The Ballad of Cable Hogue

R

Released May 13, 1970

2 hr. 1 min.

Comedy

Western

List

94%

17 Reviews

Tomatometer

81%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

After he is abandoned in the desert without water, Cable Hogue (Jason Robards) wanders for days until he finds a supply of water in a muddy ditch. Determining that the spot is the only spring in the area, Cable decides to start a business offering water to passing stagecoaches. Aided by his new friend, Joshua (David Warner), and a prostitute named Hildy (Stella Stevens), Cable builds a successful business. However, when motorcars start to pass, Cable realizes his trade is down to its last days.

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Ravenswood R

Great entertaining movie with well assembled memorable scenes, humorous dialogue, good characterizations, scenic shots, good story with a rewarding plot, many heartfelt moments, and a message about the passing of time and progress whether good or bad.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

dave s

Sandwiched between two of Sam Peckinpah's most controversial films (The Wild Bunch, Straw Dogs), The Ballad of Cable Hogue comes across as a sweet and often silly diversion. Cable Hogue (Jason Robards) is left alone to die in the unforgiving desert by two colleagues, only to find his fortune when he discovers water in an area where none was thought to exist. The first third and the final act of the movie are actually quite good, but the film loses its way in the middle portion as it often devolves into silly slapstick humor, including some fast-motion bits that are more likely to induce eye-rolling than laughs, making the whole thing feel like an apology for the intense violence that filled The Wild Bunch. One thing is certain – Peckinpah and comedy don't work well together.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Nice tale in which Peckimpah forgets violence and talks about humour and tenderness.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

Full Review

Audience Member

One should see the Video.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/20/23

Full Review

Tom M

Fun movie. Probably the least characters killed in a Sam Peckinpah movie. Robards is great. Stella Stevens' best performance , she deserved more credit. David Warner entertains as the preacher.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/13/20

Full Review

Audience Member

One of the best movies ever ever

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/25/23

Full Review

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Sam Peckinpah

Director

Jason Robards

Cable Hogue

Stella Stevens

Hildy

David Warner

Rev. Joshua Douglas Sloan

Strother Martin

Bowen

Slim Pickens

Ben Fairchild

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Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

A fine movie, a wonderfully comic tale we didn't quite expect from a director who seems more at home with violence than with humor.

Rated: 3.5/4

Oct 23, 2004

Full Review

Roger Greenspun

New York Times

Peckinpah's gentlest, boldest, and perhaps most likable film to date.

Rated: 4.5/5

May 21, 2003

Full Review

Marjorie Baumgarten

Austin Chronicle

Jason Robards shines in one of his most touching and humorous performances, and David Warner is memorable as a sinning preacher man.

Mar 10, 2003

Full Review

Justine Smith

Vague Visages

Hildy is not the broad stereotype you’d expect her to be either, she is strong willed and independent: she is the closest thing to a Hawksian heroine you’ll find in Peckinpah’s career...

Nov 21, 2023

Full Review

Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

A wryly humorous, leisurely paced, and often overlooked Western.

Rated: 3/4

Nov 8, 2021

Full Review

Michael Ross

Los Angeles Free Press

Gentle, affecting, balanced and very funny.

Jan 15, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

After he is abandoned in the desert without water, Cable Hogue (Jason Robards) wanders for days until he finds a supply of water in a muddy ditch. Determining that the spot is the only spring in the area, Cable decides to start a business offering water to passing stagecoaches. Aided by his new friend, Joshua (David Warner), and a prostitute named Hildy (Stella Stevens), Cable builds a successful business. However, when motorcars start to pass, Cable realizes his trade is down to its last days.

Director: Sam Peckinpah
Executive Producer: Phil Feldman
Screenwriter: John Crawford, Edmund Penney
Distributor: Warner Home Vídeo, Warner Bros.
Production Co: Warner Brothers
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Western
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 13, 1970, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2008
Sound Mix: Mono

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