The Sheepman (1958)

The Sheepman (Dir: George Marshall, 1958). 

Glenn Ford had a terrific run of movies in the 1950s. Many of which were westerns, including this unusual oater with an excellent supporting cast. 

Ford stars as Jason Sweet, a stranger who arrives in cattle country with a flock of sheep which he intends to graze on public land. The cowpoke townsfolk disapprove mightily of this and let Sweet know, in no uncertain terms, that they want him gone. But the tough talking, milk drinking Sweet means business. Picking a fight with town heavy "Jumbo" McCall (Mickey Shaughnessy) and making an enemy of shifty cattle baron "Colonel" Steven Bedford (Leslie Nielsen); meanwhile giving the glad eye to Bedford's intended Dell Payton (Shirley MacLaine). 

The antagonistic anti-hero Sweet is a perfect role for Ford, who is superb as the wiseacre sheepman. Not necessarily a name you associate with the western genre, Shirley MacLaine brings a kooky charm to the role of Dell, Sweet's ally and unlikely love interest. Later known for comedy, it can be a little disconcerting seeing Leslie Nielsen in a straight role, particularly one with the ambivalence of the crooked Colonel. Once you accept that he not gonna spend the movie pulling funnies, he is completely believable in the role. The supporting cast is populated with familiar faces including a neat comic performance from Mickey Shaughnessy as big lug "Jumbo", and legendary character star Edgar Buchanan also as old-timer idler Milt Masters, Sweet's only other ally among the disgruntled townspeople. 

The Sheepman is an enjoyable western, enlivened by a legendary cast. While not an out and out comedy, William Bowers and James Edward Grant’s clever screenplay has a rich undercurrent of humour while George Kennedy’s stylish direction keeps things moving at a pace. Shot in Technicolor and CinemaScope by cinematographer Robert Bronner, it is one of those beautiful big screen movies that Hollywood once upon a time seemingly churned out. It probably losses a little something when viewed on TV but is still a handsome movie. 

Offbeat and entertaining, The Sheepman is a distinctly different flavour to other 1950s horse operas. While not one of Mr Ford’s best remembered movies, it certainly a title worth seeking out. Especially if, like me you have a soft spot for vintage Technicolor westerns.

The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975)

The Apple Dumpling Gang (Dir: Norman Tokar, 1975). 

Comic western from Walt Disney Productions which provides a starring role for a pre-Incredible Hulk Bill Bixby. 

Three orphans, the unwitting wards of gambler Russell Donovan (Bill Bixby), attract the attention of prospective adoptive parents when they strike gold in former mining community of Quake City. To protect the kids from gold-digging townsfolk, Donovan arranges a sham marriage with stagecoach driver Dusty (Susan Clark) with a plan to adopt the youngsters; meanwhile the children's money grabbing legal guardian John Wintle (Don Knight) gets wind of their windfall. Determined to remain in the care of Donovan and Dusty, the trio, assuming the name The Apple Dumpling Gang combine forces with second rate bandits Amos (Tim Conway) and Theodore (Don Knotts) aka The Hash Knife Outfit. Together the gang plot to stage a bogus burglary which would allow Amos and Theodore to keep the nugget while deterring the self-serving Wintle. The clumsy crims are making a fine mess of thing when real life robbers turn up to alleviate the loot from the city bank.  

The early 1970s saw a plethora of comedy westerns hit cinema screens, from James Garner starrers Support Your Local Sheriff! (Burt Kennedy, 1969) and Support Your Local Gunfighter (Burt Kennedy, 1975) to Mel Brooks' blockbuster Blazing Saddles (M Brooks, 1974). The Disney Studios jumped on the genre bandwagon with The Apple Dumpling Gang and scored a much needed hit in the process. 

