Customer Reviews

Cat Ballou [VHS]

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"Well now, friends, just lend an ear / For you're now about to hear / The Ballad of Cat Ballou..." so begins the "Greek chorus" of Nat 'King' Cole and Stubby Kaye, banjos in hand. Having seen "There's Something About Mary" before "Cat Ballou," I didn't realize that the former was paying homage to the latter with this clever device. (Of course, being the original, "Cat Ballou" does it much better). By the way, the often-humorous score is by Frank DeVol.

The performances are good all around, each character with well-played and memorable funny bits. Jane Fonda plays it straight and serious next to the inept-ness of so-called outlaws Dwayne Hickman and Michael Callan and the over-the-top Lee Marvin (in a dual role as the Kid Sheleen, the drunken hero, and Tim Strawn, the bad guy with an artificial nosepiece). Marvin and the horse steal the show!

This movie is a lot of fun - pure entertainment - and the DVD people at Columbia/Tri-Star did a really good job putting together some extras. The audio commentary with Hickman and Callan itself is fun to listen to while watching the movie on repeat; it's very informative and even laugh-out-loud funny at times. The featurette with the director provides some good info on the movie, and the original trailer and vintage advertising (movie posters, etc.) is nostalgic.

The picture and sound quality is excellent; the visuals are clear and colorful, no noticeable scratches...the sound is very clear for being monaural. One side of the disc has the widescreen (definitive) version; the other side has the formatted version, which is also worth a look as it contains some extra information at the top and bottom of the screen on the scenes that were soft-matted.

I love this movie - it's nice to see that the DVD people took some interest enough to put together the special features on an almost 40-year-old film. Keep up the good work!

This is a great little comedy, kind of a musical with lots of laughs, catchy songs, and some classic scenes. Lee Marvin is very deserving of his Oscar, as scene stealer Kid Shelleen. This drunken gun slinger manages to miss the broad side of a barn. Jane Fonda is great as the revenge seeking Cat Balou. "The face of an angel, fights like the devil."

However, the real treat of this film is the pair of wandering minstrels. Stubby Kaye (Nicely Nicely in Guys and Dolls) strums around with Nat "King" Cole providing a lovely soundtrack. Their performance really makes this movie work, and moves it beyond a western parody.

The late Lee Marvin was a very versatile actor, as demonstrated in this motion picture. He much deserved the academy award for his dual role, playing both the alcoholic gunman, Kid Shelleen, and the evil gunman who is his opponent. He said later that it was a fun role that did not take much of his time.

The story is set during the time of the railroad robber barons. They acquired needed right-of-ways by whatever means. When Cat's father is killed by the railroad's hired gun, she hires Kid Shelleen, sight unseen, and has to get him into shape. They dispense their own form of justice, but the law is on the side of the railroad. The motion picture has many memorable scenes that will stick in your memory.

Lee Marvin's performance made this a classic motion picture. Jane Fonda plays Cat, but without Lee it might have been a so-so film.

This 1965 spoof of westerns was a big hit back then. It's the story of Katherine Ballou, nicknamed "Cat" and played by Jane Fonda, who comes home to her small Wyoming town after studying to be a schoolmarm. However, because her father refuses to sell his land to the speculators, he is brutally murdered. She goes gunning for revenge. But this is a comedy and it's all very lighthearted, especially since there are constant musical narratives by Stubby Kaye and Nat King Cole. Lee Marvin won an academy award for his excellent portrayal of two aging outlaw gunmen and he's great. It's worth seeing, just to see his performance as he's a master not just of facial expressions, but also of total body language. Jane Fonda looks pretty as the sweet-young-thing turned outlaw. And there's enough love interest and comical episodes to keep the story moving. There's a train-robbing incident that is quite funny. And, of course, there's a happy ending.

I'm not much for comedies and so that fact that I was willing to spend the 96 minutes watching it all the way through says a lot for it. Recommended for light entertainment.

Although Jane Fonda was 27 years old when she played the title role in "Cat Ballou", she looks about 19, and that was about the intended age of her character. They gave her a very wholesome look, with her hair especially youthful looking. Pretty much all the guys in the baby boomer generation fell in love with her when they saw this film in 1965, whether they were five or 25. And pretty much all the characters in the film fall in love with her as well. This was her first film targeted at the boomer demographic and her young appearance and relative obscurity were deceptive to her new fans. Six years later when "Klute" was released folks were staggered by how used up she looked, generally because everyone had just assumed that she was younger.

In 1965 it was revolutionary to see a film with such a strong, determined, brave, and resourceful young woman, especially for a western. Although Joan Crawford, Shelley Winters, and Peggy Castle had previously played tough saloon owners, there had never been anyone quite like Fonda's character. "The times were a changin" or at least beginning to change and this film both reflected and contributed to these changes.

If you are thinking of watching "Cat Ballou" for the first time be aware that it has the standard 1960's western production design. Things are very studio back lot, very clean, and extremely orderly (insert not authentic here). And although classified as a comedy it is as much mild action/adventure as comedy. The humorous elements are mostly supplied by Lee Marvin doing a parody of the heavy roles he usually played.

Stubby Kaye and Nat "King" Cole bookend the film as banjo playing western minstrels and also function as musical narrators who pop up within scenes throughout the movie, singing the story as it unfolds. This really complicates the staging of these scenes and it is worth just paying attention to the clever ways they are worked into the scenes.

After an introduction the story flashes back and then proceeds linearly forward, by the end they are back to the time of the introduction. The flashback first finds Catherine (Cat) Ballou boarding a train after completing finishing school. She is returning to her father's Wyoming ranch. On the trip she is reading a pulp western about a gunfighter named Kid Shelleen (Marvin). She meets escaping rustler Clay Boone (Michael Callan) and his drunk Uncle Jed (Dwayne Hickman) who is dressed as a preacher. She arrives home to find her father's ranch in bad shape. Her father is being pressured to sell out to a British railroad baron.

"Cat Ballou" is a fun film with a nice soundtrack. Fonda and Marvin are especially good.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

This is truly one of the funniest (and funnest)western spoofs ever made. Lee Marvin is at his best, and Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye will leave you singing "Cat Baloooooo" to yourself for weeks. As an editorial aside, reviewers who have rated this flick down based on Jane Fonda's appearance in it are asses. I didn't think much of John Wayne's politics, but I sure enjoyed his movies.

There are few people who could be said to like Jane Fonda less than I do. My perception of her is in keeping with her Barbarella/Klute image. I think she is a lousy &%#$. After seeing this film, however, I have to admit the lady does have some talent. Maybe "lady" is too strong a word.

This is a delightful comedy. Ms. Fonda plays an "innocent" schoolteacher whose father is killed by the local land baron in a western town. She vows revenge and gets it with the help of "a sex maniac", "his uncle", an Indian (stellar performance) and a drunken gunfighter. In the process, everyone racks up the laughs except for Fonda who plays the "straight man" extremely well. Nat King Cole makes his last appearance in this film before losing his battle with cancer. He plays a minstrel who, with Stubby Kaye, keeps the audience informed as to the progress of the story. It all comes together remarkably well.

Fonda has never had any trouble appearing beautiful. She does an excellent job of that in this film. More important, though, is her sense of timing and setting up the antics of the other characters. She also manages to make herself a sympathetic character. I never would have thought I could feel that way about her.

Lee Marvin steals the show as the drunken gunfighter, Kid Shelleen, and as Shelleen's mortal enemy and brother, Tim Strawn. He does not get as much screen time as one might expect but every second is precious.

This is an extravagant comedy. It evokes earlier westerns and pokes fun at them in a good natured way while poking fun at itself. It is a job well done by all involved.

The amiable yet surprisingly fast-paced "Cat Ballou" is the grandma of later western spoofs like "Shanghai Noon," and it has worn remarkably well. In the opening, young Cat(herine) Ballou is returning to the West to be a teacher after her education Back East. Through no fault of her own, she gets tangled up on the train with two outlaws, a good-looking but decidedly narcissistic type (Michael Callan) and his somewhat dimwitted uncle (Dwayne Hickman).

Cat decides to visit her father's ranch first and is shocked to see that the ranch well has been befouled by manure and there is a price on her father's head, all because he refuses to sell the land to a British holding company. Before too long her father is killed, and she engages the help of a girlhood hero, Kid Sheleen (Lee Marvin) for revenge. Sheleen turns out to be less than the heroic type, but ultimately Cat's bitterness and the young men's propensity toward crime turn them all into an outlaw gang.

Expect gentle ribbing of such Western-movie staples as the black-clad assassin, the barroom brawl, the bawdy house, the train robbery, the righteous preacher-man, the corrupt sheriff, and the pompous capitalist. The more you know about Westerns the funnier this spoof is, yet if you take your Westerns TOO seriously this might seem a little. . . well . . . sacriligeous. Jane Fonda is absolutely beautiful in this 36-year-old film, as are the outdoor settings. A crisp and fun film to own.

If, for no other reason, you must watch this movie for the outstanding comedy performance from Lee Marvin. This movie is candy for the brain. The cast performs together like a well-oiled machine. The outstanding muscial performances by Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye almost steal the show. Dwayne Hickman and Michael Callan as the inept outlaws with a price on their heads are perfect in their supporting roles. This movie is not only the perfect western spoof, it also inserts lighthearted social commentary about race and sex and the roles they played in the era in which this movie was filmed. I have enjoyed this movie for 20 years and it just keeps me rolling. I never tire of watching this movie. They just don't get much better than this.

