1 Wonderful western film spoof, with an amazing soundtrack too
Cat Ballou is a movie spoof unlike any other, and a great parody of the Western film genre. Jane Fonda appears in one of her most playful film roles ("Barbarella" is another light and funny Fonda classic), and Lee Marvin gives one of his finest film performances (he won his Oscar for his dual roles). Add to this mix a wondrous soundtrack, with Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye as minstrels of sorts who stroll and sing throughout, making the film almost seem like a musical; an outstanding supporting cast including Michael Callan (who later appeared on TV's "One Life to Live"), and Dwayne Hickman (TV's Dobie Gillis), and the result is this hilarious, thoroughly entertaining film that was nominated for five Academy Awards (Marvin was the sole winner).
Catherine Ballou (Fonda) is a recently graduated-from-training schoolteacher returning home to live with her father on his ranch, but he is gunned down upon her arrival. She enlists the help of a loyal ranch-hand, a couple of outlaws, and most notably, a has-been alcoholic gunman by the name of Kid Shelleen (Marvin) to help her get revenge. The result is a thoroughly enjoyable film that still stands up today, and Lee Marvin stealing the entire film in his amazing dual role performance as both Tim Strong and Kid Sheleen. Lee Marvin alone makes the film well worth seeing.
The dialogue is great. Take this exchange as an example:
Jackson Two-Bears: "Kid, Kid, what a time to fall off the wagon. Look at your eyes."
Kid Shelleen: "What's wrong with my eyes?"
Jackson Two-Bears: "Well they're red; bloodshot."
Kid Shelleen: "You ought to see 'em from my side."
I was thrilled when the widescreen special edition of this long-time favorite of mine came out in 2003, and on DVD. I have the soundtrack on vinyl, but I have always wished that it would come out on CD; Nat King Cole is one of my all-time favorite singers, and his rendition of "They'll Never Make Me Cry" always makes me...anyway. This film still hasn't lost any of its humor or fun with the passing of time, and stays on my personal "top ten list" of great comedies.
2 Lee Marvin at his best
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.
3 Steel-eyed Kid Shelleen
Saw this flick when it first came out: four performances were unforgettable --- marvellous Marvin, fascinating Fonda, melodious Cole and Kaye. Within its own light comedy framework this film is a masterpiece, regardless of what one or two reviewers think. This must be due to Elliot Silverstein's exceptionally deft direction. It is fast-paced and beautifully balanced. The characters cut across each other like oil and vinegar, hardly a scene is out of place. It has all the hallmarks of a masterpiece: timelessly entertaining, thought-provoking and even moving, both sad and funny, and can stand any number of repeat viewings. Silverstein's comments in the extra features are brief, to the point and invaluable. Fonda's acting (what a sweetie, what a dish!) is perfection in the part; Marvin's magical transformation from derelict to dead-eye via a throat-full of hooch is just as astounding every time you watch it. His arrival in Wolf City is one of the most dynamic entrances by a legendary gunman ever seen in movies. Anyone who hasn't already seen this evergreen comedy is in for a treat.
4 One of the Classics
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.
5 Another old favorite
Saw this film 7-8 times earlier in life, not just to look at Jane Fonda but because it's one of the funniest films I know. Lee Marvin, as 'the hero', is at his best!
6 A VERY FUNNY WESTERN.
Definitely "Cat Ballou" is a very, very funny movie, with charismatic characters and original situations.
Recently I found that some people hate Jane Fonda, I don't know why and I don't care (this movie was released 17 years before I was born). The only thing I can say about her in this particular movie, is that she looked stunning and beautiful in 1965, and her performance in this movie is one of the main reasons why "Cat Ballou" works so fine.
Also, in this movie Lee Marvin played two characters: Kid Shelleen and Tim Strawn, both of them very well portrayed, it is really hard to recognize Lee Marvin in the role of Tim Strawn.
One of the nicest details in "Cat Ballou" is the inclusion of the great Nat "King" Cole in the soundtrack of the film, and he also appears in some scenes, singing with Stubby Kaye, a very classy duo, I must say. It's really a pleasure to hear Nat "King" Cole's incredible voice in these country songs.
Bottom line, the reasons to see "Cat Ballou" are: it's a very amusing movie, with a nice performance by a very young and beautiful Jane Fonda (sorry people, I had a crush on her when I saw her in this amusing film), an excellent performance by Lee Marvin, and very good songs performed by the unforgettable Nat "King" Cole.
7 Great Seller!
Very nice product, fast shipping! Thanks, I enjoyed the DVD very much!
8 A Showcase For Lee Marvin's Many Talents
CAT BALLOU is a movie about a school teacher who organizes a small gang of misfits to avenge the death of her rancher father who is murdered by a hired gunman. The heroine is named Catherine 'Cat' Ballou. Her gang includes her own hired killer who is played by Lee Marvin. Marvin also doubles as the noseless shooter who kills Cat's father.
The film sets a standard for parodies of the Old West. Marvin's dual performances are memorable to say the least - particularly his antics as the inebriated Kid Shelleen. His ability to play a drunk is unmatched. Do you recall the marriage scene in PAINT YOUR WAGON?
The novel device of using Nat "King" Cole and Stubby Kaye to amplify the story with original ballads is more than just unique. It represents a brilliant matching of two great talents and it stands the test of time very well.
