Joan Hackett claims she doesn’t want a romance with James Garner. Image: Rare Film
Have you ever taken a job just for the paycheque?
Life gurus would shake their finger at you if you did. You should find Purpose in work, they would say. Do what you love and be fulfilled, et cetera.
Alas, sometimes it can’t be helped. Food must be eaten and landlords pacified; sadly, there are times when any kind of paycheque means basic survival.
Perhaps you have different monetary goals, such as plans for an overseas excursion. Then look at James Garner‘s character in the western spoof, Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969). Garner plays a man who takes the job of sheriff so he can raise the funds to travel to Australia, because he once read about it in a library book.
Now, in the Western movie cannon, sheriffs are often mythical folks responding to a higher calling. They believe in law, order, and protecting the Citizenry. Other times they’re reluctant heroes pushed into a self-sacrificing role to save a town from evildoers.
But not Garner’s character, no siree. He arrives in a lawless gold rush town with plans to scoop up some nuggets before riding away into an Australian sunset. Yet, when he sees a posting for a law enforcement official, he applies for the job, his main questions centering on pay scales and benefits.
Even though this town is desperate for a new sheriff – any warm body will do – Garner is an excellent candidate. He’s smart, dispassionate, and a deadly accurate shot. In a place utterly devoid of the Rule of Law, where folks lose their tempers every 15 minutes, these are useful qualifications.
You’re hired, sucker! Image: YouTube
There’s almost no better cinematic treat than a well-crafted film that doesn’t take itself seriously, and Support Your Local Sheriff! is that film. It satirizes the western genre without being disrespectful; we especially like how it pokes gentle fun at a few notable westerns, including the John Ford classic, My Darling Clementine (1946).
For example, in Support Your Local Sheriff!, the town is controlled by a rich and powerful family who have everyone scared sideways. They collect a 20% tax on all goods shipped in and out of town, which is a pretty sweet deal, even for extortionists.
This racketeering family is headed by Walter Brennan, the same Brennan who was the patriarch of the slippery cattle-rustling clan in My Darling Clementine.
There are also subtle visual nods, such as Garner-as-Sheriff sitting outside the sheriff’s office…
…channelling Clementine’s Henry-Fonda-as-Sheriff:
Support Your Local Sheriff! is a very funny film, and one with heart. It’s not interested in cynicism, even though it deals with themes of greed and oppression. It also doesn’t get bogged down with superfluous melodrama; it’s here for a good time, just like we are.
In this film of stellar actors, Garner’s performance is noteworthy. His character is disaffected and aloof, but not without charm or wit. He never Breaks a Sweat; indeed, he’s the very definition of Unflappable.
However.
The character tips his hand. He insists he’s In It only for the Money, yet it’s taken him four years to work his way across the continent? Nay, this is a man who get tangled up in Caring Too Much, especially when it comes to a certain no-nonsense woman (Joan Hackett).
He’s a man of thinly-veiled compassion. Although we admire his bravery and smarts, we most like the way he tries to convince himself he’s truly detached.
Garner could have phoned in this performance and the film would still be terrific. But, like his character, he doesn’t do that. Garner cares about this movie – one that, ironically, pretends it doesn’t care at all.
Ganrer puts Bruce Dern in jail. Image: YouTube
According to Wikipedia, Support Your Local Sheriff! was a Box Office Bomb when first released. It didn’t make any money, as in: zero money.
That’s a pretty dismal return. Rumour has it United Artists were going to yank the film from cinemas, but Garner put up a $10,000 bond to keep it in theatres for one week. Thanks to word-of-mouth advertising, it became a bona fide hit. Accurate or not, Ultimate Movie Rankings lists it at #19 of the most popular movies in 1969.
If you’ve been shying away from Westerns, we hope you’ll give this one a try. It’s a delightful film with stellar performances, plus it stars James Garner. We need not anything else.
This post is part of The JAMES GARNER Blogathon, hosted by Realweegiemidget Reviews.
Support Your Local Sheriff!: starring James Garner, Joan Hackett, Walter Brennan. Directed by Burt Kennedy. Written by William Bowers. United Artists, 1969, Color, 92 mins.