Closer in spirit to the Garner movies than Brooks' satire, The Apple Dumpling Gang afforded Bill Bixby a rare opportunity as leading man in a feature film. Mr Bixby makes for an appealing lead and is well supported by Susan Clark as the spiky Dusty. The two make a believable romantic pair in, surprisingly, the sole Disney feature appearance for either. The movie is significant as the first of many pairing of comedy duo Don Knotts and Tim Conway. I must admit to finding their broad style of humour a little bit of an acquired taste. I do enjoy their performances here, however, and prefer it to later movies in which their shtick was growing visibly tired. This is a Disney movie so expect some winsome kids. The trio here are cute without becoming too cloying, the youngest of all, Stacy Manning, contributing a particularly charming and naturalistic performance in her only movie.

Shot on locations including the Disney lot, the Golden Oak movie ranch and the Los Padres and Deschutes National Forests, The Apple Dumpling Gang is a good looking western, not overly hampered by obvious studio locations. Only a runaway mine cart sequence and an otherwise exciting rapids climax exposes the use of back projection which plagued many 70s era Disney productions. 

The Apple Dumpling Gang is a highlight of Disney’s so-called 1970s 'dark age'. Of course, it relies on the same formulae  Disney had been utilising in their live action comedies for about 15 years. Yet over-familiarity doesn't hamper the movie too much. In fact it lends it an old fashioned charm which is probably more appealing now than when the movie was released. While not particularly sophisticated the broad humour of The Apple Dumpling Gang does provide some big laughs. It would be churlish to over critique a movie whose aim is to provide lighthearted entertainment and ultimately succeeds in doing so. It is, perhaps, a little longer than it needs to be. But its kooky, knockabout good humour means it doesn't outstay its welcome.

Such was the movie’s success it spurred a minor franchise; inspiring a sequel The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again (Vincent McEveety, 1979), The Wonderful World of Disney episode Tales of the Apple Dumpling Gang (E W Swackhamer, 1982) and the short lived TV series Gun Shy (1983). With the Disney Studios’ current obsession with revisiting past glories I wouldn’t be at all surprised if The Gang returned in some iteration as a Disney+ exclusive. However, any remake or reboot will have difficulty living up to the shear amiability of the original. 

The Ghost and Mr Chicken (1966)

The Ghost and Mr Chicken (Dir: Alan Rafkin, 1966).

The Ghost and Mr Chicken is a family friendly comedy/horror from Universal Pictures, with the accent firmly on smiles rather than shocks. 

Something of a throwback to haunted house comedies of an earlier age - the Bob Hope vehicle The Cat and the Canary (Elliott Nugent, 1939) springs to mind - The Ghost and Mr Chicken finds nebbish newspaper typesetter Luther Heggs spend the night in a haunted house in an attempt to further his career as as a journalist. Becoming a local celebrity, he lands himself a subpoena when property owner Mr Simmons (Philip Ober) challenges Heggs' claims of ghostly goings on in the abandoned abode.

Don Knotts was best known for his role of Barney in TV’s The Andy Griffith Show (1960-68); The Ghost and Mr Chicken features several of the cast of that show and at least three cast members of Bewitched (1964-1972). Add to this studio locations familiar from The Munsters (1964-66) and you have the inescapable feel of a 1960's US TV sitcom. Some may feel the lack of big name movie stars and the obvious backlot locations detract from the cinematic authenticity of the piece. Yet, watching this on the small screen 55 years after it was made it gives the movie a kind of warm familiarity that I feel adds to its period charm.

I must admit, I am not Mr Knotts' biggest fan. I don’t dislike him and he does contribute to many movies I enjoy, but I do find his brand of broad comedy a little grating on occasions. However, he is well served here with an amusing screenplay by James Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum and solid direction from Alan Rafkin which is neatly tailored to his slapstick sensibilities. All three were regular contributors to The Andy Griffith Show and it is clear that neither cast or crew of The Ghost and Mr Chicken have strayed far from their comfort zones here. Standouts among a large supporting cast are Joan Staley as love interest Alma and Skip Homeier as love rival Ollie. 2nd Darrin Dick Sargent also makes an appearance three years before he joined the cast of Bewitched. 

