The Ballad of Josie

The Ballad of Josie for Doris Day marked the beginning of the end of her film career. Her agent/husband/svengali Martin Melcher forced her into a whole lot of mediocre films because he knew and she would find out that their wealth was something done with mirrors. She had to keep working.

Not that it's a bad film, just not a terribly good one. It's populated with a whole good cast of veteran players and her leading man in this is Peter Graves. Graves is someone who should have had a good career as a screen lead in his youth. Unfortunately he got to do a lot of bad science fiction movies(and some real classic good ones) which didn't help. He opted for the small screen instead.

William Talman makes his farewell appearance here. He's a big shot politician who sees his dream of statehood in Wyoming going down the tubes because of the controversy of Doris Day trying to raise sheep in what has been traditionally cattle country.

Doris's husband Robert Lowery is killed in the first few minutes of the film. She has to raise her son alone now and lots of professions and trades were closed to her as they were to women back in that day. She decides to become a shepherd as she's told it doesn't have the overhead expense of cattle on the 460 acres she's inherited.

That starts a whole big controversy with a shooting range war about to break out.

Granted that women were kept barefoot and pregnant in those days, but it's hard to believe that Doris might not have heard SOME discussion about the cattle and sheep problem and why there was this unofficial line of demarcation in Arapahoe County, Wyoming.

Fans of Doris will want to see her in anything though.

By this time in her career Doris was being forced into roles by her husband Marty Melcher. The forever beautiful Doris looked a little worn out on this production. Filmed on location, the scenery is beautiful and Doris' performance makes up for the simple plot. Its too bad the script was just so so. The best scenes are when she is defending her land and causes a "womens riot" in the town. It is enjoyable to see David Hartman ( 70's host of Good Morning America )and supporting star Elisabeth Fraser ( who played Doris Day's sister in Young at Heart). Doris is Hollywood royalty although she has never received the recognition she deserves.

What's not to love about this film? If you can reserve judgment until the end, you'll discover the humorous and heartwarming tale of a woman who is not afraid to stand her ground! Doris Day as Josie, opposite Peter Graves' Jason, is a tremendous force to be reckoned with. In true Doris-style she takes on "the men" of Wyoming, bucking convention (in a great pair of Levi's) and daring them to deny her her basic human rights. OK, so it only takes 2 glasses of brandy to knock Josie off her feet, but she comes right back swinging all the harder! And when the dust clears, she's there, triumphant to the end. Not only does she beat back an oppressive cattle baron, she also manages to fend for herself and her son, run a sheep-raising operation, endear herself to the women of Wyoming, and win the love and admiration of a pretty swell guy, in my opinion. So who says you can't have your cake and eat it too? I give Josie 10 stars **********

Doris Day, in my opinion has given only two "bad performances." One was in "Do Not Disturb" and the other in "That Touch of Mink." And, it wasn't so much Doris' fault...it was the scripts and unwise directors who tried to keep her pure as the driven sunshine.

"Ballad of Josie" had spunk. It was about a woman who decided to take control of her own life after having been a battered wife. She needed to take care of her little boy and she felt that she didn't NEED A MAN to do anything FOR her. We should be applauding, not hissing this independent woman.

Day didn't want to make this film (her husband had signed for her to do it), but she felt, "a deal's a deal." She put 110% into Josie Minick and she gave a VERY professional performance. No surprise to me, because Day always gave her all, even with drivel like "Disturb" and "Mink." As an actress, she fulfilled her obligation and then some in this part. Could Shirley MacLaine or Debbie Reynolds have given a more convincing performance? I think not. Doris' approach to any scene is so natural, people forget that she's acting. Therefore, audiences and critics ignore what an incredible job she's done, despite poor scripts.

This is not among Doris Day's great films, but she was wonderful in all of her scenes. The script? It wasn't the greatest, but it wasn't the worse. I felt that her supporting cast was well-represented by some of the best character actors in the business. She got marvelous support from Andy Devine, William Talman, Peter Graves, George Kennedy, John Fiedler, Audrey Christie, David Hartman, Elizabeth Fraiser, Paul Fix, etc. And, didn't she look incredible in those jeans?!!!!!!!!

I like Doris Day and try to get all her films in german. You cannot imagine how happy I was, when I received "The Ballad of Josie" ( Das Teufelsweib aus Texas )( german title). It's a rare film, but I like it because of Doris. Well, people who enjoyed "Pillow Talk" won't like to watch this one, I guess. In this film are some funny moments, for example when Doris wears jeans and surprise the men or when she is falling on the bed. But you can't compare it to her better films. I can only say, Doris is in it, some other good actors and the plot isn't bad at all.