Support Your Local Sheriff!

G

1969

1h 33m

Western

Comedy

List

76%

17 Reviews

Tomatometer

82%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

A small-scale gold rush erupts in a Colorado town after treasure is found in a grave. The area quickly becomes a magnet for criminals and other ne'er-do-wells, but everyone is too intent on searching for gold to consider law and order. When Jason McCullough (James Garner), a clever and supremely laid-back gunslinger, wanders into town, he becomes the de facto lawman, aided by local eccentric Jake (Jack Elam). McCullough's ingenuity is tested, however, when he runs afoul of the tough Danby gang.

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nick s

Very watchable movie. It had a few funny moments and good acting. But it also had plenty of flat spells.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/31/23

Full Review

Matthew B

It was during the period of the decline of the western that the two ‘Support Your…' movies were made, and they too soak in the atmosphere of the time. We cannot call either film a serious assault on the classic western. They were directed by Burt Kennedy, a stalwart of the old westerns. Also the humour in the films was gentle and a little daft. Nonetheless the films take the westerns of old and give them a modern subversive twist. A large part of this lies in the presence of James Garner and Jack Elam, the two lead stars of both films. They play outsiders who have a cynical disregard for the conventional behaviour expected of characters in westerns, and this lends the movies their edge. Like the heroes of spaghetti westerns they are essentially out for money, although they will occasionally act with honour when pushed. Support Your Local Sheriff offers a pastiche of a number of classic westerns, including Rio Bravo, My Darling Clementine and Winchester 73. James Garner plays Jason McCullough, a man who is most definitely on his way to Australia, and who has been for several years, but who is presently passing through the town of Calendar. Law enforcement is in short supply here, and the last three sheriffs have either fled or been killed. As one of the senior town officials explains to McCullough, the tin star helped to save the life of a former sheriff when it stopped a bullet – or would have done if it was not for all the other bullets flying his way. Appropriately enough the centre of the town is an enormous mud pit in which the inhabitants brawl with one another. In the midst of this, McCullough seeks to pick his way, regarding the foibles of the local people with an amused air. James Garner's relaxed charm lends him the air of not taking anything seriously, and this serves to further emphasise the absurdity of what is happening. His only response to the mudfight is to ask them to pause long enough for him to pick up his food, and to send non-verbal warning signals to anyone who offers to hit him. It is almost as if McCullough is the only adult in town, and this applies when he responds to the sight of Joe Danby (Bruce Dern) gunning a man down. Danby shoots the man in cold blood, and tries to claim that the other man drew first. Without the slightest trace of fear, McCullough calmly explains that this is technically true, before outlining the trick used by Danby to get the other man to draw first. It might be thought that McCullough is a modern man living in an outdated culture, but this is not entirely true. The townsfolk are just as cynical as he is, even if their values are different. We see this in the amusing opening scene where they are burying a man they do not know. They are more concerned about not catching whatever disease killed off this stranger, and allow their dogs to walk on the coffin. However when someone sees gold in the burial area, the coffin is hastily pushed out of the way by grasping citizens. I wrote a longer appreciation of the two 'Support Your...' movies on my blog page if you would like to read more: https://themoviescreenscene.wordpress.com/2018/02/18/support-your-local-garner-support-your-local-sheriff-1969-support-your-local-gunfighter-1971/

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/18/23

Full Review

Olivia Y

A lovable film made for cold winter afternoons to warm the cockles. If you don't like this then you have no soul. Smashing - that's the word……

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

09/11/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Good movie with quite a bit of comedy in it. Yes, I recommended James Welch, Henderson, Arkansas, June 6, 2023.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

06/07/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Easy Fun. Classic Cast.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Great, Bold, fun, action!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

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Burt Kennedy

Director

James Garner

Jason McCullough

Joan Hackett

Prudy Perkins

Walter Brennan

Pa Danby

Harry Morgan

Olly Perkins

Jack Elam

Jake

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Colin McArthur

Sight & Sound

In Support Your Local Sheriff Burt Kennedy and William Bowers remind us that it is possible to make a comic Western and yet love and understand the genre.

Apr 1, 2020

Full Review

Roger Ebert

Chicago Sun-Times

It's essentially a lousy TV situation comedy dragged out to feature length for no good reason.

Rated: 2/4

Oct 23, 2004

Full Review

Steven D. Greydanus

Decent Films

Garner brings a variation on his 'Maverick' persona to this classic satirical Western... does for Westerns what The Princess Bride did for fairy-tale fantasy.

Rated: A-

Jan 30, 2004

Full Review

Sean Axmaker

Stream on Demand

[James] Garner is a master playing the easy-going straight man with a mix of wit and practicality...

Aug 19, 2023

Full Review

Roger Moore

Movie Nation

The gags in this oater are time-tested and could easily have been groaners. But Garner and director Kennedy...make every quip perfectly-timed, every sight gag hilariously simple.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 15, 2022

Full Review

Paul Schrader

Los Angeles Free Press

Mindless Entertainment Department: veteran screenwriter William Bowers has written a funny script for a film with the suspiciously corny title of Support Your Local Sheriff.

Jun 30, 2020

Full Review

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Synopsis

A small-scale gold rush erupts in a Colorado town after treasure is found in a grave. The area quickly becomes a magnet for criminals and other ne'er-do-wells, but everyone is too intent on searching for gold to consider law and order. When Jason McCullough (James Garner), a clever and supremely laid-back gunslinger, wanders into town, he becomes the de facto lawman, aided by local eccentric Jake (Jack Elam). McCullough's ingenuity is tested, however, when he runs afoul of the tough Danby gang.

Director: Burt Kennedy
Screenwriter: William Bowers
Production Co: Cherokee Productions
Rating: G
Genre: Western, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 15, 2017
Runtime: 1h 33m

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