Cat Ballou

I watched Cat Ballou again the other day after a gap of over 35 years. A spoof western, definitely. That Lee Marvin should not have won the Oscar? No way. It is far more difficult to carry off a role in what is obviously a pastiche than to excel in a serious dramatic part. Lee Marvin plays it to perfection. Watch his face in the bar scene in the hole in the wall, desperately trying to catch the moment to propose a toast - "I'll drink to that!". It's brilliant. This film has to be watched in the context of its time. It is no good trying to compare it to today's special effects dominated blockbusters or Pixar animations. The semi-musical format was innovative, and remains so today. Cat Ballou is a perfect example of 60's "cool".

In the most lighthearted roles of their careers, Academy Award-winner Jane Fonda (Klute, Coming Home) and Lee Marvin (winner of the Best Actor Oscar for this performance) shine as the title character, a virtuous young schoolmarm who sets out to avenge the death of her father Frankie (played by John Marley), and as drunken sharpshooter Kid Shelleen, who agrees to help the young woman go after the killer(s). Along for the ride are Clay Boone (Michael Callan), a handsome young felon who is sheltered by Cat and falls in love with her; Jed (Dwayne Hickman), Clay's Bible-thumping uncle, and Jackson Two-Bears (Tom Nardini, who is hilarious), the Ballou's hired hand who philosophically comments on the treatment of Native Americans. Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye are enjoyable as troubadours who sing the plot of the movie as it moves along. Fonda never looked more beautiful, Marvin is a hoot (as Shelleen and his twin brother, the silver-nosed Tim Strawn), and the screenplay (by Walter Newman, Frank R. Pierson and Roy Chanslor, from his novel) is remarkable. Memorable scenes include the opening train sequence, the brawl at the square dance, the showdown between Cat and Sir Percival (played by character actor Reginald Denny) and the conclusion at the gallows. Delightful from start to finish! ***1/2 out of ****

Quite a number of reviews of Cat Ballou seem centered on the theme "It didn't make me laugh" or "Lee Marvin didn't deserve Best Actor". Okay, deal with it. My dad took the whole family to the opening of Cat Ballou in a big midwestern town back in the day. We all thought it was funny, we knew it was a comedy, however the audience was not roaring with riotous laughter. That is sometimes a good sign that you are watching a satire. There was plenty of silliness and slapstick as well, and some real wild west weirdness (the sterling silver nose that Kid Strawn wears, etc.) Funny how the opening song stayed with me from 1965 on, although I don't believe I have ever seen the film from the beginning since that first time.

It's a hangin' day in Wolf City Wyomin' Wolf City Wyomin' She killed a man it's tru-ue, And that's a why their hangin' Hangin' Cat Ballou,

This oddball flick seemed to really say something about our view of the western film, and I think that is the one of the points that helped it win some awards.

Maybe the best compliment I'd give to "Cat Ballou" is that I enjoyed it better than Mel Brooks' "Blazing Saddles (both films made it in American Film Institute Top 100 Comedies) but unlike Mel Brooks, Elliott Silverstein (a forgotten name) never gets carried away to the point he forgets to tell a story.

The film has a straightforwardness in the narrative that retrospectively betrays a lack of inspiration but it provides a reasonable amount of laughs and some hilarious gags (the "Happy Birthday To You" one killed me), setting the tone quickly and by quickly, I mean immediately. When you have the Columbia Lady turning into a cartoon pin-up, tossing her robe to reveal a sexy cowgirl shooting all over the screen in pure 60s animation, you know this is a movie that is aiming rather high in terms of laughs.

Then our eyes are gratified with the irresistible sight of Stubby Kaye and Nat King Cole as official minstrels and officious Greek Chorus introducing us to the Ballad of Cat Ballou, played by a youthful Jane Fonda. Sadly, Cole would die a few months later of cancer and would never see the film be released, but he couldn't have a better ending role, he and Kaye form a wonderful matched couple.

So we discover the beautiful Cat Ballou waiting for the rope like Marie-Antoinette the guillotine and the film tells her story in flashback. We discover her as Catherine, a shy and prude soon-to-be teacher whose supporter leaves in a train next to the most respectable figure: a priest (Dwayne Hickman). 'Cat' had just caught the eye of a handsome escorted criminal Clay Boone (Michael Callan) and she's not indifferent to his charm.

