- The Sheepman
Infobox Film
name = The Sheepman
caption = Film poster
writer =William Bowers ,James Edward Grant
starring =Glenn Ford Shirley MacLaine Leslie Nielsen
director =George Marshall
producer =Edmund Grainger
distributor = MGM
released =May 7 1958
runtime =85 minutes
language = English
country = USA
music =Jeff Alexander
cinemathography =Robert J. Bronner
editing =Ralph E. Winters
budget =
amg_id = 1:109847
imdb_id = 0052190"The Sheepman" is a tongue-in-cheek 1958
Western film directed byGeorge Marshall , starringGlenn Ford ,Shirley MacLaine andLeslie Nielsen . It was nominated for anAcademy Award for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay forWilliam Bowers andJames Edward Grant .Plot
Gambler Jason Sweet (
Glenn Ford ) wins a herd of sheep in a poker game and proceeds to take them by train into the middle of cattle country. It isn't long before the townsfolk take notice, but Sweet is more than up to the challenge.The first thing he does is pick a fight with the roughest, toughest man around, 'Jumbo' McCall (
Mickey Shaughnessy ), and beat him up. He also reveals himself to be an expert with a gun. Dell Payton (Shirley MacLaine ) doesn't know what to make of him, but is attracted to him, as is he to her. Her suitor, local cattle baron 'Colonel' Steven Bedford (Leslie Nielsen ), is troubled by this and also because he and Sweet know each other. The newcomer recognizes Bedford as his old enemy Johnny Bledsoe, a card sharp and gunfighter gone respectable.When Bedford finds himself losing their battle for domination, despite having the whole town behind him, he brings in a professional gunman, Chocktaw Neal (
Pernell Roberts ), but Sweet has little trouble dealing with him. The final showdown comes down to Bedford and Sweet. Sweet is faster and smarter and Bedford ends up dead. Sweet gets the girl; then, to her utter astonishment, he sells the sheep. He only kept them because he refused to be pushed around by anybody.Cast
*
Glenn Ford as Jason Sweet
*Shirley MacLaine as Dell Payton
*Leslie Nielsen as Col. Stephen Bedford / Johnny Bledsoe
*Mickey Shaughnessy as Jumbo McCall
*Edgar Buchanan as Milt Masters
*Willis Bouchey as Frank Payton
*Pernell Roberts as Chocktaw Neal
*Slim Pickens as Marshal
*Robert 'Buzz' Henry as Red
*Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez as AngeloAward nominations
William Bowers andJames Edward Grant were nominated for an Oscar forBest Writing, Story and Screenplay - Written Directly for the ScreenThere were also two
BAFTA nominations: Best Film from any source, and Glenn Ford for Best Foreign Actor.External links
*imdb title|id=0052190|title=The Sheepman
*amg title|id=109847|title=The Sheepman
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