The film Support Your Local Sheriff! is about a con artist named Jason McCullough (James Garner) who arrives in a small gold-rush town and decides to earn a little extra pocket money by accepting a temporary assignment as its sheriff. McCullough is a skilled gunfighter, but he has no intention of staying in town for long. He plans to collect his paycheck and then move on to Australia.
However, McCullough soon finds himself drawn into the town's affairs. He falls in love with the mayor's daughter, Prudy (Joan Hackett), and he begins to feel a sense of responsibility for the town's safety. When a gang of outlaws arrives in town, McCullough must decide whether to fight them or to run away.
Support Your Local Sheriff! is a comedy Western that parodies the traditional Western trope of the selfless, rugged stranger who tames a lawless frontier town. McCullough is not a classic Western hero. He is a self-serving opportunist who only becomes a sheriff for the money. However, he is also a skilled and courageous man, and he eventually comes to care about the town and its people.
The film is also a love letter to the Western genre. It features many of the genre's familiar elements, such as gunfights, saloon brawls, and horseback riding. However, it subverts these elements with humor and irony. For example, McCullough is a skilled gunfighter, but he is also a reluctant one. He prefers to use his wits to get out of trouble, and he is not afraid to run away from a fight if he thinks he can't win.
Support Your Local Sheriff! is a classic Western comedy that is still enjoyed by audiences today. It is a well-made film with a talented cast and a witty script. It is also a film that is both loving and subversive of the Western genre.
Watch For Free
If video doesn't play in browser, try another one. The videos work with Opera, Firefox, Chrome, and Edge. Some films take a bit to load so be patient.
Cast
- James Garner as Jason McCullough
- Joan Hackett as Prudy Perkins
- Walter Brennan as Pa Danby
- Harry Morgan as Olly Perkins
- Jack Elam as Jake
- Henry Jones as Henry Jackson
- Bruce Dern as Joe Danby
- Willis Bouchey as Thomas Devery
- Kathleen Freeman as Mrs. Danvers
- Walter Burke as Fred Johnson
- Chubby Johnson as Brady
- Gene Evans as Tom Danby
- Dick Peabody as Luke Danby
- Dick Haynes as Bartender
Director: Burt Kennedy
Writer: William Bowers
Box Office Gross: $5 million
Distributor: United Artists
Genre: Western
Release Date: March 26, 1969