weezeralfalfa Predictable plot, with lead female(Shirley MacLaine) initially hating the unbelievably brash newcomer to town(Glen Ford, as Jason Sweet), who wants to stir up a hornet's nest by bringing his sheep into this frontier cattle-dominated territory. We soon learn that Sweet has a past with cattle baron Stephen Bedford(Leslie Neilson), in which neither showed up for a scheduled shootout in Texas. Gradually, Sweet wins over a few town folk, including MacLaine, Edgar Buchanan's character and a group of kids, who help him in his struggle to avoid obliteration from the henchmen of Bedford. At the end, the film confirms what we may have already suspected: that Ford's character isn't really a dyed-in-the wool sheepman who's thumbing his nose at cattlemen. Rather this becomes a ruse to settle an old score with Bedford by hopefully provoking a showdown, after which Sweet will take the place of Bedford as 'the big man' of this cattle country, as well as stealing MacLaine as his sweetheart. Ford has a fun role as a man who backs up his extreme bravado with superior manly skills of the times, always coming out the winner. A fun,if predictable, film.

aimless-46 Although "The Sheepman" is full of comic moments, none of them could quite be considered to be of the parody or even the self-reflexive variety. George Marshall's 1958 western was produced a few years before the genre began imitating television westerns by moving in that direction with films like "Cat Ballou" and "Support Your Local Sheriff". Most of this film's humor comes from the off-kilter nature of Glenn Ford's cowboy hero Jason Sweet. He is my all-time favorite Ford character, alternating between standard western hero and detached manipulator. His scenes with Mickey Shaughnessy (as town bully Jumbo) are funny because they totally break genre conventions. The Coen Brothers have used a similar technique in many of their films, writing dialogue totally mismatched with what one expects from a particular movie stereotyped character. The effectiveness of the device (and its novelty in 1958) led to William Bowers & James Edward Grant receiving an Oscar nomination for the screenplay. The story gets moving right away as the title character (Sweet) hits the town of Powder Valley, seemingly on a mission to alienate every citizen with whom he comes into contact. This also serves as a quick introduction to most of the supporting cast as he insults the railroad station master (Percy Helton), gives unsolicited advice to a young lady (Shirley MacLaine), tricks the livery stable owner (Edgar Buchanan of "Petticoat Junction" fame); and gets the better of the general store proprietor (Harry Harvey). He then picks a fight with Jumbo (Shaughnessy) and ends the day by announcing his intention to graze sheep on the nearby public lands. This puts him into conflict with a local cattleman named "The Colonel" (a very young and uncharacteristically serious Leslie Neilsen). MacLaine's often exasperated heroine would serve as inspiration for the Suzanne Pleshette and Joan Hackett characters in "Support Your Local Gunfighter" and "Support Your Local Sheriff"."The Sheepman" is refreshingly different; witty, unpredictable, and extremely entertaining.Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

bkoganbing Glenn Ford comes to town after winning a herd of sheep in a poker game and wants to settle down. Unfortunately it's in the middle of cattle country and we western fans know sheep and cattle don't mix. The whole town is against him. Leading the fight against Ford is Leslie Nielson in one of his earliest screen roles. Ford and Nielson have a common past together and Ford knows he's using an alias in the town.It sounds like a serious range war film is opening. But actually it is one of the funniest westerns ever done. Glenn Ford is perfectly cast as the would be sheep rancher and his deadpan delivery is just wonderful to hear. Credit must go to Director George Marshall. Marshall had worked with Ford in one other film before in Ford's early Hollywood days, Texas. After the success of The Sheepman, the two of them collaborated on a whole slew of films. Marshall was one of the best comedy directors ever in Hollywood.Shirley MacLaine has a good Calamity Jane like part and makes the most of it with her special brand of quirkiness. Edgar Buchanan who was in just about every other Glenn Ford film does fine as the livery stable owner with few scruples, but a surprising sense of integrity.However in the supporting cast I have to mention Mickey Shaughnessy as Nielson's chief henchman. Shaughnessy specialized in playing slow witted oafs on the screen who usually were good for a few laughs. His scenes with Ford are something to behold as Ford is constantly getting the better of him in a battle of wits and/or fists. I think this film was Mickey Shaughnessy's finest screen hour.Good comedy and enough action for the fans of traditional western fare.

Hojean I enjoyed seeing Leslie Nielson as a young man, and was quite taken with him...I love him in everything he's in, even as a bad guy! He does better in comedy than drama, though, in my opinion. Shirley MacLaine was beautiful, and her voice sounded higher than it did in "Two Mules for Sister Sara", the western she was in with Clint Eastwood.