Support Your Local Gunfighter (1971)

best movie i've ever seen.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

One wonders why James Garner's character here wasn't reprised from the prior film that came out two years earlier - "Support Your Local Sheriff". He's portraying basically the same person except that he's got a more mercenary streak in this flick, but still played in the same laid back manner with a note of sarcasm and self effacing humor. As with the earlier picture, some of the support players wind up here as well, most notably Harry Morgan and Jack Elam, along with a less than conspicuous assist from character actor Gene Evans.As for Jack Elam, the thought that came to mind while watching was how his character Jug May compared with the recurring role he had in the single season TV Western 'The Dakotas' from 1962. As the conflicted J.D. Smith, Elam's lazy eye gave him a bad guy look that contrasted with the good guy image he was meant to portray. Here he utilizes an approach that effectively conveys the image of a town bum looking for his next handout. Just as in the earlier 'Sheriff', Elam sides with Garner's character, but this time to pull off a scam whereby he impersonates a notorious gunslinger. I think I liked him better in the earlier film.As for Chuck Connors portraying the 'real' Swifty Morgan, I had to chuckle a bit, because the only other time I've ever seen him appear as nasty was in a fourth season episode of 'The Rifleman' titled 'The Deadly Image'. All throughout that series, Connor's Lucas McCain wound up killing someone in more than half of the show's episodes. In the particular story mentioned, Connors had a dual role as McCain and a vicious outlaw look-alike, and wouldn't you know it, McCain shoots the baddie and by extension, essentially winds up killing himself! The other thing that seemed kind of funny to me was when Colonel Ames (John Dehner) had a couple of his henchmen blow up the entrance to the mine his men were working to further thwart his local rival Barton Taylor (Harry Morgan). Though I know I've seen a similar scenario play out in other Westerns, this was the first time that it ever occurred to me that here was a case of a shaft getting the shaft.Well as it turns out, everything goes just right for Latigo Smith (Garner), but don't question the idea of the 'I Love Goldie' tattoo simply disappearing in the story's finale. Nor the business of his losing a forty six hundred dollar bet not once, but twice on a losing roulette wheel number. But the best had to be Jack Elam spoofing himself at the very end of the picture. I won't give it away, but that lazy eye still had a long way to go.

A con artist arrives in a mining town controlled by two competing companies. Both companies think he is a famous gunfighter and try to hire him to drive the other out of town.Another reviewer pointed out that even after all this time (42 years as I write this) the film is still funny and fresh. I have to agree with them completely. I never saw the film before now and I thought much of it was clever, original and just witty enough to be a solid film.I have not seen much of James Garner's work, and now I think perhaps I should. Between this and "Maverick", he seems to be the unsung hero of the west. (Or at least under-sung, with John Wayne and Clint Eastwood holding the "sung" category down by themselves.)

This was put out in 1971 because the 1969 Western spoof "Support Your Local Sheriff" had been a big hit. It shares an almost identical cast with the first one but isn't a sequel. In this one James Garner plays Latigo. He's a con man he gets to the town of Purgatory to escape from getting married. The townspeople thinks he's the legendary gunfighter Swifty Morgan who they sent for the settle a mine dispute. Also around are Taylor (Harry Morgan) who hired him, his high strung daughter Patience (Suzanne Pleshette) and Jug May (Jack Elam) who becomes his helper.This isn't as fun as the earlier one because most of the jokes here were already used or are pretty bad (the explosions the town has every once in a while was a poor running gag). Also Garner's character in this one is pretty obnoxious while he was nice and kind in the earlier one. Still, this does have its moments and the cast gives it their all. I was glad to see Joan Hackett (who I found WAY too shrill) from the first one replaced by Pleshette. Pleshette (who just recently passed away) is young, full of life and lots of fun. Her attempts to kill Garner were actually pretty funny. Also Elam is on hand again and just as funny as he was in the previous one. Heck he even has the same sort of closing speech again! So, it's not as good as "Sheriff" but not bad. I give it a 7.

Not a sequel,but a companion piece to Support Your Local Sheriff,and a very funny spoof in it's own right.The cast underplayed it beautifully(not like todays hit you over the head variety).A special mention to Jack Elam,who had me in stitches.He was the master of the false bravado.Oldtime western fans will love it.