The Sheepman (1958)

I don't normally go in for westerns, unless they star or are directed by Clint Eastwood, or unless they're funny. I've enjoyed Mel Gibson-starrer Maverick, and the musical Cat Ballou, although Blazing Saddles left me cold. It seemed only fitting that I watch The Sheepman this week for a couple of reasons. One, it sits alongside Black Sheep in woolly themed movies, and two, it stars the late, great Leslie Nielsen, in one of his earlier straight roles.

Glenn Ford plays the eponymous Sheepman, who rolls into town and immediately begins rubbing people up the wrong way, including Shirley MacLaine, and then when he announces that a train load of sheep are on their way, the cattle-loving town really decides not to like him. Nielsen plays the villain of the piece, a well-respected rancher who happens to be betrothed to MacLaine, and also happens to be something of an outlaw, known to Ford in the past. What follows is fairly predictable stuff as the town folks try to run Ford and his flock out of town and back onto a train going anywhere but there, and naturally Ford falls for MacLaine and must get rid of Nielsen before he can have her and live happily ever after with his sheep.

What could be a routine western becomes fun and enjoyable through the large strain of humour running throughout. It's also interesting to note that of the few westerns I've seen, I've never even considered why they ranchers never farm sheep. According to the townspeople here, sheep mucky up the water and eat all the grass, so now you know... Glenn Ford seems to be having a blast as the slightly cocky and confident sheepman, and Nielsen is as good a straight man here as in the classic Forbidden Planet. MacLaine's funny and clearly a match for Ford, so the two make a great screen couple. If only all westerns were this enjoyable and well-cast, I'd probably watch more of them.