Cat Ballou – Review

1894, Wolf City, Wyoming. A ballad opens the film, about Cat Ballou (Fonda), who is evil and mean through and through. It’s pretty damn upbeat despite its murder and hanging topic. So, who is this Catherine Ballou, the pretty and petite woman sitting in a jail cell who has been dubbed a notorious outlaw?

Flashing back to her arrival in Wolf City, she has spent a few years away training to be a schoolteacher and is now catching a train home to where her father Frankie (Marley) is. Immediately she is put into a spot of trouble, as a drunk as hell “preacher” Jed (Hickman) winds up springing his nephew Clay Boone (Callan) from the paws of the law. Cat can’t help but see something in Clay that the audience likely doesn’t. She is a bit enamored, though does not give in easily to her feelings. After helping him out of a jam, it’s time to get back to her farm.

Frankie is happy to see his daughter, but distressed over local rich men who are trying to push him off his land. A thug named Tim Strawn (Marvin) swoops by to threaten the girl, and he is easily identifiable due to his metallic nose cover that he wears to hide his missing face feature. It is certainly odd.

Cat decides that there must be a way to protect her father’s interests. During a square dance, she reconnects with Clay and Jed, who suggest looking into hiring a gunfighter of her own. Maybe Kid Shelleen (Marvin) will be a good choice? He is the topic of many pulp novels that Cat has read, and she thinks that’s a great start.

As this rambunctious group forms a little outlaw party, most all of the men are looking to make Cat proud, and help her out. They make big plans to protect the farm, and make some serious cash. Will their plans succeed, or will life’s chaos get in the way?

Cat Ballou is mostly a western parody comedy. Fonda’s character is played straight while most of the goofy behavior comes from the men around her. She is a pleasure to watch, and forms a nice reality compared to the goofy fellows around her. The extremely drunk Kid Shelleen leads to entertainment value, while the traditional tough outlaw men are not to be found in the more superstitious and timid Clay Boon and his uncle Jed.

The mixture presented walks a fine line between spoof and parody, but regardless it is a fine western comedy full of ridiculousness and fun. The “narration” comes in the form of songs from a pair of musicians, and Nat King Cola and Stubby Kaye work those roles well. This is definitely a product of the past, but it is still a good time today if you can get in the mood for western jokes. It is not as out there as Blazing Saddles, but it definitely is no serious affair. Fonda and Marvin are reasons alone to check it out, and it is well-directed with some tough stunts pulled off well.