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This sounds like a fun one! And then you get the James Garner eye candy, so win, win!
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Haha! Yes, it’s a win-win for everyone!
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I adore James Garner and this film in partiicular.
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Isn’t he fabulous here (and in everything else)? As an actor, he can do no wrong in my eyes.
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Snap!
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A delightful Western which was popular enough to spawn a semi-sequel called SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL GUNFIGHTER and inspire a TV series with James Garner called NICHOLS. The latter didn’t click, so the lead character was killed off and replaced by his twin brother! It still wasn’t successful.
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I hadn’t heard of the TV series “NIchols”, so I looked it up on YouTube. Is that Margot Kidder in this series too?
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I loved your look at Support Your Local Sheriff! Writer William Bowers and director Burt Kennedy have their fair share of dramatic westerns under their belt and that is what makes this movie THE BEST western spoof.
By this western fan’s reckoning, Support Your Sheriff! pokes genial fun at My Darling Clementine, Red River, Winchester ’73, Rio Bravo, and High Noon with a tip of the Stetson to McLintock!. I’d like to think my list is definitive, but I shouldn’t be surprised if I have missed something.
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Yup, it pokes fun at a lot of westerns, but time prevented me from going into them all. I should have mentioned that…
As for being the best western spoof, you said it! This movie is thoroughly enjoyable from beginning to end.
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I really, really love James Garner. Thanks for doing him (and this delightful movie) justice.
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Thanks! Yes, James Garner is – and always will be – one of my faves…
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I love James Garner. I can’t believe I still haven’t seen this one all the way through.
I’ve seen Garner play all sorts of roles. But he will always be Jim Rockford to me. 🙂
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Do you know, I’ve never seen an episode of The Rockford Files, but they do have a great collection of answering maching messages/opening sequences on YouTube, which never get old for me.
As for this movie, I hope you get the chance to see it all the way through sometime! 🙂
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Years ago, Garner was in a TV series called The Rockford Files for maybe six seasons. He played a private eye, Jim Rockford, who lived in a trailer on a California beach. He had offbeat friends. Trouble seemed to follow him around. And he was a standup guy. I used to love that show.
Hi Ruth. Bye till next time.
Neil
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Hi Neil, it sounds like my kind of series!
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Stay tuned…my contribution to this blog-a-thon is about an episode of The Rockford Files, and I’m dong another one for an event down the road about episodes favortie shows.
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Sounds great! I see the entire series available on DVD or Blu-ray via amazon, which is very tempting..
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I found the entire series on DVD at a discount store for $35. One of my prized possessions!
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I love this movie, but it does beg a question. Was Harry Morgan born looking 53 years old? 🙂
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Bahaha! Awesome! I’ve wondered the same thing.
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I love James Garner, and I just knew that he had a heart of gold!
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Isn’t he fabulous? I love him in everything. My grandmother had a huge crush on him, and who could blame her?
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Lovely tribute to James Garner and can tell how much you adore this actor – this sounds a fun character and will definitely hunt it down. Thanks for joing my blogathon!
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Thanks, Gill! I’m so glad you organized this tribute to James Garner. He deserves a tribute every month, in my opinion. 😉
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Definitely, he’s lovely!
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Very fun movie, I need to see it again. That is one thing you can depend on with Garner, he always looks like he is having a good time in every film and TV show, and as a result, we all benefit! Great article and photos, too!!
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You are so right! James Garner always does look like he’s having a terrific time. And, as a result, we do too.
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Oh I am with Debbi, he will always be Jim Rockford! I used to LOVE watching him.
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I’ve become a new Rockford Files fan…and I haven’t even seen the show yet!
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I love this movie so much! One of my all-time favorite comedies. Really enjoyed your post. 🙂
Best wishes,
Laura
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This movie is barrels o’ fun, isn’t it? Thanks for dropping by. 🙂
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I think I’m gonna give this one a try….Happy New Year my dear!
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I think you’ll like it. It’s satire and a bit of screwball comedy. Climb in and hang on!
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