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The Sheepman is directed by George Marshall and written by William Bowers, James Edward Grant and William Roberts. It stars Glenn Ford, Shirley MacLaine, Leslie Nielsen, Mickey Shaughnessy, Edgar Buchanan, Willis Bouchey, Pernell Roberts, and Slim Pickens. Music is by Jeff Alexander and cinematography by Robert J. Bronner.

Utterly delightful semi-comic Oater, The Sheepman pitches Ford as sheep farmer Jason Sweet, who arrives in Powder Valley - a place ruled by cattle ranchers only - and upturns the applecart by announcing he intends to let his sheep graze on the lands there. Trouble, motives and back stories will out!

With the exception of some poor rear projection work, this is a pic that's constructed with style and humour. The opening is a doozy as Sweet quickly puts down a marker in the town, with a glint in his eye and a punch of some force. It's an irresistible characterisation by Ford, deftly blending humour with machismo, setting up the rest of the film by firmly pulling us viewers onto his side. Supporting cast are bang on the money, doing justice to well written characters (the screenplay was Oscar nominated), with the writing also having some nous via twists and a commitment to never let the story be boring or twee.

An absolute must see film for fans of the irrepressible Glenn Ford. 8/10

"The Sheepman" is a comedy-drama...with an emphasis on either that changes throughout the course of the movie. It begins with Mr. Sweet (Glenn Ford) arriving in a new town and thoroughly ticking off almost everyone he meets. Why would be behave so? Apparently, he expects to be hated and he's just speeding up the process. And, the reason to hate him? He's planning on raising sheep in the range--a place where cattle is king and folks hate sheep! The rest of the film is about how the town tries to get rid of Sweet and how the clever Sweet takes to this unkindness.

Aside from some amazingly crappy rear projection used throughout the movie, it's a rather unusual and enjoyable film. The mood is odd however...at times a bit funny and at others deadly serious.

In 1957, there was enough phony gun smoke on the screen to choke Superman. Most Westerns were filled with cardboard characters, unimaginative stories, and predictable showdowns. Too bad this under-rated little entry got lost in the shuffle, because it's both highly original and genuinely humorous, with an expert cast, a great script, and some magnificent Colorado landscapes.

What really distinguishes this oater is Ford's droll character (Mr. Sweet!) and the film's sprightly dialogue, neither of which sounds like you've yawned through it all before. In fact, Sweet is one of the few original cowboy creations of the time. He's a sly dog, so you never know what he'll do next, which keeps the audience riveted. Then too, Ford plays the part beautifully, his typical low-key manner making the many clever twists all the more surprising. Watch how adroitly Sweet wakes up the sleepy town at movie's outset. It amounts to a real head-turning treat.

So why do cattlemen hate sheep, the crux of the story. I don't think the screenplay explains, but it's because sheep don't just graze, they eat the roots, killing the forage, which leaves nothing for the cattle. So you know sheepman Glenn Ford is in for a passel of trouble when he brings his flock to cattle country. And trouble he gets in the form of slickster Leslie Nielsen (before Nielsen showed his own comedic talents).

And whose inspiration was it to cast the very un-frontier-like Shirley McLaine in the girl role. She's just wacky enough to make her pairing with Sweet seem natural. Then too, there're those two impossibly colorful characters-- the sneaky Edgar Buchanan at his slipperiest and the half-clown, half-thug Mickey Shaughnessy at his schizo best.

What really surprises me is that this little gem came from Western-averse MGM, which always seemed to be above such common fare as horse operas. Still, the movie does benefit from that studio's emphasis on production values-- even the outdoor sets are hard to detect.

My only complaint-- the two shootouts look like unimaginative sops to convention. It's as if the writers had to surrender to what someone thought the audience expected. Too bad. Anyway, don't let the movie's relative obscurity fool you. It's one of those sleepers that sometimes wandered away from the Dream Factory only to get lost in the crowd. Nonetheless, it's still well worth a look-see, even 50 years later.

