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.

A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

This spoof western won Lee Marvin the Oscar for Best Actor but considering the opposition included Riichard Burton in "The Spy who came in from the Cold", Laurence Olivier in "Othello", Rod Steiger in "The Pawnbroker" and Oscar Werner in "Ship of Fools" perhaps giving Marvin the Oscar was overly generous. The film itself is highly enjoyable, a good follow-on from the Bob Hope spoofs and a nice precursor of "Blazing Saddles". It's got a good script from Walter Newman and Frank Pierson, lively direction from Elliot Silverstein and best of all, a first-rate cast that includes Jane Fonda, excellent in the title role of "Cat Ballou", Michael Callan, Dwayne Hickman, Tom Nardini, John Marley and as the balladeers Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye. It could be funnier I admit but it is also a very hard film to dislike.

So Lee Marvin won a Best Actor Oscar for his performance here; I don't quite know what to make of that. His competition that year were Richard Burton, Laurence Olivier, Rod Steiger and Oskar Werner. I've seen none of the nominated pictures those actors appeared in so I'm in no position to judge, but come on. How does a drunken gunslinger out-shoot those other big names on reputation alone? Well I see this Western has it's following based on some of the other reviews on this board, but a lot of the film didn't resonate with this viewer. It was OK as far as it goes, but some of it was a little too slapstick for my liking. And I couldn't connect with characters Clay Boone (Michael Callan), Uncle Jed (Dwayne Hickman) or even Jackson Two-Bears (Tom Nardini), even though he offered promise as a Ballou ranch hand. Say, I wonder if the horse's head in the 'Godfather' movie came from the Ballou Ranch. That was John Marley as the principal in both situations, wouldn't that have been something? One thing I did like about the picture was the reference to Hole in the Wall and the depiction of Butch Cassidy (Arthur Hunnicutt) as a washed up gunfighter running a general store. That was kind of clever, even if totally devoid of historical accuracy. There was also that very well choreographed square dance number with performers hooking up with each other out of nowhere, surprisingly well done if you ask me.And oh yes, can't forget to mention Reginald Denny in his role as Sir Harry Percival. He caught my eye as butler Algy Longworth in the Bulldog Drummond flicks of the 1930's with an understated sardonic wit that made me a fan. He took that tumble out of the bathtub on the train about the same way he would have three decades earlier if he had ever gotten the chance. It was cool to see him here.Overall though this was kind of a take it or leave it picture for me. It had some pretty good press back in the day, so maybe getting around to it a half century later isn't the worst thing I could do with my time. At least the march of time brought some recognition to the minstrel characters in the story; Nat King Cole was listed as Sam the Shade and Stubby Kaye went by Sunrise Kid in captioning when I watched it on Encore Westerns. The credits on IMDb simply lists them as 'Shouters'.

The movie starts with Catherine 'Cat' Ballou (Jane Fonda) about to be hanged. Then it flashes back to when she boards a train to Wolf City, Wyoming and her father Frankie Ballou (John Marley). She's a prim schoolteacher. For a reason that she doesn't even know, she helps Uncle Jed (Dwayne Hickman) free his nephew Clay Boone (Michael Callan) from the sheriff. The Wolf City Development Corporation is scheming to take over her father's water rights. He only has one ranch hand Jackson Two-Bears (Tom Nardini). They are threatened by metal-nosed gunfighter Tim Strawn (Lee Marvin). Clay and Jed show up at a town dance and join Cat. She hires legendary Kid Shelleen (Lee Marvin again) but he's a hopeless drunk. When Strawn kills Cat's father, the town protects him. Cat takes matters into her own hands.This tries to reinvent the western genre. It does a terrific job at that. Fonda continues with her sexy naive kitten bit and move right into gun toting wildcat. She has shown her comic timing. The standout is Lee Marvin. He doesn't just do double duty but he has some of the best lines and does great comic drunk acting. This is fun action western.

Jane Fonda plays the heroine in director Elliot Silverstein's "Cat Ballou," a hilarious western comedy about young, beautiful school teacher who becomes a train robber to avenge her father's murder. Lee Marvin co-starred with her in a dual role as the ruthless killer Tim Strawn and the alcoholic gunslinger Kid Shelleen whose life has been immortalized in dime novels. Cat's father Frankie (John Marley) owns land that the Wolf City Development Company wants. When conventional methods such as stuffing manure down his well doesn't work to force Frankie to sell, the Wolf City bunch dispatches Tim Strawn. Strawn is an evil looking gunman who wears a tin nose over his nose that was bitten off in a fight. Before Frankie dies, Cat summons Kid Shelleen for $50 to help them. Frankie is astonished to learn that Shelleen is an alcoholic. As it turns out, Shelleen shoots well when he is boozed up. He can strike a tin can flying through the air with a single shot. After Frankie dies, Shelleen takes the outcast Cat and her companions, Clay Boone (Michael Callen) and Jed (Dwayne Hickman), and her Native American pal Jackson Two-Bears (Tom Nardini) to the infamous Hole-in-the-Wall hideout. Our heroine plans to rob a train. As it turns out, the man who owns the train is an Englishman, Sir Harry Percival (the ever dependable Reginald Denny), who is the man behind the Wolf City dastards. Our heroine kills Sir Harry by accident when she brandishes a pistol and they struggle over it. During their scuffle, the gun discharges and kills Sir Harry. Cat is imprisoned in the Wolf City jail and sentenced to hang on the gallows. Naturally, our heroes arrange to rescue our heroine. The scene when the drunken Shelleen is sitting astraddle his horse that is leaning against the wall of a store with its fore hoofs crossed is very funny. Lee Marvin won an Academy Award for her performance. Stubby Kaye and Nate King Cole play a charismatic pair of balladeers who appear at intervals to warble and strum the ballad of Cat Ballou. This film bears striking resemblance to "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" in certain parts. Jane Fonda is gorgeous as usual and endearing as the heroine.