There's something in Fonda's performance that is full of juvenile vulnerability and a repressed appetite for thrills of any sorts. In fact, no one is what he seems to be, the first time the priest opens his mouth, it sets the tone of unpredictability that drives every major supporting character, all deconstructing the myths of the Western in the funniest way. Even Frankie Ballou, the no-nonsense father played by John Marley mistakes his Native hand Jackson Two-Bears (Tom Nardini) from one of the "chosen people".

The Native mistaken for a Jew and played by an Italian is perhaps the sanest character of male persuasion in the whole film. The priest is a scam, Boone a coward and the father who should take the threats of Wolf Fort's people seriously (he refuses to sell his ranch for the railroad company) doesn't care. This is all played for laughs, and Cat Ballou is both the woman and straight man of the film.

But even the best oiled comedy machinery wouldn't have worked too long if it wasn't for the genius casting of Lee Marvin. It takes more than half-an-a hour but it's all worth it. I wouldn't call it a dual performance as we don't see much of Tim Strawn, the man who gives a reason to Cat to seek revenge, but as Kid Shellein, he's simply a constant delight.

It's one thing to play drunk, but Kid isn't any drunkard, he's a gunslinger who can't do with and without the liquor: if he's too drunk, he's ineffective, if he's sober, he's shaking and the way he expresses his need is borderline drama, he needs to have a few drops to get on his feet and not drop his pants, and for a brief amount of time, he's the best shot of the west, the rest of the time, he's hilarious as well and provides most the laugh.

Marvin was responsible for the good and jovial atmosphere during the shooting and Silverstein credited him for that. Interestingly, Fonda didn't get along with him, maybe she resented having the less juicy role despite being the titular, but it's true that those who're looking for the equivalent of our "girl power" movies will be disappointed, "Cat Ballou" is bad ass all right but her incredible good looks and soft sexiness are the best assets she exhibits... the script doesn't give her much to value, even the crime that brings her to jail is rather played in an anticlimactic way.

In fact, Lee Marvin is the star and that the film isn't titled "The Legend of Kid Shellen" is because he's a supporting role, which brings me to a point: he should have shared with the horse his Oscar for Bet Supporting Actor. The year after, Mathau would win in Supporting for "The Fortune Cookie" where he was clearly the co-lead, got to wonder how the Academy works sometimes. But that doesn't diminish the film's merit, it's a classic Western comedy, bu is it a classic Western?

To be honest, I've held an unfair grudge against "Cat Ballou" and I blame it on the AFI. When it unveiled its Top 10 Westerns, two titles rang like abnormalities to me: "McCabe & Mrs. Miller" and "Cat Ballou". Never heard of any, saw each, and I thought Altman's film wasn't just one of the best Western but one of the best movies, period. But "Cat Ballou" kept me more skeptical.

I just rewatched two films that could have made decent tenth entries: John Ford's classics "My Darling Clementine" or "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance". "Rio Bravo" or "The Magnificent Seven" would have been relevant. Or "The Ox-Bow Incident", "True Grit", "Little Big Man". "Cat Ballou" is an entertaining Western, but Top 10? Not sure it's Top 50 material.

These considerations put a considerable weight on my initial judgment and made me look at the film as something that stole a lousy spot in a list, instead of a fun, daring, sometimes hilarious parody of the Western genre, and had it dared a little more, perhaps its reputation would have equaled "Blazing Saddles", a film I found a tad overrated.

But if a comedy had to make it in the Top 10, I'm glad it was "Cat Ballou".

Jane Fonda plays Cat Ballou, back in the days when she was not only acting but also accepting sexy kittenish roles, a rancher's daughter out to avenge the murder of said rancher by the bad guys who run the town. Yep, it's a sex Western, one that gives us the one-of-a-kind performances of Fonda and of Lee Marvin, who has two roles - an alcoholic gunslinger who's supposed to be Cat's saving and a mean, dastardly hit man with a prosthetic nose - and who won himself an Oscar for his delightful work. But it's not just the lighthearted performances of the actors that floats this film, it's also the riveting, uproarious script. The pace is never dull - there are some Westerns that'll slow things down to kind of add mood to a story, but not this one. This would make a nice double-bill with another of Fonda's sexy early roles, "Barbarella."