Historic and locally filmed “Cat Ballou” to screen again at the Jones Theater

There’s a lot of buzz in the film biz these days regarding “Colorado as the new Hollywood.” Those conversations are largely fueled by theSundance Film Festi-val coming to Boulder next year after it’s swan’s song in Park City, Utah this year. But additionally, the independentworld of filmmakers is paying attention to the pro-duction of Devil in the Trunk. It is currently being filmed on roads in the eastern plains, as well as locations in Colorado Springs, Fountain, Victor, Sedalia, Calhan, and Golden. The production team will shop the finished film at festivals in hopes of pick-ing up a distributor.

The celebration of Colorado’s 150 years

has also fostered some further, unique cin-ematic activity across the state. Celebrative events include showings of many of the top 150 filmsthat were produced in, or are about, or are otherwise connected to, Colorado. The “top 150” were chosen by viewers from almost 800 films related to Colorado and Colorado history.

Among those favorites are a number of movies filmed in Custer County. At number 30 is Cat Ballou, filmed here and at other area locations in1965. Some folks still remember the stars and cast and crew hanging out with locals at beloved Susie’s Café, then in the 200 block of Main Street,Westcliffe.

Valley residents and visitors have the pleasant opportunity to ride on into the his-toric Jones Theater this Sunday, June 7, for a single showingof Cat Ballou at 2:00 p.m. And here’s some really good reel news: tickets for the 96-minute frolic are $5.00, popcorn is a buck even, and kids are free!

This western classic takes a playful, comedic swing at the genre itself. As a matter of fact, Cat was a pioneer in parodying American westerns, and preceded the capstone of western movie caricature, Mel Brook’s burlesque Blazing Saddles, by almost a decade. Film historians at the Library of Congress, as well as Mel Brooks himself, have given recognition to the Cat Ballou production team, cast, and music for the inspiration of the hit parody.

Jane Fonda and Lee Marvin teamed up in Cat Ballou as partners in a gang wreak-ing havoc hither and yon across the Valley. Remember the New Yorker film critic Bosley Crowther? He had some masterful Crowther-like things to say about the film in his June 25, 1965 review.

He describes Jane Fonda’s Catherine “Cat” Ballou—a prime and proper school marm who transforms into the outlaw leader named in the movie’s title—as “a big-eyed, big-hearted grown-up child, a veritable Little Mary Sunshine, who takes to gunning and robbing a train with the gee-whiz excitement of a youngster con-fronted with a huge banana split.”

Lee Marvin has dual performances,

one as Kid Sheleen, an aging gunfighter whom Crowther describes as “a titanic and bleary-eyed drunk,” and as Silvernose, a hired killer who lost his birth nose to a nasty bite in a barfight—not here, don’t go looking for relics. An extra treat is hearing Stubby Kaye and Nat King Cole narrate the plot in song intervals.

Anyway, as noted, this antic spoof of Western movie cliches is coming to the silver screen at the historic Jones Theater, Main Street, Westcliffe USA, on Sunday, June 7 at 2:00 p.m. You don’t want to miss this! Especially for the $5.00 tickets, dollar popcorn, and free admission for the kids. You’ll think you’re part of the spoof! On the serious side though, you will become part of the Valley’s ongoing cinematic history and legacy. Afterall, if Colorado is being touted as the “new Hollywood,” Custer County could at the very least claim to be one of its sound stages and premiere fan bases.

Enjoy!

– W.A. Ewing