metzgerjm It is extremely rare for me to watch the same movie over and over, but that's just how much I enjoyed this one! (of course, Encore's line-up give a whole new meaning to Re-runs) I liked it so much, I bought a copy to share.Encore's ad said this was Peckinpaugh's favorite film and that the "studio brass hated it." I'd have to say Peckinpaugh's feelings were right and the studio brass at the time were not too bright.This is a movie that should appeal to both sexes: not a chick-flick or a high drama guy's film. It's difficult to file this movie into any one genre, as it has a slight Western feel with a lighthearted touch of tenderness and it's wonderfully comical. The little 'dance' Cable does after leaving the land office is priceless, LOL! Another rarity for me is to instantly like the music scores from any movie. "Tomorrow Is The Song I Sing" and "Wait For Me, Sunrise" were stuck in my head, even the day after watching the movie the first time. I was happy to find both songs on YouTube and saved them to my play-list. The lyrics from both songs contain meaning that can strike a chord with anyone who has ever faced hard times, looking for a brighter tomorrow. (I expect this would be just about everyone)

evanston_dad When Sam Peckinpah allowed some comedy to infuse his otherwise dramatic films, he displayed a subversive and very funny sense of humor. But if "The Ballad of Cable Hogue" is any indication, he was much less adept at staging an all-out comedy.This farcical western starring Jason Robards as a man who discovers a water spring in the desert and proceeds to make a business out of it is an ungainly, even slightly ponderous affair. Its attempts at humor are mostly obvious and lead footed -- like speeding up the camera so that characters run around like they're in a Benny Hill skit. And the movie is far too long for the bare bones plot supporting it. I really like Peckinpah, but I thought this one was a struggle to sit through.Two things I unequivocally did like about it -- the scene where Cable Hogue meets the character played by Stella Stevens and can't focus on anything but her cleavage; and the film's theme song, which I still can't get out of my head.Grade: B-

ElMaruecan82 Good ol' Bloody Sam hid his softer side quite well, too well if you want my opinion, which might explain why "The Ballad of Cable Hogue" sank into oblivion somewhere lost between the popularity of "The Wild Bunch" and "Straw Dogs". How pitiful, "The Ballad of Cable Hogue" would have probably helped to contradict Sam's detractors, but no one remembers it. And this sad reality poetically fits the film … Jason Robards plays the prospector Cable Hogue, whose bushy beard, raspy voice and sad looking eyes, embody the colorful heritage of the Old West. His odyssey starts when he's double-crossed by his two associates and left alone and waterless in the desert. Hogue has no other choice than a long walking during which we're transported by the beautiful ballad "Tomorrow is the Song I Sing". Hogue's tomorrow is uncertain, but not hopeless, he regularly addresses God with a touching but never blasphemous complicity and all the determination of a man, who doesn't want to die, like the allegory of the agonizing Old West spirit. But after four exhausting days of walking, Hogue finally gives up and in an ironic twist, his abandon coincides with the providential discovery of a water hole in the middle of nowhere, right between the towns of Deaddog and Gilla. Hogue found something more valuable than gold, a stage stop in the desert.What follows is a tribute to the American Dream : Hogue registers his two acres of precious land, gets a loan from a banker and a succession of very colorful characters assist him. Hogue develops a cordial relationship with two stagecoach drivers and a strange friendship with probably one of the most perversely amusing cinematic preachers you'll ever see. David Warner as Reverend Joshua Sloan will provide some of the film's funniest moments both in the slapstick and the one-liners department. Indeed, Sloan has a very personal way to choose his parishioners, his 'sisters of the Spirit' and purge "the grief" from "their soul" and release their "true spirit" … with his very tactful hands. But the heart of the film is the love story between Cable and Hildy, the prostitute, not the archetypal one with the heart of gold. The gold, she's digging it, but not anywhere, in San Francisco where she plans to marry the richest man or the two richest men and become "the ladyest damn lady in town". Stella Stevens is absolutely irresistible in this role, combining an exquisite femininity with a very strong personality.I firmly believe the romantic story is responsible of the comedic tone of the film. It's like Peckinpah decided to loosen up a bit and let all the fun repressed during the making of the more dramatic "Wild Bunch". The movie provides fast motion, subliminal shots of Stella Stevens' beautiful boobs that hardly keep us focused, the slapstick of a good old Benny Hill show and a sort of poetical wisecrack that provides some of the funniest Western lines : "Give me the rifle" "You'll get what's in it" Priceless! I used to believe that this film should be a more popular Western comedy than "Blazzing Saddles" but I finally got the point that the comedy was in fact comic relief as to hide the dramatic aspect of "The Ballad of Cable Hogue" which is, a tragic love story.Hildy has a real fondness on Hogue, and their chemistry is absolutely appealing. The movie is punctuated by many beautiful songs, among them, "Butterfly Morning/ And Wild Morning Afternoons" which offers a tender, delicately handled moment. Robards was robbed an Oscar nom and Stella was stellar, and both exude a mysterious but sincerely endearing love. But there's never a reason in love, it just happens, as says Sloan, there's always one girl who "cuts right straight into you".But Hogue is a practical man, incapable of showing his romantic side every time, haunted by the desire to take his revenge on the guys who betrayed him. Hogue deliberately (or maybe not) ruins what could have been a long-lasting idyll by a remark that hurt Hildy's feelings, telling he didn't charge her the location, because she didn't charge him in bed. At that moment, Hildy's heart is devastated as she realizes that it's time to leave him.The tragedy of "The Ballad of Cable Hogue"'s romance is the impossible love between the hooker who wants to discover San Francisco and the old prospector who hates the town and manages his honest business in the desert. Hogue is someone in the desert, and doesn't have his place in civilization. And the end of the West is incarnated by the automobile era : when the first one appears, Strother Martin's character says he saw one of them ... and so we did, in a movie named "The Wild Bunch". Hogue, like Pyke, embodies the Old West myth and it's no coincidence that he was killed by the ominous arrival of cars. Civilization finally met the Old West.Hogue dies surrounded by all the protagonists of his life, including Hildy, as a rich widow from San Francisco with a dress so green, she's like a beautiful oasis in the desert, indeed, she became the "ladyest damn lady in town". What a poetic ending for a man who would have the honor to hear his own eulogy … And what a powerful significance to the film, probably the only one which 'stars characters actors' from Jason Robards, to Stella Stevens, Strother Martin, L.Q Jones, Slim Pickens, the "Ballad of Cable Hogue" is the delightful swan song of an era, a last tribute to a movie genre.And I join myself to honor Cable Hogue, the unsung hero of 'New Hollywood' and 'Cable Hogue' whose tenderness is like the link between the thrills of 'The Wild Bunch' and the passion between 'McCabe & Mrs. Miller', this is the Holy Trinity of the 'New Western' genre. Amen.