This was always one of my favourites when I was a kid and it still doesn't disappoint after all these years. Don't let the unlikely title put you off, this is a very well put together traditional western, comedic without being an out and out comedy, it still manages to generate some tension at the appropriate times. With some clever dialogue and well constructed action sequences. Glenn Ford is ideal for the lead role, an articulate and initially underestimated stranger in town, in a similar vein to Jimmy Stewart's Tom Destry in "Destry Rides Again". Shirley MacLaine is well suited to the tomboy daughter of the silver haired cattle baron role. Leslie Neilson gets to show off his serious side to good effect as the slippery villain. And there is a strong supporting cast, including Edgar Buchanan as the archetypal western old timer, Mickey Shaunessy as the comic heavy and Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez is the little Mexican sidekick. Slim Pickens delivers a memorable cameo as the Sherriff who goes fishing whenever there's trouble. And few can do swarthy gun slinger better than Pernell Roberts. My only complaint was the poor picture quality of the DVD. Other than that, highly recommended.

Terrific M-G-M oater with both a comedic and a romantic slant has Glenn Ford playing the new sheep farmer in a cattle community; he deliberately stirs up trouble for himself with the locals, particularly villainous old acquaintance Leslie Nielsen, when reminding them that the grazing land is his to use as well--and if they wanna run him out of town, he'll fight them to the bitter finish. Shirley MacLaine is at the peak of her charms as a sarcastic gal who initially plays both sides of the fence. Very entertaining western with colorful production makes no overtures to deep meanings or powerful statements. On the frivolous side though it may be, it is one of the most satisfying westerns of the 1950s. Screenwriters William Bowers and James Edward Grant (Oscar-nominated) have fashioned a surefire character for Glenn Ford, who is irresistible. Good show! *** from ****

This is a very special western ,very tongue in cheek ,which was very unusual in the fifties where the masters produced unsurpassed classics (Ford,Daves ,Walsh,Mann....)Till the moment when Glenn Ford tells the story of his former fiancée to Shirley McLaine ,there's absolutely nothing dramatic in this plot which involves a Sheepman who has got problems with the inhabitants of a cattle village .Sheepman has to battle for sheep herds and for the "colonel"'s fiancée, a tomboy who was ahead of her time ,as far as woman's lib is concerned ,at least till her very last lines ;Glenn Ford ,Shirley McLaine and Leslie Nielsen do not take their roles seriously and it's much fun watching them battling against each others ;one can regret that Georges Marshall should have introduced drama in the second part .It should have stayed a comedy till the end!The scenes of the ball and the night train tooting alone are worth the price of admission.

Didn't Jason get the Golden Fleece?

Although "The Sheepman" is full of comic moments, none of them could quite be considered to be of the parody or even the self-reflexive variety. George Marshall's 1958 western was produced a few years before the genre began imitating television westerns by moving in that direction with films like "Cat Ballou" and "Support Your Local Sheriff". Most of this film's humor comes from the off-kilter nature of Glenn Ford's cowboy hero Jason Sweet. He is my all-time favorite Ford character, alternating between standard western hero and detached manipulator. His scenes with Mickey Shaughnessy (as town bully Jumbo) are funny because they totally break genre conventions. The Coen Brothers have used a similar technique in many of their films, writing dialogue totally mismatched with what one expects from a particular movie stereotyped character. The effectiveness of the device (and its novelty in 1958) led to William Bowers & James Edward Grant receiving an Oscar nomination for the screenplay.

The story gets moving right away as the title character (Sweet) hits the town of Powder Valley, seemingly on a mission to alienate every citizen with whom he comes into contact. This also serves as a quick introduction to most of the supporting cast as he insults the railroad station master (Percy Helton), gives unsolicited advice to a young lady (Shirley MacLaine), tricks the livery stable owner (Edgar Buchanan of "Petticoat Junction" fame); and gets the better of the general store proprietor (Harry Harvey). He then picks a fight with Jumbo (Shaughnessy) and ends the day by announcing his intention to graze sheep on the nearby public lands. This puts him into conflict with a local cattleman named "The Colonel" (a very young and uncharacteristically serious Leslie Neilsen).

MacLaine's often exasperated heroine would serve as inspiration for the Suzanne Pleshette and Joan Hackett characters in "Support Your Local Gunfighter" and "Support Your Local Sheriff".

"The Sheepman" is refreshingly different; witty, unpredictable, and extremely entertaining.