This movie combines the seriousness of western with light humor to create a movie that nearly holds a niche by itself. Catherine "Cat" Ballou is an innocent school teacher returning home to the family ranch, where she finds that her father is slowly being driven off the ranch. She also encounters characters during her return home and on the family ranch that are quite unusual.

Initially Catherine (Jane Fonda) plays a complete innocent. We meet Catherine on a train, where she encounters two men, one, Clay Boone (Michael Callan) is in handcuffs. The other is a drunken preacher named Jed (Dwayne Hickman), who carries a bible that has hidden attributes. Jed's often repeated line is "Ma'am, I apologize for my disgusting condition and I assure you I will not inflict myself on you any further." Soon Catherine finds herself in her delicates with Clay Boone next to her as he makes his escape from the sheriff and leaves the train, stealing a kiss from beautiful Catherine in the process.

On her return home, Catherine quickly realizes that something is wrong. The cattle and horses are gone, and everything appears run down. Native American Jackson Two-Bears (Tom Nardini) is now working for her father. Jackson behaves in a most uncharacteristic fashion compared to the typical stereotype of Native Americans as usually portrayed in the 1960s. Jackson frequently makes comments on things white men usually think about Native Americans, with the point typically being that they are wrong. Soon Clay Boone and Jed also show up, and Catherine begs them all to protect her father from noseless killer Tim Strawn (Lee Marvin). In spite of Catherine's best efforts Strawn cold-bloodedly murders her father. Soon Catherine is being thrown off the family ranch.

To help protect her father, Catherine wrote to gunfighter Kid Shelleen (Marvin, in a second role), sending him $50 as a retainer. When Shelleen shows up it turns out that he is a drunkard. However, having read a number of stories about the famous Kid Shelleen, Catherine retains faith in him.

Soon Cat is encouraging the others to rob a train to get back at those who harmed her father. When the robbery nets far more than expected, Sir Harry Percival (Reginald Denny) sends Strawn after Cat, initially to encourage Cat to return the money. When Kid Shelleen realizes that Strawn is about, he sobers up quickly, and in an excellent series of scenes, transforms from a drunken slob into a genuine gunfighter. After Kid Shelleen and Strawn take care of their business, Cat goes to talk to Sir Harry Percival to get him to sign a confession that he ordered her father's death. When he refuses, the gun goes off and Cat ends up in jail, on a trip to the gallows, once more looking heart-breakingly beautiful and innocent.

We have musical narrators throughout this movie, in the form of Professor Sam the Shade (Nat King Cole) and The Sunrise Kid (Stubby Kaye).While the pair are occasionally distracting, the songs are generally good, and are often used to introduce the upcoming scene. This appearance was Cole's last, as he passed away several months before the release of the film.

There are several standout performances in this movie, including Jane Fonda's. However, the best performance is that of Lee Marvin in the dual roles. Lee Marvin was awarded the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role in 1966 for his performance. He also won the British Academy of Film and Television Arts award for Best Foreign Actor, the Silver Berlin Bear at the International Berlin Film Festival, the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Actor in a Musical or Comedy, the Laurel Award for Male Comedy Performance, and the National Board of Review award for Best Actor. In total, this movie received 12 nominations for various awards and won 10 awards. If there had been such an award, the horse Marvin used near the end of the film should have received an award as well, as the horse appears to look as down and out as the horse's rider.

This movie does not have the raw and riotous humor of "Blazing Saddles." The book on which this movie was based was a serious western. The humorous elements were added to change the tone of the movie. The humor is not as subtle as the humor in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." However, there are numerous places where the script gets a smile, and there are several worthy of a laugh.

This DVD contains a number of extras of varying value. The "Legend of Cat Ballou" may be the best feature. The audio commentary is interesting, if you like hearing nostalgic memories of how a movie was made.

One small detail I noticed. Kid Shelleen sang "Happy Birthday" at one point in the movie. The lyrics for "Happy Birthday" were not written until the next century, and each time I see that scene I must admit I am slightly distracted by the relatively glaring inaccuracy. There are other inaccuracies, but they are typically more subtle.

I originally saw this movie in 1965 when it was released. I am surprised and pleased that the movie has aged well. While some recall Jane Fonda with distaste for her behavior a few years later, here Fonda is beautiful and perfect for this part. Lee Marvin reminds us all of why he was considered a great actor. If you consider yourself a fan of westerns, or Lee Marvin, and if you liked movies like "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "Blazing Saddles," and "Two Mules for Sister Sara," I think you will enjoy this one as well.