Cat Ballou : What did you think of this film?

I thought it was really quite funny and very cute.

Don't get hot and flustered, use a bit of mustard!

This is one of my favorite movies of all time, I don't think it's one of the greatest movies of all time but it's very good and deserves a better rating. I saw this when it first came out and seen it many times since. I think the musical interludes with Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye put some people off and it would have worked for me with or without.It has some great lines and of course Lee Marvin deserved the Oscar, however I fell in love with Cat. I think if it got some TV time and some of the younger people saw it it would get more attention.

things are more like they are today than they ever have been before

My opinion of "Cat Ballou" hasn't changed one iota since the FIRST time I saw it, at the Carlton Theatre, in Red Bank, New Jersey, forty years ago: IT'S GREAT!!! Well, I just saw it, again, this morning, on American Movie Classics. Yeah, unfortunately, many of the cast members have now gone to their reward (Lee Marvin, Nat ("King") Cole, etc.), and Jane Fonda is now old enough to collect Social Security, but I had an absolute blast watching it, again! Personally, I consider "Cat Ballou" to be a classic. As for younger viewers, I don't think they'd go for the wandering, singing minstrels, Nat ("King") Cole & Stubby Kaye. Also, the lack of Computer Generated Images (CGI),
to keep their minds occupied on the story, would be a turn-off. In today's world of short attention spans, story and narrative only goes so far. Pity.


I'm the bad guy? How'd that happen?
Michael Douglas ("D-FENS"), in "Falling Down"

Iam 14 years old and i watched this movie and i found it very entertaining,charming and funny.Lee Marvins performance was also very deserving of the Oscar.I also am a fan of Akira Kurosawa films,Casablanca is one of my favorites along with Chaplin movies,and many others from long ago,so i think your view of the younger audience is quite true,considering i think no one in my class knows who Humphrey Bogart,or Marlon Brando are,but your opinion also has its exceptions.

Also I personally thought that Nat King Cole's and Stubby Kayes intrusions were what gave the film even more orginality and charm.

WOW! Hobbitsnot, you ARE truly the exception to the rule! "Casablanca," just happens to be my FAVORITE movie of all time! I was never a Chaplin fan; as a kid, I always preferred Laurel & Hardy.
As for Akira Kurosawa, he's DEFINITELY an acquired taste! Judging by your user name, you're quite obviously a devotee of "The Lord of the Rings" movies. Thanks for your email, it's NICE to know that there are young people, out there, that just don't "follow the pack." There's a place in this world for independent thinkers! Continue to blaze your own path!


I'm the bad guy? How'd that happen?
Michael Douglas ("D-FENS"), in "Falling Down"

My daughter is 19. She also likes Cat Ballou and other old movies. She gets them from the library. She is there so often, the librarians know her by name. Casablanca used to be her favorite movie, but then she wrote an analytical paper on how Casablanca was used as a propaganda film for the American position in World War II. She says that it ruined it for her. She likes Marlon Brando and "Streetcar Named Desire" too.

Jesus, woman -- have you ever brainwashed your brat! "The American position in World War II" ?!?! As in you and your spawn are pro-Japan's bombing of Pearl Harbor and the extermination of 6 million Jews and gypsies (and idjuts like you and your family)? What, exactly, would it take for you to be a patriot and to teach your darling daughter to love *her* country too?!?!

"I don't think it's one of the greatest movies of all time but it's very good and deserves a better rating."

It's one of the most entertaining spoofs I've ever seen, one I never tire of watching. I've seen it dozens of times since it first came out.

Most people don't seem to realize how much of the credit Oscar-winning scriptwriter Frank Pierson deserves for the success of this film.

So many memorable lines, impeccably delivered.

How about:

Jackson Two-Bears: He's a murderer, a hired killer. His nose was bit off in a fight.
Frankie Ballou: If I was gonna be scared, I'd be scared of the fella who bit it off, not him!

And one of the greatest lines in the history of comedy:

Jackson Two-Bears: Kid, Kid, what a time to fall off the wagon. Look at your eyes.
Kid Sheleen: What's wrong with my eyes?
Jackson Two-Bears: Well they're red, bloodshot.
Kid Sheleen: You ought to see 'em from my side.

I think the 6.9 rating by imdb users is CRIMINAL. Absolutely criminal. Take a long look at the memorable quotes page for this film. It's longer than the great majority of films rated more highly.

The number of memorable quotes is one of the best heuristics for sorting out a great film from a mediocre one. Not the only heuristic for evaluating a film, mind you, but a pretty darn good one in most cases.

