Classic western spoof about a notorious female outlaw and her devoted gang of followers. Highlighted by lee marvins oscar winning performance as the legendary gunslinger and town drunk kid shelleen. Special features: talent files interactive menus production notes scene selections and much more. Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 11/15/2005 Starring: Jane Fonda Lee Marvin Run time: 96 minutes Rating: Nr Director: Elliott Silverstein
Long before Unforgiven deconstructed the Western, or Blazing Saddles lampooned it, Cat Ballou poked the genre in the eye. An altogether enjoyable comedy, the film is full of small surprises, big laughs, and wonderful character turns. Catherine Ballou (Jane Fonda) is a schoolteacher until a hired thug kills her daddy. To protect what she loves, she collects two petty criminals, a wisecracking hired hand, and a hired killer, Kid Shelleen (Lee Marvin). Unfortunately, Shelleen is a raging drunk who is so inebriated and unsteady with a gun he literally misses the broad side of a barn. However, Cat, has, as they used to say in those days, a mind of her own, and she masterminds a spectacular train heist that puts them all on the lam. Marvin won an Academy Award for his role as the derelict Shelleen, and his performances (he actually has two) are still topnotch and on target. The framing device, two wandering minstrels, played by Stubby Kaye and Nat "King" Cole, are the maraschino cherries on the top of this Wild West confection. --Keith Simanton
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Hilarious Western Spoof That Ages Very Well!:
This film is a strange one for me as I remember I actually hated it the first time I watched it years back but when I started looking seriously at old films and especially Westerns I began to appreciate "Cat Ballou" a lot more and now after seeing this a few times, I have to say that this is an excellent, hilarious spoof on Westerns and the jokes age very well even to today. As a big fan of all kinds of music myself, I really appreciated the role that Nat King Cole in one of his last performances ever... more info
Steiger Wuz Robbed:
I'm a little ambivalent towards this genteel western comedy. Lee Marvin is one of my all-time favorite actors giving masterful turns in "Point Blank" and "The Big Red One" among many others. Marvin is more than adequate as Kid Shelleen but, be real, it's a glorified supporting turn. Marvin's work here does not hold a candle to the work of Rod Steiger in "The Pawnbroker" and Richard Burton in "The Spy Who Came In From the Cold" who both lost the Oscar to Marvin. Oscar righted itself two years later by... more info
Very special memories:
I have loved this movie since I was a little girl. Being from Wyoming, this movie always held a special place in my heart--I even know where Hole In The Wall is located. After school, my younger brother and I would gather up the neighbor kids and we all got on our horses and took off to play "Cat Ballou." We had a great time being "outlaws." This movie was so much fun. It may poke fun at the classic western, but it is such a joy to watch that even the most hard core western fan would have to get a kick out... more info
Cat Ballou:
It is a well acted movie and lots of fun to watch. Of course, everyone loves the horse and Lee Marvin. Nat King Cole had an amazing talent. I truly enjoyed the format for the movie and the dialog in the movie.
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