“Oh, I’ll remember it, Joe. That’s about all I’m gonna do the rest of my life is go around rememberin’ your name.”

Justin’s rating: This is one of our June 2024 movie swaps, where Drake assigned me this film in exchange for me making him review The Barbarians.

Justin’s review: In my theatrical education, I’m fairly deficient in the area of “ancient western movies” — especially as old as the ’60s. But here I go, risking life and sanity to behold a James Garner in the prime of his life rather than the much older man that I knew him from Maverick and Space Cowboys.

Garner plays Jason McCullough in Support Your Local Sheriff! (a doozy of a title, I think we can all agree). Jason is a gunslinger trying to make his way to Australia when he gets stuck in the gold rush town of Calendar, Colorado Territory. Seeing as how the whole town is being held ransom by the greedy Danby family — who control the only road in and out and thus taxes all gold mined — he takes up the job offer of sheriff to make a few bucks until he can scram out of there.

Despite securing a meal ticket in a rapidly inflating economy, Jason may be in over his head. The whole town seems willing to get into massive brawls over anything, and the Danbys act like local royalty while walking all over the common folk.

Even though he’s a gunslinger by trade, Jason ends up using quick thinking to handle the locals and bring some law and order. He’s kind of the brightest bulb in a land of dimwits, and so it’s fun to see him talk and maneuver around friend and foe alike. His biggest ally comes in the form of the town’s mayor, played by M*A*S*H’s Harry Morgan, but he also picks up a feisty love interest in the mayor’s daughter who may convince him to stick around longer than he originally planned.

This is a legitimately witty screenplay with a lot of laugh-out-loud quips. I find that more common with older comedies: Sharper dialogue but an over-reliance on slapstick and an obnoxious soundtrack hamming it up. It’s certainly true here. I think if they replaced the music with something far more restrained, this actually be a whole lot funnier.

My only complaint is that the town looks somewhat shoddily constructed, too fake to be believable as an actual western town. In fact, the western trappings are not that impressive or interesting.

That aside, my daughter and I got a kick out of watching this. The laughs felt earned, and we were doing that thing where we quoted back the lines that tickled us to each other. There’s a few brilliant little moments of comedic timing, such as when Prudy sees a freshly shot assassin stumble from the sheriff’s office and she gives a little wordless squeak as she hands over the lawmaker’s lunch.

In fact, Joan Hackett is flat-out hilarious as the quirky, passionate Prudy who’s more than a match for Jason.

Great stuff — plenty of comedy, a bit of light-hearted romance, and a town full of people practically begging to be put in their place.

Intermission!

• Rocking Rock of Ages on the accordion
• How fast a funeral can turn into a gold rush
• “You heard every word I said, and I didn’t call you a liar.”
• “That’s what they call inflation. Sometimes catches you right between mouthfuls.”
• “The way prices are around here, I’m going to go broke around 2:30 this afternoon.”
• If you don’t want to get involved in a meal fight, you can just hold up your hand politely.
• That is just SO MUCH mud. Was there a hurricane that blew through the night before?
• Let’s all head out and watch the fight! The women too!
• Which is true pioneer country, America or Australia? Discuss.
• “That must’ve saved the life of the man wearing it.” “Sure would’ve, if it wasn’t for all the other bullets flying in from everywhere.”
• A jail without bars for the cells (they’re on order)
• The old west had very high pressure hoses
• How he convinces the bad guys to stay in the very, very open jail cell
• “This is a little like murder, I hope you know that.”
• “Takes after her dear departed mother.” “She died, huh?” “No, just departed.”
• Your hair can be quite the shield to protect from embarrassment
• “Remember what the sheriff said: No shooting until the sun go down!”
• Sleeves with long ruffles and long puffy skirts are not conducive to cooking dinner
• The ol’ finger-in-the-barrel trick
• “I don’t think a girl would curl up and die because you smiled at her but yes, you’re attractive.”
• Dead fish by dynamite
• Cowardly or mature?
• Prudy likes to tie herself up to things
• “She’s always saying ‘death to somebody’ she’s mad at.”
• Jason stopping the gunfight so he can cross the street in peace