to Australia. And when he does need help the town council consisting of Mayor Harry Morgan, Willis Bouchey, Walter Burke, and Henry Jones is convened in a secret meeting in the town pleasure palace. The only two people Garner can count on is Morgan's tomboy daughter Joan Hackett and Jack Elam who shovels horse waste product at the stable. Hackett patterns her role after Betty Hutton or Doris Day and a generation earlier they would have been in her part. Charlton Heston who worked with her in Will Penny said she was kind, loving, and talented and a great loss to acting at a young age. As for Jack Elam, when he started in the Fifties he parlayed that blind eye of his into playing some of the most vicious psycho villains ever on screen. Look at him in such films as Rawhide and Kansas City Confidential and you can hardly believe it's the same actor. Starting in the Sixties, Elam began playing more and more comic parts and he had a natural gift for comedy. No one thought more of that than Burt Kennedy who started using Elam in just about all his projects after Support Your Local Sheriff. The main villain in the piece is Walter Brennan in what turned out to be his last major theatrical film. He's the father of a trio of lunkhead sons one of whom, Bruce Dern, gets himself arrested for murder after Garner is made sheriff because Garner witnessed the killing. The rest of the film is Brennan trying to free Dern and calling in all kinds of reinforcements to do it. Best scene in the film: Garner throwing rocks at a gunfighter instead of drawing down on him. Second best scene: Garner disarming Brennan by sticking his finger in the barrel of the six shooter Brennan is pointing at him. Burt Kennedy had a great sense of humor. Support Your Local Sheriff is Burt Kennedy and James Garner at their best. They did another film, Support Your Local Gunfighter, which is not a sequel to this film, but just as funny. Too bad they didn't team for more films.

This is a classic example of a genre parody. It's not one of those jokes-coming-at-100mph kind of spoofs (such as Blazing Saddles), it simply plays everything by genre rules. It shares this with the 1939 version of Destry Rides Again, but it goes much further in exhibiting the hilarious potential of the genre by just slightly exaggerating the kind of improbable situations classic Westerns so often throw at us. To appreciate this film properly you need to be familiar with the classic Western genre, mostly to understand how the genre works when played straight but you may also recognise some movie references. The cast is absolutely marvellous, James Garner is a commanding lead, Jack Elam has never been better, and there are first-rate character actors for all the supporting roles. Especially Harry Morgan and Walter Brennan are excellent in roles very similar to ones they played straight in High Noon and My Darling Clementine, respectively.

This is yet another of those "they don't make 'em like this anymore" gems. And, this western is a comic gem. Okay, it's a scream! The whole cast is perfect, playing perfectly to a wonderful script. While all the action circles around the perfectly cast James Garner, who is light and amusing. Although he is funny, he's still the straight man to to all the town loonies. Bruce Dern and Jack Elam are over the top hilarious as a dimwitted bad guy and dimwitted "town character" respectively. Harry Morgan is as funny as he's ever been, which is saying a lot considering his role in What Did You Do In The War, Daddy? Walter Brennan is typically excellent in one of his later roles as the typically grump head of the bad guy's clan. Even the lesser roles, such as Kathleen Freeman as a passerby, are delightful in her 2-minute scene. The late Joan Hackett is the mayor's daughter, the madcap, eccentric Prudy. plays comedy really well. She gets lovelier every time I see this. She's as beautiful as she is funny in this and she's a riot. She left us way too soon. I wish one of our revival houses would run this coupled with The Cheyanne Social Club, another delightfully comic western from that great era in films. That would be one entertaining night at the movies!