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

This is one of the 1950's best westerns in the Destry Rides Again mode of tongue-in-cheek westerns and foreshadows Support Your Local Sheriff by a decade. It's ideally cast and is certainly one of Glenn Ford's finest roles. He and Shirley MacLaine have marvelous chemistry. Familiar faces Edgar Buchanan, Mickey Shaughnessy,Willis Bouchey,Percy Helton,and Slim Pickins are around to give it the proper old western flavor and Leslie Nielsen is slickly handsome as Ford's rival for Shirley's affections. Pernell Roberts is an effectively slimy villain. Director George Marshall was an old hand at combining comedy with action and The Sheepman is one of his best efforts. The screenplay by James Edward Grant and William Bowers was nominated for an Academy Award.

The Sheepman still holds up well today and will appeal to anyone who is a fan of western's,comedies,or just plain entertaining movies. It's good, clean, old fashioned fun and a prime example of one of those kind of films"that they just don't make anymore!" More's the pity

This a enjoyable comic B Western that l saw for first time in late 1976 in my hometown when l was a boy, Glenn Ford is amazing as outsider and how he wants that the people know him before to bring all sheep to a Cattle's valley, but for me the movie resume in two different and amusing persons Milt (Edgar Buchanan) and Jumbo (Mickey Shaughnessy) Milt is clever, peaceful and funny, Jumbo is thug, stupid and funny, they are the true stars of this comic western, the remains of the movie is usual as always, Milt and Jumbo are remarkable guys!!

Resume:

First Watch: 1976 / How Many: 5 / Source: TV-Cable TV-DVD / Rating: 7.5

Highly watchable Western comedy about confrontation between Sheepmen , cattlemen and homesteaders . This is a classic Hollywood Western , it turns out to be a mixture of action , fights , shootouts and humor . In a Western little cattle-town , a pattern of the other celebrated cow towns of the Old west , appears a stranger called Jason Sweet (Glenn Ford) and behaves impulsively . The reason appears with his stock : a herd of sheep . Glenn Ford is the brave gunslinger along with Edgar Buchanan , they are fighting to stifle the conflicts between Sheepmen , homesteaders and cattlemen who hire gunfighters (Pernell Roberts of Bonanza) . Meanwhile , astute as well as imaginative Sweet develops a loving triangle between a copper-haired haired heroine tomboy (Shirley MacLaine) and a treacherous villain called Col. Stephen Bedford (a young Leslie Nielsen) . The astonished inhabitants decide to run him out at all costs . Ford finally cleans up an uncontrollably lawless Western town. ¨Draw fast when you call him the Sheepman¡ ¨ .

This fresh , genial picture gets action Western , shootouts ,laughters marvelous outdoors , a lot of attractive roles and turns to be quite entertaining . It's a medium budget film with good actors , technicians, production values and pleasing results . This spirited realization that never flags results to be a potpourri of Western , comedy , irony and action . Glenn Ford is pretty good in the title role , he is a Sheepman faced in by cattle ranchers but determined to stay , as he intends to graze on the range . Glenn Ford ideally cast as an obstinate Sheepman and he shows his usual delicious fair play for comedy . He plays a gunfighter/Sheepman , a roguish revenger with remarkable self-assurance and establishing himself as a man to be reckoned with . Main cast is frankly good , the great Leslie Nielsen as a nasty villainous , his enthusiasts will be surprised to find him and not least Shirley MacLaine . Furthermore , an extraordinary support cast such as chubby Mickey Shaughnessy as Jumbo McCall , Edgar Buchanan as Milt Masters , Willis Bouchey as Frank Payton , Pernell Roberts as Chocktaw Neal and always likable Slim Pickens as Marshal . Interesting as well inspired screen play by William Bowers and James Edward Grant , it includes splendid roles . Glamorous cinematography , photographed in glowing Metrocolor by Robert Bronner . Evocative and atmospheric musical score by Jeff Alexander .

The motion picture well produced by Edmund Grainger was directed in sure visual eye by George Marshall . He realized a variety films of all kind of genres , though especially Western , the best are starred by James Stewart and Glenn Ford . Marshall directed Western along half century , his first Western was ¨Wild gold¨(1934) and he subsequently made his masterpiece ¨Destry rides again¨(1939) in which combines action , charmingly natural story , humor and drama ; in 1951 directed a new version under title ¨ Frenchie ¨ with Eddie Murphy and Marie Blanchard in similar characters to James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich . As Marshall introduces comicalness in realist Western , including a little genre satire on the conventional Western thrown in for good measure . As he directed Western with funniness such as ¨Texas¨ also starred by Glenn Ford and Edgar Buchanan . He went on filming parody/western such as ¨Fancy pants¨(1950) , ¨Advance to the rear¨(1964), and musical Western as ¨Red Garters¨and ¨The second greatest sex¨. Others Western he directed are the following : ¨When Dalton rode¨, ¨Valley of the sun¨, ¨The savage¨, ¨Pillars of sky¨, ¨the guns of Fort Petticoat¨ and the episode titled ¨The railway¨ from ¨How the West was won¨ .

