Cat Ballou is a film that set up new standards in the comedy genre. It was released in 1965 and instantly gained attention among critics and audiences. The lead roles were portrayed by two very famous and talented actors, Jane Fonda and Lee Marvin. The actors and the film were both nominated for multiple awards and certainly won in different categories.
A little spoiler is on the way, so you can skip the next paragraph and go straight to the third one. The whole story revolves around a woman who continues to hire a very infamous gunman. Her reason for hiring the gunman is to save and protect her father’s ranch.
But she soon finds out that the gunman is not up to the mark she would have expected. Along with the main actors, the supporting actors also did a great job in portraying their respective roles in the movie.
The movie got very positive reviews from most film critics, and the audience and viewers also loved the movie. Cat Ballou gained fans and followers as a true western comedy movie from all over the world. The film was made under Elliot Silverstein’s direction, who has experience directing other brilliant movies, like The Car, A Man Called Horse, and Betrayed By Innocence.
The film was considered one of the best comedy films of that time and was nominated for several awards. Lee Marvin won the Academy Awards in the category of “Best Actor.” He also won the Berlin International Film Festival in the same category. Jane Fonda won the award for “Top Female Comedy Performance” at the Laurel Awards.
Cat Ballou Filming Locations
Cat Ballou started filming in the year of 1964 in Canyon City, Colorado. The cast and crew started and wrapped up the entire shooting of the film in the span of just two months. The shooting started on November 1964 and ended on December 1964. It was a low-budget film, and that’s why they could not go to various destinations to shoot the film. But he did a phenomenal job in still portraying the whole story.
He also did a good job of bringing out the talent of his actors, and that led them to be nominated for many awards. The film was mainly shot in Canyon City, which is situated in Colorado. They shot the film in the span of two months, so they did not have the luxury of using many locations.
Canyon City, Colorado
Cat Ballou was shot at a place named Buckskin Joe Frontier Town. It is a studio/theme park9 which is located in the Greenhorn Mountains. It is where the Western spoof comedy film was shot.
Buckskin Joe Street (Credits: Kathy Weiser-Alexander, 2006)
The park, which is also used as a studio, was established in the year 1957. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, the authorities in charge had to shut down the entire park cum studio in the year 2010. After shutting down, the previous owners sold the entire park to William Koch.
He is one of the Koch brothers, and he chalked out the plan to shift all the buildings to his ranch. After that, it is rumored that the whole property was sold, and the new owners will redevelop it. This film location was also used by many other iconic films of that time. Some of the examples would be Comes a Horseman, The Cowboys, Lightning Jack, and True Grit.
Cat Ballou Was Much Loved By Fans And Critics
As soon as the film came out, the audience from different regions of America instantly connected with the storyline of the film. They also very much liked the wittiness in all the dialogues of every character. They were especially connected with the lead characters of the film, Catherine Ballou and Tim Strawn.
The roles were portrayed by Jane Fonda and Lee Marvin, respectively, and everyone loved their acting in the film. Although the movie was very much liked by the audience, it got very mixed reviews from the critics. Many critics praised the acting skills and good portrayal of the storyline, while others seem to not like it very much. Nevertheless, you can definitely watch this film as we give it a 7 out of 10 rating.