ma-cortes This classic Western deal with Cable Hogue (Jason Robards) a roguish hustler who in search of good life discovers water and gets property some lands placed on a desert in remote part of the Old West . After getting its register in the Land Office , Cable meets a whore (Stella Stevens) and falls in love with her . Cable along with the prostitute and a lecherous priest (David Warner) care his stopover as resort-lodging of a line stage. Hogue's Castle was a real-life hotel which was acquired in Bishop, California. It was packed-up and transported along with its own furniture to its shooting location across the border in Nevada. Interesting story about a loner who turns into successful entrepreneur is deliberately paced by Sam Peckinpah and the production base for the film was at Echo Bay, Nevada . A twilight story ,¨Ballad of Cable Hogue¨ is a director Sam Peckinpah's lovely effort, feeling look at the world of the Western. Jason Robards , engagingly easygoing but obstinate , is the title character, a drifter who strives to preserve his values in an often harsh modern world . Robards turns a magnificent acting as a hustler who is searching in a changing world for values that have long time disappeared . He also must deal with his two enemies well played by usual Peckinpah couple, L.Q. Jones and Strother Martin , and a lovely whore wonderfully performed by Stella Stevens in his best role ever acted . Sam Peckinpah started work on this film almost immediately after finishing work on the landmark ¨Wild bunch¨ that is why Strother Martin and L.Q. Jones were cast in similar roles in both films . David Warner is particularly fine as the raunchy priest and in his relationship to Jason Robards strike real sparks. Furthermore, it contains an emotive score by the master Jerry Goldsmith, adding various sensitive country-western songs . Colorful and glimmer cinematography by Lucien Ballard, Peckinpah's usual, make this one a winner. An agreeable western with marvelous interpretations and exciting , enjoyable images including split-frames and fast-motion . This outstanding motion picture is stunningly directed by Sam Peckinpah, creating a true classic . Restored and reissued various times with diverse running . ¨The Ballad of Cable Hogue ¨ is a real must see for fans of the genre . This is a much quieter movie than habitual from ¨Cross of Iron¨, ¨Straw dogs¨, ¨The getaway¨, ¨Wild bunch¨ , ¨Major Dundee¨ director Sam Peckinpah who has always a deft eye for period detail . Rating : Above average, well worth watching .