(1965)
4
Michael Betzold
Cat Ballou is a marvelous spoof of Westerns, a precursor to the likes of Blazing Saddles, Wild Wild West and other send-ups of the genre. Lee Marvin won an Academy Award -- a rare nod for a comedy performance -- for his roles as a drunken gunman and his evil twin. Jane Fonda plays the 1900s-era schoolmarm Catherine Ballou with sass and vinegar; it's among her best work. What really sets the film apart is the hilarious running ballad which ties together the narrative, using Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye as a cowpoke Greek chorus. The film's score and the song "The Ballad of Cat Ballou" were both Oscar-nominated, as was the screenplay adaptation by Walter Newman and Frank R. Pierson. Though there are dull stretches, this is a one-of-a-kind comic classic, thanks to the sure hand of director Eliot Silverstein.
awards for Cat Ballou on AllMovie
Cat Ballou (1965)
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
|
Won |
Best Actor
|
1965 |
|
Nominated |
Best Adapted Score
|
1965 |
|
Nominated |
Best Adapted Screenplay
|
1965 |
|
Nominated |
Best Editing
|
1965 |
|
Nominated |
Best Song
|
1965 |
Berlin International Film Festival
|
Won |
Silver Bear for Best Actor
|
1965 |
|
Won |
Special Mention
|
1965 |
British Academy of Film and Television Arts
|
Won |
Best Foreign Actor
|
1965 |
Directors Guild of America
|
Nominated |
Best Director
|
1965 |
Hollywood Foreign Press Association
|
Nominated |
Best Original Song
|
1965 |
|
Won |
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
|
1965 |
|
Nominated |
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
|
1965 |
|
Nominated |
Best Picture - Musical or Comedy
|
1965 |
|
Nominated |
New Star of the Year - Male
|
1965 |
National Board of Review