The script, editing and the acting (yes, deliberately hammy acting), of everyone (including the underrated John Marley) makes this a superlative comedy, one that I can watch again and again til the day I die.

I agree. Should be rated more like 7.8 instead of 6.9.

I love this movie and it's become a favourite of mine over the years. I think it's lots of fun and Jane Fonda is hilarious in it. All the cast is great. It's a shame it isn't more widely known. I think it's a classic film.

"I was born on the side of a hill"

The commentary track with Dwayne Hickman and Michael Callen is absolutely hilarious.

Hi! My name's Mike, and I'm a recovering Republican.

No doubt, michael1951. How Hickman says he does all his own stunts but then everytime Uncle Jed does something even remotely mor difficult than walking, he kept going "yeah, that wasn't me" Cracked me up.

I love it, have done since before I was old enough to understand what they were saying (being foreign and too young to read the close captioning) but the message still got through. I wanted, and still want, to be Cat Ballou!

as a 20 year old, i'm surprised that everyone seems to think no one young will enjoy it because theres no cgi etc. i love this movie! i don't know how old i was when i 1st watched it - might've been 6 or 7 - my dad loves westerns, so he used to get all the good old ones out (i also love 'the magnificent 7'). i think its a classic. and i love all the music.

i even have a nickname 'kimbalou' which my dad sometimes calls me/sings

If we weren't meant to eat animals, how come they're made of meat?

I love this film! It's funny, adventurous, rebellious. It just has everything you'd want in a movie. Plus, I love the musical interludes. I think they're great!

It took a crafty female brain,
To stage the holdup of a train.
They planned it to the last detail,
Until it couldn't fail.



I don't regret this, but I both rue and lament it.

I only just saw this yesterday and I thought it was a very cute film.

Arguably Lee Marvin's finest roll. He steals the show ever time he's on the screen.
And Jane Fonda... holy cow!
We won't even go into Stubby Kaye and Nat King Cole managing to be teamed up together to sing the ballad.

When Marvin is practicing his shooting and is a tad off the target nailed to barn and the fellow exclaims:

"He did it, he missed the side of the barn."

for me the best line is when cat gets mad at the guys and says "Oh, why don't you just go fight, or wash your socks!!!!!"

When Jane Fonda gives that astonished look and says, "Kid, your own brother?!" Even though she's talking about the man she hates, she looks and sounds perfectly horrified.

CAT BALLOU was a very cute and entertaining comedy for 1965. Lee Marvin was never seen to better advantage onscreen in his dual role as Kid Shelleen/Tim Strawn. Few actors ini the 60's played drunk better than Lee Marvin. he was hysterically funny in this film and Jane Fonda held her own against the veteran as the sexy and fiesty Cat. And I abolsutely LOVED Stubby Kaye and Nat King Cole as the Balladeers. They made the theme song totally memorable. A wonderful, nearly forgotten film classic.

I'm like your kids, kind of, in that my Mom introduced me to this movie when I was a kid. Unlike your kids, though, I always thought Jackson was hot, even when I was a kid. I love it when Cat's dad thinks Jackson's part of the lost tribe of Isreal. Cracks me up!

Evil will always triumph, because good is dumb.

I was introduced to this movie by my parents. The first part they showed me was the whole "Happy Birthday" scene, and it just killed me, then I watched the whole thing.... it's such a great movie.

Let's face it.. You've got to be a man to wear tights :)

Yeah, that scene cracks me up every time.

Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday dear Frankie!
Happy birthday to you!


In the tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki room!

Tom Nardini was a babe...whatever happened to him? Is he still alive?

I don't know, but I agree. When I was a kid I actually wanted Cat and Jackson to get together. I thought he was so attractive!

In the tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki room!

Do you know whether or not Tom Nardini is still alive?

, sorry, I don't.

In the tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki, tiki room!

"But is still alive and well living with family on the east coast."

Is he really? The last I heard of him - two decades ago - he had made some kind of low-budget indie in Canada. Or so I seem to remember. He's also mentioned as one of Elizabeth Ashley's lovers in her memoir. (She was having an adulterous affair with him while married to George Peppard).

Nardini was tapped as one of Hollywood's most promising newcomers, yet after a few Hollywood films in which he played a typecast role as a Native American cutie (anyone else remember Africa -Texas Style?) he dropped from view.

Young girls (like me at the time) felt very cheated by his sudden disappearance.

Ah, Jackson. I'd give anything to know what he looks like now, why he dropped out of show biz, and what he's up to nowadays.

I'm 22 and I love this film! I caught it by accident on tv when I was younger and stayed to watch it till the end.
In my top 10 favourite films.Brilliant characters and songs.

