DVD Review: Cowboy
Written by: Kage Alan

Film Rating: B+
DVD Special Features: N/A

By the look of the film trailer, it seems that viewers had grown weary of
watching lurid westerns on TV in 1958.  They wanted something more, something with some depth and reality to it.  The studio's answer was "Cowboy", a return to the roots of what being a real life cowboy was supposedly all about.   Not only did they try to recapture a certain amount of real life elements from the West, but they also packed the film with actors who knew how to make every minute of their screen time count.

Poor Frank Harris (Jack Lemmon, "Grumpy Old Men") is a hotel clerk in Chicago with a soft spot for the visiting daughter, Maria (Anna Kashfi, "The
Mountain"), of a Mexican rancher (Donald Randolph, "Gunsmoke").  When daddy discovers some poetry that Harris gave her, he confronts him with it, won't agree to a marriage and takes the family back home.  Nice guy.  And what is Harris supposed to do?  The fates are about to smile down upon him, though.

Enter Tom Reese (Glenn Ford, "Superman-The Movie"), the boss of a group of riders who bring cattle up from Mexico to sell in Chicago.  He's the kind of
man who rides hard, keeps his word, likes to gamble, wants his water hot when he goes into a hotel, knows his business and shoots at cockroaches and
spiders with live ammunition when they're crawling on the wall.  Fortunately,
it's the gambling that forces Reese into an awkward position that works out
to Harris' benefit.  When Reese loses a bit too much money, he borrows from
Harris, only the man doesn't want to be repaid.  Instead, he insists on
becoming partners so he can go down to Mexico and woo his woman.  Where is Judy Tenuta when you need her to explain the workings of the female heart to a man?

Reese doesn't like the idea and attempts to talk Harris out of it as best he
can, but to no avail and it's not long before they're heading on down to
Mexico with the tenderfoot in toe.  For being born and raised on a farm,
Harris is as green as they come.  Not only does he have no idea about how to
break in a horse, but has no idea just how sore on the rear end it is to ride
all day.  Personally, I think he fares better than I would.  Unfortunately,
Reese and Harris have very different philosophies about life and it does
provide for some tension, but they also compliment each other's strengths and
weaknesses.  Reese is all about the business and the herd whereas Harris is
much more people oriented.

And what would a Cowboy film be without some conflict?  Ironically, there is
far less attention paid to stereotypes with Indians than I would have
expected.  While there is one altercation, the majority of the problems that
arise are with unrequited love, living on the trail not being what all the
old cowboy songs would lead you to believe, the dangers of playing with
snakes, saving and transporting cattle, what happens when you try to steal
another man's woman and the harsh reality of life itself.  While the film
starts off on a fairly light note, it does grow serious.  Reese and Harris
must learn to adapt to each other and enhance their inefficiencies while
finding common ground to help them understand each other.

Ford and Lemmon are wonderful in their respective roles and just when you
think one couldn't be any more hardheaded than the other, they change.  This
isn't a typical change either.  Lemmon's character's attitude was starting to
wear a bit thin, but it all worked out in the end.  It also helps that
they're surrounded by an excellent supporting cast like Dick York, Drian
Donlevy and Victor Mendoza who all help make "Cowboy" an excellent watch.

Based on the condition of the trailer included on the disc, it's easy to that
Columbia really did some work on the release of this film.  The full screen
picture doesn't have near the amount of grain or flaws that are common with
older titles.  It's not perfect, but I'm betting it's the best it has ever
looked and I'm fine with that.  The mono audio track isn't too bad either,
especially with the George Duning score playing away.  As for extras, there
are only a couple of trailers and that's it.  Not bad for a film you can get
on sale for $14.99.

I was a bit hesitant about getting this disc only because I was afraid it
would be one of those ridiculous westerns that just grated on the nerves, but
the cast attracted me to it and I really wanted to watch something a little
different than I had been lately.  "Cowboy" is a great deal of fun that
avoids a number of the clichés of its time.  The late Glenn Ford and Jack
Lemmon really made this worthwhile too.  I'll just sit here and glow for a
few more minutes.  You go on out and buy your own copy and quit staring at
me.

Kage holds degrees in Creative Writing, as well as Film & Video. He has been featured in a Life Journey Tele-Course, published poems in several national anthologies, been a contributor to The Third Coast Magazine and written several novels. kage@modamag.com Th