Lee Marvin won the Best Actor Oscar for his twin roles. CAT BALLOU received Academy Award nominations for Adapted Screenplay, Editing, Adapted Music Score and Song ("The Ballad of Cat Ballou"). The big competition for Oscars in 1965 came mostly from THE SOUND OF MUSIC and DARLING.
9 Of course, I bought this DVD.
Cat Ballou is a sentimental favorite of mine. With the classic balladeers, Stubby Kaye and Nat King Cole, how can it be anything less than terrific?
The story is a comic Western, with Jane Fonda in "ingenue" mode, and as Catherine Ballou, former school teacher turned outlaw set to avenge the murder of her father. Also in this film are Dwayne Hickman, Michael Callan and Tom Nardini with great supporting roles. All three of them are great.
Of course, Lee Marvin is the star, in what I consider his best role ever. He plays both Kid Shelleen and his evil brother Strawn. He does the best drunk I have ever seen.
10 Classic Comedy western
This was one of the first movies I saw as a youngster,I laughed then and after watching it recently I laughed again. Sure,its no masterpiece but it has outlasted other so-called comedy westerns. The DVD is a superb transfer and I particularly like the idea of Original Ratio/Full Frame options some DVD,s are doing at present,at least the buyer has an option. There are also some nice extras and this should be a must have in any DVD collection. The highlights for me are the crisp photography,Lee Marvins performance and the unforgettable theme song. Enjoy
11 Great movie, great DVD!
"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!
12 Great Except For Ms. Hanoi
Lee Marvin is awesome in his role as Kid Sheleen... you have to see him! The story is humorous and a good satire on western flicks. The music (Stubby Kaye and Nat King Cole) is lively and quite enjoyable. A fun movie about the typical western theme -- a crook trying to take over someone else's land and property for his own nefarious reasons. Why then should this movie be rated at only 2? Without the Hanoi Princess (famous for her picture on the anti-aircraft gun pretending to shoot down American planes and American boys) playing the role as Cat, I'd give it a 5. Her presence is enough to lower any rating by at least 3 points.
13 Worth seeing, if only for Lee Marvin's performance!
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.
14 Light and entertaining
This is probably not a great film, though it is a great western because it pushes the genre beyond all limits. The hero is not a cowboy but an educated school mistress who turns criminal to avenge her father's killing. But Jane Fonda cuts a pretty funny and convincing character in a quite hectic plot where a train robbery succeeds out of pure chance and a drunken ex-great outlaw is constantly doing antics that make the film slightly grotesque and burlesque. But this film aims at entertaining us even if it is highly unbelievable. It is though a testimony of the upcoming liberation of women in that wild west, a liberation that has to be achieved by the defeat of the rich and ugly supposedly genteel business tycoons who are both inhumane and only dominated by money. A nice piece of entertainment accompanied all along by perfect country music that gives the whole thing the look and sound of a blue grass oratorio.
Dr Jacques COULARDEAU
15 Great, as long as you don't take Westerns too seriously
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.
16 Hallellujah Brother, I'm here to comfort....
I had so much fun watching this movie. Lee Marvin makes a wonderful drunk. This is a must see movie. My friends and I loved this movie so much that we quote it all the time. So after I tell you, you must see this movie, (There I said it) I will leave you with this quote. "happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear franky, happy birthday to you.
17 Ohhh, it was just swell.
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.
18 The Cat's Meow
An all-time comedy classic. Watch it and see why so many movies have stolen ideas from it. (Including "Something About Mary"). The script, the acting and the singing of Stubby Kay and Nat King Cole are all superb. A must own for any movie buff.
19 Wicked through and through
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.
20 Outstanding western parody. . . .
Cat Ballou has everything you could ask of a western; gunfights, chases, train robberies, and a beautiful if occasionally bewildered heroine.
Jane Fonda is very effective as Catherine, then Cat, Ballou. The murder of her father transforms her from a mild-mannered schoolmarm into a notorious criminal. Her often unwilling and always inept gang includes an over-the-hill gunfighter named Kid Shelleen, played to the hilt by Lee Marvin in an academy award winning, and show-stealing, performance.
Regardless of current opinions, Jane Fonda was an excellent actress, and she has a field day in this picture. Cat Ballou is a mad-cap comedy that set the stage for such classics as Blazing Saddles, the Halleluiah Trail and others. Besides, when was the last time YOU saw a horse with a hangover?
21 Jane Before She Put "Hanoi" In Front of Her Name
Sadly, this film presages what Jane Fonda could have been--a good actress. Playing second fiddle to a superb performance by Lee Marvin, she turns in a fine, very funny, performance.
22 Memorable hilarious lines
This is a hilarious movie with Lee Marvin stealing the show with his until-then unknown comedy talents. The lines are household lines in our home. It is a classical funny movie. Charming and well done.
23 One Of The All Time Best comedy Westerns
Lee Marvin was fantastic in dual role of Tim Strawn and the "kid". Well written and one of the best musical scores of all the western movies. Jane Fonda at her best and she looks great in the saddle. I have seen this film at least two dozen times and I still get a big kick out of it,
24 If you've never seen a horse with a hangover, buy this movie
Of all the western spoofs ever written, this has to be the best. Although I despise hanoi jane, I'm still willing to pay the price of the movie.
