The Sheepman

In 1957, there was enough phony gun smoke on the screen to choke Superman. Most Westerns were filled with cardboard characters, unimaginative stories, and predictable showdowns. Too bad this under-rated little entry got lost in the shuffle, because it's both highly original and genuinely humorous, with an expert cast, a great script, and some magnificent Colorado landscapes.

What really distinguishes this oater is Ford's droll character (Mr. Sweet!) and the film's sprightly dialogue, neither of which sounds like you've yawned through it all before. In fact, Sweet is one of the few original cowboy creations of the time. He's a sly dog, so you never know what he'll do next, which keeps the audience riveted. Then too, Ford plays the part beautifully, his typical low-key manner making the many clever twists all the more surprising. Watch how adroitly Sweet wakes up the sleepy town at movie's outset. It amounts to a real head-turning treat.

So why do cattlemen hate sheep, the crux of the story. I don't think the screenplay explains, but it's because sheep don't just graze, they eat the roots, killing the forage, which leaves nothing for the cattle. So you know sheepman Glenn Ford is in for a passel of trouble when he brings his flock to cattle country. And trouble he gets in the form of slickster Leslie Nielsen (before Nielsen showed his own comedic talents).

And whose inspiration was it to cast the very un-frontier-like Shirley McLaine in the girl role. She's just wacky enough to make her pairing with Sweet seem natural. Then too, there're those two impossibly colorful characters-- the sneaky Edgar Buchanan at his slipperiest and the half-clown, half-thug Mickey Shaughnessy at his schizo best.

What really surprises me is that this little gem came from Western-averse MGM, which always seemed to be above such common fare as horse operas. Still, the movie does benefit from that studio's emphasis on production values-- even the outdoor sets are hard to detect.

My only complaint-- the two shootouts look like unimaginative sops to convention. It's as if the writers had to surrender to what someone thought the audience expected. Too bad. Anyway, don't let the movie's relative obscurity fool you. It's one of those sleepers that sometimes wandered away from the Dream Factory only to get lost in the crowd. Nonetheless, it's still well worth a look-see, even 50 years later.

This movie is played for laughs, particularly in the early scenes. The Fall scenery of the Colorado Rockies is gorgeous. The pretty title theme by composer Jeff Alexander reappears later in another Glenn Ford outing, "The Rounders". The strong cast includes Glenn Ford, Shirley McLaine, and Leslie Nielson. Edgar Buchanan is particularly good in a supporting role.

This movie is fun to watch. Ford is good as the sheepman and Shirley McLain does well with her role as the almost-wife of bad guy Leslie Nielson. The film is a little short on action, but the witty script more than makes up for it. Most of the action occurs at the end with Sheepman Ford shooting the bad guys.

I particularly enjoyed Shirley McLain's performance. The script gives her a character with some potential and she makes the most of it. If she's done another Western I can't remember what it is.

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Although "The Sheepman" is full of comic moments, none of them could quite be considered to be of the parody or even the self-reflexive variety. George Marshall's 1958 western was produced a few years before the genre began imitating television westerns by moving in that direction with films like "Cat Ballou" and "Support Your Local Sheriff". Most of this film's humor comes from the off-kilter nature of Glenn Ford's cowboy hero Jason Sweet. He is my all-time favorite Ford character, alternating between standard western hero and detached manipulator. His scenes with Mickey Shaughnessy (as town bully Jumbo) are funny because they totally break genre conventions. The Coen Brothers have used a similar technique in many of their films, writing dialogue totally mismatched with what one expects from a particular movie stereotyped character. The effectiveness of the device (and its novelty in 1958) led to William Bowers & James Edward Grant receiving an Oscar nomination for the screenplay.

The story gets moving right away as the title character (Sweet) hits the town of Powder Valley, seemingly on a mission to alienate every citizen with whom he comes into contact. This also serves as a quick introduction to most of the supporting cast as he insults the railroad station master (Percy Helton), gives unsolicited advice to a young lady (Shirley MacLaine), tricks the livery stable owner (Edgar Buchanan of "Petticoat Junction" fame); and gets the better of the general store proprietor (Harry Harvey). He then picks a fight with Jumbo (Shaughnessy) and ends the day by announcing his intention to graze sheep on the nearby public lands. This puts him into conflict with a local cattleman named "The Colonel" (a very young and uncharacteristically serious Leslie Neilsen).

MacLaine's often exasperated heroine would serve as inspiration for the Suzanne Pleshette and Joan Hackett characters in "Support Your Local Gunfighter" and "Support Your Local Sheriff".

"The Sheepman" is refreshingly different; witty, unpredictable, and extremely entertaining.

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

This movie works on a lot of levels. Awesome cast, good story, great action and good laughs.

Ford is a different tough guy to most western stars, less physically imposing his toughness or power comes completely from his uncompromising attitude against his foes. It makes a nice change , similar to Joel McCrea but a better actor.

The movie has all the elements that you would be looking for when watching this, its a very satisfying movie :)

This is one of the 1950's best westerns in the Destry Rides Again mode of tongue-in-cheek westerns and foreshadows Support Your Local Sheriff by a decade. It's ideally cast and is certainly one of Glenn Ford's finest roles. He and Shirley MacLaine have marvelous chemistry. Familiar faces Edgar Buchanan, Mickey Shaughnessy,Willis Bouchey,Percy Helton,and Slim Pickins are around to give it the proper old western flavor and Leslie Nielsen is slickly handsome as Ford's rival for Shirley's affections. Pernell Roberts is an effectively slimy villain. Director George Marshall was an old hand at combining comedy with action and The Sheepman is one of his best efforts. The screenplay by James Edward Grant and William Bowers was nominated for an Academy Award.

The Sheepman still holds up well today and will appeal to anyone who is a fan of western's,comedies,or just plain entertaining movies. It's good, clean, old fashioned fun and a prime example of one of those kind of films"that they just don't make anymore!" More's the pity