This is one of my Top-10 favorite movies! I've seen it many times and never tire of seeing it.

Jaypen

i'm 13 and i absolutely LOVE this film.. people think im kinda weird but i enjoy old and new movies.. i just have trouble sitting through a black and white movie.. lol

" Mr. Cotton 's... parrot. Same question" Captain Jack

I'm 29 and I saw this movie for the first time when I was around 6. I love it! I laugh every time I see it. The classic movies are the best, there are few actors who have the calibre of screen presence that the classic actors had.

i love the drunken horse an adthe kid shaleen

" Mr. Cotton 's... parrot. Same question" Captain Jack

i'm 13 and i absolutely LOVE this film.. people think im kinda weird but i enjoy old and new movies.. i just have trouble sitting through a black and white movie.. lol

You give me hope for the future, Mort. Most kids only like whatever just came out last and don't bother with anything older than they are. Weird? No, you are probably smarter than most other kids because you have the mental capacity to enjoy things other than what is force-fed to your generation. There are many great B&W movies out there!

Casablanca used to be her favorite movie, but then she wrote an analytical paper on how Casablanca was used as a propaganda film for the American position in World War II

So was "Mrs. Miniver" for the British government, but they are both great movies!

Lee Marvin deserved the Oscar

I just watched "Cat Ballou" for the first time last night. I thought it was charming, as many others have said, but I really think Steiger deserved the Oscar over Marvin. I am also perplexed that it was nominated for Best Editing. I knew going into it that Marvin had won the Oscar but didn't know what other nominations it received. I noticed the horrendous editing during the movie and was shocked to see that it got a nod for editing. Watch the scene early in the movie with Cat and Clay talking in her bedroom. At one point, Clay jumps all over the place from shot to shot.

i found quite dumb -- where Marvin loses his pants while pulling a gun, singing "Happy Birthday" to the dead body

The Happy Birthday part got the loudest laugh out of me. Overall, I thought Cat's father was funnier than Kid. Nearly everything that old guy said was funny.

I love this one too.A favorite scene is when Sheleen is "detoxing",putting on his girdle and gunslinger outfit.

I love this movie, and watch it whenever I see that it will be on. I didn't know it was on DVD... I'll have to track it down. It's been a favorite since I was a little girl (I'm mid-40s now). One of the funniest parts is when Jed preaches his little sermon on the train: "Hallelujah Brother! Let him who's sick, let him who's weary..." and then he gets interrupted. But he can't just pick up where he left off... he has to go back to the beginning of the sermon. Then he gets interrupted again, and... yep, once again he has to go back to the beginning. And the way he actually says it: "HAAAL-luh-LOO-yuh brotha..." Hilarious. And when he says "Keep every Sheriff move, easy." Hahaha! Another scene I like is the conversation between Clay and Cat at Cat's bedroom window, after she blows a kiss to her own reflection in the mirror, and also their conversation in Cat's berth on the train, when he's escaping. Frankie Ballou is prety funny too, especially when Clay, Jed and Jackson are following him around, stuck to him like glue. And when Shelleen loses his drawers as he tries to draw his gun. Oh I could go on. Wonderful movie!

I wonder how many people noticed that the Farrelly brothers ripped off the singing minstrel idea for 1998's "There's Something About Mary".

One of my all-time favorites, in part for many of the reasons already posted here. Also, it has such energy and is so good natured. But in addition, I love the music. Not just Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye, who are great, but the entire soundtrack by Frank DeVol. It really adds to the film.

Seen it about 6 times,still laugh at Lee Marvin,to me it wouldn't be the same without Nat and Stubby's singing narrations,everyone was good in it,now I won't inflict myself on you any further.

I'm 23 and I loved this movie. I watched it for Jane Fonda who's one of my favourite actresses. And just for record, I think 70's is the best period for cinema.

Hi,one can never be too rich or have too many friends. Say it isn't so. I heard somewhere one of the current cuties wants to remake this movie. What a mistake.

Not funny imho!
5/10... comedy? waste of time!

Mein Fuhrer! I can WALK!

I saw it when it first came out and I thought it was hilarious. Lee Marvin stole the movie like he crept in window at night and took the crown jewels. I was about 8 at the time and I saw that. When he won the Oscar I was jumping up and down, It wasn't until later I realized he played two parts. As a kid I loved it because of the Greek chorus and Lee Marvin and his horse. that is all I noticed. Nat, Stubbby, Lee and the horse. But when I got older I loved the whole movie. Just thinking of that scene when Marvin has to show he can still shoot makes me crack up. And the line after he does is a winner.