The Sheepman

United States

1958

85 Min

Color

2.35:1

English

Currently 3.4/5 Stars.
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SCR William Bowers, James Edward Grant, William Roberts

CAST Glenn Ford, Shirley MacLaine, Leslie Nielsen, Mickey Shaughnessy, Edgar Buchanan, Willis Bouchey, Pernell Roberts, Slim Pickens, Robert 'Buzz' Henry, Pedro Gonzalez-Gonzalez

PROD DES Malcolm Brown, William A. Horning

Gambler Jason Sweet (Glenn Ford) wins a herd of sheep in a poker game and proceeds to take them by train into the middle of cattle country. It is not long before the townsfolk take notice (and object), but Sweet is more than up to the challenge.

The first thing he does is pick a fight with the roughest, toughest man around, “Jumbo” McCall (Mickey Shaughnessy), and beat him up. He also reveals himself to be an expert with a gun. Dell Payton (Shirley MacLaine) doesn’t know what to make of him, but is attracted to him, as is he to her. Her suitor, local cattle baron “Colonel” Steven Bedford (Leslie Nielsen), is troubled by this and also because he and Sweet know each other. The newcomer recognizes Bedford as his old enemy, Johnny Bledsoe, a card sharp and gunfighter gone respectable.

When Bedford finds himself losing their battle for domination, despite having the whole town behind him, he brings in a professional gunman, Chocktaw Neal (Pernell Roberts), but Sweet has little trouble dealing with him. —Wikipedia

Director

George Marshall

George E. Marshall (December 29, 1891 – February 17, 1975) was a prolific American actor, screenwriter, producer, film and television director, active through the first six decades of movie history.

Relatively few of Marshall’s films are well-known today, with Destry Rides Again, The Sheepman, and How the West Was Won being the biggest exceptions. Marshall co-directed How the West Was Won with John Ford and Henry Hathaway, handling the railroad segment, which featured a celebrated buffalo stampede sequence. While Marshall worked on almost all kinds of films imaginable, he started his career in the early silent period doing mostly Westerns, a genre he never completely abandoned. Later in his career, he was particularly sought after for comedies. He did around half a dozen films each with Bob Hope and Jerry Lewis, and also worked with W.C. Fields, Jackie Gleason, Will Rogers and Laurel and Hardy.

For his contribution to the film industry, George Marshall has a star on the… read more