Big kids of my age and slightly older will be most familiar with Don Knotts from his many appearances in Walt Disney Productions' comedy movies of the 1970s, but this is the movie that provided his big screen breakthrough. In recent years it has become something of a cult favourite, yet outside fans of vintage US TV and Knotts fans in particular, its appeal may be a little limited.  

While The Ghost and Mr Chicken is not exactly laden down with big laughs, it is never less than amusing. It also has a kind of kooky charm that is easy to warm to. Low-key and a little lowbrow, it is likeable, harmless fun nonetheless.

The King and Four Queens (1956)

The King and Four Queens (Dir: Raoul Walsh, 1956)

With a title referencing star Clark Gable’s reputation as The King of Hollywood, The King and Four Queens is an offbeat western from legendary director Raoul Walsh. 

Clark Gable stars as smooth talking drifter Dan Kehoe who rides into the ramshackle, lawless town of Wagon Mound with the intention of relieving Ma McDade (Jo Van Fleet) and her four widowed daughter-in-laws (Eleanor Parker, Jean Willes, Barbara Nichols & Sara Slade) of $100,000 worth of stolen gold. Romancing each of the ladies in order to learn the whereabouts of the stash, it become apparent that the queens are using him as much as he is using them.

With it tough talking, gun totting matriarch, The King and Four Queens is a little reminiscent of cult western Johnny Guitar (Nicholas Ray, 1954). While it subtly plays with the notions of masculinity, director Raoul Walsh never takes his movie to the same levels of subversion as Ray’s weird and wonderful gem. 

Performances are strong from Gable and his female co-stars, particularly Eleanor Parker. It is amusing (and a little anti-feminist) to see the four man-hungry McDade women lusting after Gable, the first male to enter the house in two years! I get the feeling that this portrayal would be vastly different were the movie made in 2020! Yet it is presented with humour and sense of being just a little bit tongue in cheek. 

The King and Four Queens is a handsome movie, benefiting greatly from Lucien Ballard’s beautiful DeLuxe Color, CinemaScope photography, shot against dramatic Utah locations. It is quite a slow moving movie; not a great deal happens, but it is never dull. Its various twists unfold nicely and at just shy of 90 minutes it doesn’t outstay its welcome. A little known entry on the Clark Gable resume this may be, but it is a movie well worth seeking out. 

Alexander the Great (1956)

Alexander the Great (Dir: Robert Rossen, 1956). 

Richard Burton heads the cast in a historical drama chronicling the life and accomplishments of Alexander III of Macedonia. Part of the trend to entice audiences away from television, the lavish production was shot in glorious Technicolor and utilised the widescreen CinemaScope format. 

I have to admit to being a little disappointed with Alexander the Great. There is nothing essentially wrong with the movie. It is somehow just not as good as it should be. It is an impressively mounted production; the CinemaScope photography conveys a great sense of grandeur; it has a top quality cast. It is everything a historical epic should be. Yet it is also one thing an epic shouldn’t be, which is slightly dull. Certainly not boring, just a little static. You keep waiting for the next battle to begin, but the battles are few and far between. 

An impressive cast was assembled for the movie. Burton is suitably commanding as Alexander, while Fredric March is terrific as his father, Philip of Macedonia. Star-laden support comes from Claire Bloom, Stanley Baker, Peter Cushing and Niall MacGinnis. Oddly, none of them quite make the same impact, or perhaps more accurately are not given sufficient screentime to make the same impact, as either Burton or March. However, their presence does add a considerable amount of class to proceedings.

Robert Rossen was a skilled filmmaker with classics including All the King's Men (R Rossen, 1949) and The Hustler (R Rossen, 1961) among his directorial credits. Alexander the Great was his only historical epic and one would have to conclude that this particular genre was not his forte. 

Alexander the Great is slightly less than the sum of its parts. There is much to admire about it, but it is simply not as inspiring as the greatest epics. Ultimately, it suffers from too much talk and too little action. Alexander the Not Bad might have been a more fitting title. That said, it is certainly worth a watch, especially for fans of big ol' widescreen spectacle movies. 

