Cat Ballou

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

This musical spoof of Westerns featured Lee Marvin in dual roles that won him a Best Actor Oscar. Jane Fonda stars as the title character, a prim schoolmarm returning to her hometown of Wolf City, Wyoming, after receiving an Eastern education. On the train ride, Cat meets up with a pair of friendly, charming crooks, Clay Boone (Michael Callan) and his uncle, Jed (Dwayne Hickman), the former becoming hopelessly smitten with the naive but tough Cat. Upon arriving home, Cat discovers that her eccentric father, Frankie (John Marley), is being threatened with bodily harm by a development company that desperately wants his land. When Frankie is murdered by ruthless, noseless killer Tim Strawn (Marvin), Cat straps on a pair of six-shooters and persuades Clay, Jed, and her father's loyal Native American hand Jackson Two-Bears (Tom Nardini) to sign on as her posse. In her quest for revenge, Cat also recruits Kid Shelleen (also played by Marvin), a one-time fearsome gunslinger who's now a hopeless alcoholic. Cat Ballou (1965) is interspersed throughout the narrative with appearances by Stubby Kaye and Nat King Cole as a pair of balladeers who comment on the action musically in Greek chorus style. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (Theatre Wide Screen), 1.33:1 (Pre-1954 Standard)
• Audio: PCM Mono
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Subtitle: Spanish, Thai, Korean, English
• Features:
  • Digitally mastered audio and anamorphic video
  • Widescreen and full-screen presentations
  • Audio: English [mono]
  • Subtitles: English, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Thai
  • Featurette: "The Legend of Cat Ballou" with director Elliot Silverstein
  • Lead actors Michael Callan and Dwayne Hickman audio commentary
  • Vintage advertising
  • Theatrical trailers
  • Talent files
  • Interactive menus
  • Production notes
  • Scene selections

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Won Best Actor - 1965 (Lee Marvin)
•     Nominated Best Adapted Score - 1965 (Frank De Vol)
•     Nominated Best Adapted Screenplay - 1965 (Frank Pierson, Walter Newman)
•     Nominated Best Editing - 1965 (Charles Nelson)
•     Nominated Best Song - 1965 (Mack David, Jerry Livingston)

• Berlin International Film Festival

•     Won Silver Bear for Best Actor - 1965 (Lee Marvin)
•     Won Special Mention - 1965 (Frank Pierson, Walter Newman)

• British Academy of Film and Television Arts

•     Won Best Foreign Actor - 1965 (Lee Marvin)

• Directors Guild of America

•     Nominated Best Director - 1965 (Elliot Silverstein)

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association

•     Won Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comed - 1965 (Lee Marvin)
•     Nominated Best Original Song - 1965 (Mack David, Jerry Livingston)
•     Nominated Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Com - 1965 (Jane Fonda)
•     Nominated Best Picture - Musical or Comedy - 1965
•     Nominated New Star of the Year - Male - 1965 (Tom Nardini)

• National Board of Review

•     Won Best Actor - 1965 (Lee Marvin)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Director:

  Elliot Silverstein

• Producer:

  Harold Hecht

• Screenwriter:

  Roy Chanslor

• Book Author:

  Roy Chanslor

• Screenwriter:

  Walter Newman, Frank Pierson

• Cinematographer:

  Jack A. Marta

• Composer (Music Score):

  Mack David

• Songwriter:

  Mack David

• Composer (Music Score):

  Frank De Vol, Jerry Livingston

• Songwriter:

  Jerry Livingston

• Editor:

  Charles Nelson

• Set Designer:

  John D. Jefferies, Sr.

• Costume Designer:

  Bill Thomas

• Choreography:

  Miriam Nelson

REVIEW:

• Cat Ballou is a marvelous spoof of Westerns, a precursor to the likes of Blazing Saddles, Wild Wild West and other send-ups of the genre. Lee Marvin won an Academy Award -- a rare nod for a comedy performance -- for his roles as a drunken gunman and his evil twin. Jane Fonda plays the 1900s-era schoolmarm Catherine Ballou with sass and vinegar; it's among her best work. What really sets the film apart is the hilarious running ballad which ties together the narrative, using Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye as a cowpoke Greek chorus. The film's score and the song "The Ballad of Cat Ballou" were both Oscar-nominated, as was the screenplay adaptation by Walter Newman and Frank R. Pierson. Though there are dull stretches, this is a one-of-a-kind comic classic, thanks to the sure hand of director Eliot Silverstein. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi