History Film / CatBallou

1894: Aspiring schoolteacher Catherine “Cat” Ballou (Fonda) is traveling home by train to Wolf City, Wyoming, to see her rancher father, Frankie Ballou (Creator/JohnMarley). While en route she unwittingly helps accused cattle rustler Clay Boone (Michael Callan) escape the sheriff (Bruce Cabot), when Boone's Uncle Jed (Dwayne Hickman), a drunkard disguised as a preacher, distracts the lawman. She reaches the ranch to find that the Wolf City Development Corporation is trying to take the ranch away from her father, whose only defender is an educated young Indian boy named Jackson Two-Bears (Tom Nardini). Clay and Jed show up and are talked into reluctantly helping Catherine. She also sends a letter and $50 to legendary gunman Kid Shelleen (Marvin) to hire him to come and help protect her father from fast-drawing Tim Strawn (also Marvin), alias Silvernose, the hired killer who is threatening Frankie.

Shelleen arrives, a drunken stumble-bum who is literally unable to hit the broad side of a barn when he shoots and whose pants fall down when he draws his gun. Strawn kills Frankie, and when the townspeople refuse to bring him to justice, Catherine becomes the outlaw Cat Ballou and vows to take revenge on the town and on Wolf City Development. She and her four gang members rob a train carrying the Wolf City payroll, and Shelleen, inspired by his love for Cat (unrequited because she loves Clay), drys out, shapes up and again looking and acting like the legendary gunfighter he was, finds and kills Strawn (off-screen) in a gunfight. Later he casually reveals that Strawn was his brother.

Cat, posing as a [[HookerWithAHeartOfGold Soiled Dove]], confronts town boss and head of Wolf City Development, Sir Harry Percival (Reginald Denny). A struggle ensues, Sir Harry is killed, and Cat is sentenced to be hanged on the gallows. Shelleen falls off the wagon and as Cat is led up the gallows stairs he sits on his horse (who looks as drunk as his rider!) as both lean against a building.

* DrunkenMaster: When Kid Shelleen is sober he shakes too much with the [=DTs=] to hit anything, and when he's drunk he staggers and stumbles so much he can hardly hold a gun. But for a short time -- after he's had a few drinks, but before he gets drunk -- he is again the deadly-accurate, fast-shooting gunfighter he used to be. Unfortunately this time only lasts for a few minutes.

* ImprobableAimingSkills: Inverted, Kid Shelleen literally misses the broad side of the barn.

* JustifiedCriminal: Due to the reasons listed in the [[BlackAndGrayMorality trope above]]

* RailroadBaron: Sir Harry Percival owner of the Wolf City Development Corporation. So much so that he is allowed to have Cat's father murdered without the town batting an eye.

** A similar case can be for Sir Harry Percival, as being a [[CorruptCorporateExecutive corrupt]] RailroadBaron who's had people killed would result in someone who would want revenge [[RevengeBeforeReason despite the losses to the town]].

* WartsAndAll: Catherine is dismayed to find that Shelleen, whom she hired due to his high reputation with a gun, is constantly drunk and uncoordinated as a result. Even his horse shows a similar laid back attitude.

1894: Aspiring schoolteacher Catherine “Cat” Ballou (Fonda) is traveling home by train to Wolf City, Wyoming, to see her rancher father, Frankie Ballou (John Marley). While en route she unwittingly helps accused cattle rustler Clay Boone (Michael Callan) escape the sheriff (Bruce Cabot), when Boone's Uncle Jed (Dwayne Hickman), a drunkard disguised as a preacher, distracts the lawman. She reaches the ranch to find that the Wolf City Development Corporation is trying to take the ranch away from her father, whose only defender is an educated young Indian boy named Jackson Two-Bears (Tom Nardini). Clay and Jed show up and are talked into reluctantly helping Catherine. She also sends a letter and $50 to legendary gunman Kid Shelleen (Marvin) to hire him to come and help protect her father from fast-drawing Tim Strawn (also Marvin), alias Silvernose, the hired killer who is threatening Frankie.

''Cat Ballou'' is a 1965 comedic {{Western}} starring Creator/JaneFonda and Creator/LeeMarvin.

Catherine “Cat” Ballou (Fonda), an aspiring schoolteacher, is traveling home by train to Wolf City, Wyoming, to see her rancher father, Frankie Ballou (John Marley). While en route she unwittingly helps accused cattle rustler Clay Boone (Michael Callan) escape the sheriff (Bruce Cabot), when Boone's Uncle Jed (Dwayne Hickman), a drunkard disguised as a preacher, distracts the lawman. She reaches the ranch to find that the Wolf City Development Corporation is trying to take the ranch away from her father, whose only defender is an educated young Indian boy, Jackson Two-Bears (Tom Nardini). Clay and Jed appear and are talked into reluctantly helping Catherine. She also sends a letter and $50 to legendary gunfighter Kid Shelleen (Marvin) to hire him to come and help protect her father from fast-drawing Tim Strawn (also Marvin), alias Silvernose, the hired killer who is threatening Frankie.

Catherine “Cat” Ballou (Fonda), an aspiring schoolteacher, is traveling home by train to Wolf City, Wyoming, to see her rancher father, Frankie Ballou (John Marley). While en route she unwittingly helps accused cattle rustler Clay Boone (Michael Callan) escape the sheriff (Bruce Cabot), when Boone's Uncle Jed (Dwayne Hickman), a drunkard disguised as a preacher, distracts the lawman. She reaches the ranch to find that the Wolf City Development Corporation is trying to take the ranch away from her father, whose only defender is an educated young Indian boy, Jackson Two-Bears (Tom Nardini). Clay and Jed appear and are talked into reluctantly helping Catherine. She also sends a letter and $50 to legendary gunfighter Kid Shelleen (Creator/LeeMarvin) to hire him to come and help protect her father from fast-drawing Tim Strawn (also Marvin), alias Silvernose, the hired killer who is threatening Frankie.

* RealityEnsues: Nobody in Wolf City likes Cat for killing the man who built up Wolf City, no matter how despotic he was.

* LogoJoke: The Columbia Pictures Torch Lady becomes animated and wears Cat Ballou's gunslinger clothes, then takes out her guns and fires them, seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qxb5Fw2loQM here]].

* ImprobableAimingSkills: Kid Shelleen literally misses the broad side of the barn.

* EndofanEra: Par for a Western tale, the approach and rise of urban developments puts an end to ranching and homesteading and any danger to the Wild West. Shelleen jokes about an ice skating rink at the OK Corral, in a bittersweet tone.

* LogoJoke: The Columbia Pictures Torch Lady transforms into an animated Cat, who takes out her guns and fires them. This is reused briefly in ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse''.

* EyePatchOfPower: Parodied by Strawn's tin nose. Also used for a "I'd be more afraid of the guy who gave him that scar" ShoutOut to the ''Film/SevenSamurai'' & TheMagnificentSevenSamurai.

* LogoJoke: The Torch Lady from Columbia Pictures transforms into an animated version of Jane Fonda as a cowgirl who is holding two guns and firing them.

* TheOner: The square dance was originally inteneded to be this, and was shot in one take but cuts were added afterwards.

Cat, posing as a SoiledDove, confronts town boss and head of Wolf City Development, Sir Harry Percival (Reginald Denny). A struggle ensues, Sir Harry is killed, and Cat is sentenced to be hanged on the gallows. Shelleen falls off the wagon and as Cat is led up the gallows stairs he sits on his horse (who looks as drunk as his rider!) as both lean against a building.