Meet the Stewarts

Meet the Stewarts (Dir: Alfred E Green, 1942). 

A domestic comedy from Columbia Pictures which provides an early role for future acting legend William Holden. 

Meet the Stewarts' paper thin plot concerns the matrimonial problems of working class Mike Stewart (William Holden) and new bride Candy (Frances Dee). Juggling a limited budget and disapproving families, Candy is determined to prove herself a dutiful wife, without the help of Daddy's income. 

At a youthful 23, William Holden seems a little young and lacking in gravitas to fully convince as the serious minded, working stiff husband. Frances Dee is better as the spoiled little rich girl, while the Wicked Witch of the West herself, Margaret Hamilton, makes a welcome appearance as a scatterbrained housemaid. 

In fairness to the cast, none are given much to work with; Karen DeWolf's screenplay is heavy on dialogue, but, unfortunately little of it particularly clever or witty. At its best the movie is pleasant and mildly amusing. At its worst the ‘humour’ is sexist and woefully dated. Some unfortunate allusions to wife beating are particularly unfunny. 

Alfred E Green's direction seems to involve little more than setting up the camera and letting the cast do their thing. A scrappily comic fist fight near the climax is neatly staged and is an obvious highlight. But, honestly, this provides the only big laugh in the entire movie. 

Meet the Stewarts is passable entertainment. I have seen far worse movies but few comedies as stubbornly un-amusing. It is worth watching to catch an early performance from future star Holden and for a glimpse at Margaret Hamilton sans cloak and broomstick, but little else. 

Sun Valley Serenade (1941)

Sun Valley Serenade (Dir: H Bruce Humberstone, 1941).

Produced by 20th Century Fox, Sun Valley Serenade was conceived as a star vehicle for popular figure skating champ turned film star Sonja Henie. Of greater significance, it also provided Glenn Miller and his Orchestra with a rare feature film appearance. 

As a publicity stunt, band pianist Ted Scott (John Payne) agrees to sponsor a Norwegian refugee. Expecting a child he is surprised when the emigre turns out to be attractive skating expert Karen Benson (Sonja Henie). Ted's band, including his fiancee Vivian (Lynn Bari) and bandleader Phil Corey (Glenn Miller) are due to begin a Christmas season at Idaho ski resort Sun Valley. Supposedly staying behind Karen, sneaks aboard the train to Idaho, with the plan to bust up Ted and Vivian and hook herself a husband to boot. Along for the ride is Milton Berle as the band's manager.

In the leads Henie and John Payne are likeable, albeit a little bland, while Milton Berle adds appeal as the comic relief. Preeminent bandleader Glenn Miller is no actor but his main purpose here is to provide the soundtrack and he serves up a doozie! A handful of his biggest hits accompany the light romance, including Moonlight Serenade, In the Mood and best of all Chattanooga Choo Choo. Band sequences are imaginatively staged by director H Bruce Humberstone and are less static than you might imagine; Chattanooga Choo Choo, however, is something extra special! What begins as a band rehearsal develops into an elaborately staged song and dance number, with vocals from the legendary Dorothy Dandridge and the the amazing athletic dancing of the Nicholas Brothers. The number is utterly joyous and easily the movie’s highlight. 

Built around Ms Henie, of course there are a couple of ice skating numbers shoehorned in. The finale, a dazzling ice ballet performed on reflective black ice makes little narrative sense but is pure spectacle! There is also some fancy ski slope action thrown in for good measure. 

Sun Valley Serenade is very much a movie of its time, but this is no bad thing. Mainly of interest to fans of the era swing music and Miller in particular, it has plenty to offer to more casual fans of golden age Hollywood movies. Released mere months before the US entered WWII, it is a quaintly charming record of an era which would all too soon be over. It’s featherweight stuff, certainly, but it is also a lot of fun!