This movie works on a lot of levels. Awesome cast, good story, great action and good laughs.

Ford is a different tough guy to most western stars, less physically imposing his toughness or power comes completely from his uncompromising attitude against his foes. It makes a nice change , similar to Joel McCrea but a better actor.

The movie has all the elements that you would be looking for when watching this, its a very satisfying movie :)

Good western featuring a host of old familiar shoot-em-up faces. Edgar Buchanan was fine as the sleazy corral owner, but I was shocked to find good ol' Adam Cartwright as the sneaky, chicken poop "gunfighter". The opening segment was a laugh riot but there was plenty of gunsmoke and flying lead for the western purist. Very enjoyable.

My favorite Shirley MacLaine western!

Mr. Ford: you're one of my favorites, but please comb your hair!

Leslie Nielsen: Fine actor (did you know he tested for Judah in "Ben-Hur"? ) but whenever I see him now I think of "AIRPLANE!" and other comedic roles. A great actor who had a wonderful sense of humor. Police Squad, for instance.

Shirley, I can't be serious.

It's hard not to like Glen Ford. He made some terrific westerns. Some call this one a comedy. Light hearted yes, perhaps in the same vane as McClintock. But not a comedy. The real charm is the script I reckon. It's natural, clever and kind of real. Sweet is a cool character who can be ruthless instantly. The pacing is good thanks to the script and the actors are engaging. I have to say, there's not a great deal of chemistry between McClaine and Ford and her personality is too "modern" for me; if that makes sense. Anyhow, it's not a film that requires too much analysis. It's just a really enjoyable flick.

"The Sheepman" manages to strike a tricky balance between western comedy and western suspense film. Glenn Ford coasts on oodles of screen charisma to play the film's protagonist, and he has a lot of chemistry with Shirley MacLaine, though she doesn't have a whole lot to do. Leslie Nielsen is fun as the villain, and though we know Ford is probably going to win the day, there is genuine suspense in finding out how he's going to do it.

"The Sheepman" was nominated in the category of Best Original Story and Screenplay at the 1958 Academy Awards.

Glenn Ford had never been one of my go-to actors, but in recent years, after seeing more of his films, I'm starting to grow a real fondness for him.

Grade: B+

I'm really glad I'd already seen dozens of Shirley MacLaine movies before watching The Sheepman. She was really green in this one, almost as if it were her first movie. Her shouting grated on the nerves, and her amateur expressions probably didn't please her leading man, Glenn Ford, who was a veteran by 1958. And I'm never a fan of ridiculously obvious wigs and falls - but that's not her fault.

In any case, this lighthearted western features Glenn as a new cowboy in town with a cocky attitude and a knack for irritating others. He plans on becoming a sheep farmer, which really irritates the cattlemen. Shirley bickers with him every chance she gets, but somehow there's supposed to be romance on the horizon, even though she's engaged to Leslie Nielson. I'm a huge fan of westerns, but I didn't used to be. I used to really dislike them, if you can believe it. I'd just seen all the bad ones first and thought the rest of them were all like The Sheepman and Shane. Unless you have the opposite taste as me, I wouldn't recommend this one.

This movie is played for laughs, particularly in the early scenes. The Fall scenery of the Colorado Rockies is gorgeous. The pretty title theme by composer Jeff Alexander reappears later in another Glenn Ford outing, "The Rounders". The strong cast includes Glenn Ford, Shirley McLaine, and Leslie Nielson. Edgar Buchanan is particularly good in a supporting role.

This movie is fun to watch. Ford is good as the sheepman and Shirley McLain does well with her role as the almost-wife of bad guy Leslie Nielson. The film is a little short on action, but the witty script more than makes up for it. Most of the action occurs at the end with Sheepman Ford shooting the bad guys.

I particularly enjoyed Shirley McLain's performance. The script gives her a character with some potential and she makes the most of it. If she's done another Western I can't remember what it is.

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