The Rounders (1965 film)

The Rounders
The Rounders
	Promotional movie poster for the film
Directed by	Burt Kennedy
Screenplay by	Burt Kennedy
Based on	The Rounders (novel); by Max Evans
Produced by	Richard E. Lyons
Starring	Glenn Ford; Henry Fonda; Sue Ane Langdon; Chill Wills; Edgar Buchanan; Hope Holiday
Cinematography	Paul C. Vogel
Edited by	John McSweeney Jr.
Music by	Jeff Alexander
Distributed by	Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Release date	March 5, 1965;
Running time	85 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$1,500,000

The Rounders is a 1965 American Western comedy film directed by Burt Kennedy and starring Glenn Ford and Henry Fonda. It is based on the 1960 novel of the same name by Max Evans.

Plot

Ben Jones and Marion "Howdy" Lewis are two easygoing, modern-day cowboys who make a meager living breaking wild horses. Their frequent employer is Jim Ed Love, a shrewd businessman who always gets the better of them. After they bring him a string of tamed horses and spend the winter rounding up stray cows, he talks them into taking a nondescript roan horse in lieu of some of their wages.

To his great and frequent discomfort, Ben finds that the horse is unrideable. Rather than turning the horse into soap or dog food, he decides to take it to a rodeo and bet other cowhands that they cannot ride it, thereby doubling his and Howdy's earnings. Along the way, the duo stop to help two dimwitted strippers, Mary and Sister, with their car, which has broken down. Not knowing much about cars, they give them a ride to the nearest garage, but end up getting to know them better (going skinny dipping with them) and taking them along to the rodeo. Unfortunately the girls lose their clothes and have to dress in waitress aprons, leaving them exposed in the rear. The guys use their hats to cover them up.

Everything goes as planned; nobody is able to stay on the horse. However, the horse suddenly collapses and although Ben and Howdy are willing to spend all the money that they have won on veterinary help, the vet tells them it is hopeless: the horse should be destroyed. Ben walks into the stable, cocks the pistol and closes his eyes. A shot is heard. Ben comes flying out, and the roan kicks the stable to pieces, They give Tanner $475, all they have (the vet charged them more than $100). Tanner demands $200 more. Love steps in with the rest of the money, tells the boys they can work it out at his ranch and drives. They consider the benefits of life on Love's ranch. Ben muses that the definition of a bronc rider is “a cowboy with his brains kicked out.” They drive away, and a police car makes a U-turn to follow them.

Cast

Glenn Ford as Ben Jones
Henry Fonda as Howdy Lewis
Sue Ane Langdon as Mary
Hope Holiday as Sister
Chill Wills as Jim Ed Love
Edgar Buchanan as Vince Moore
Kathleen Freeman as Agatha Moore
Joan Freeman as Meg Moore
Denver Pyle as Bull
Barton MacLane as Tanner
Warren Oates as Harley Williams
Doodles Weaver as Arlee
Allegra Varron as Mrs. Norson
Casey Tibbs as Rafe

Production

The highly scenic filming locations were in and around Sedona, Arizona, including the Village of Oak Creek.

Reception

The film was a sleeper hit.^[2]

In a contemporary review, The New York Times found the film to be a "...good, small Western—far from perfect but beautifully personified by two wise, winning veterans".^[3] Reviewing The Rounders for the Los Angeles Times, Margaret Harford wrote: "The plot is thin, the comedy rather forced and the casting is unbelievable but at least it's a pleasant change from all those psychological westerns and attempted satires on same."^[4]

References

^ Anticipated rentals accruing distributors in North America. See "Top Grossers of 1965", Variety, 5 January 1966 p 36
^ Galloway, Doug (February 20, 2001). "Writer-helmer Burt Kennedy dies". Variety. Retrieved June 7, 2020.
^ Thompson, Howard (April 29, 1965). "'Rounders,' a Western, and 'Get Yourself a College Girl' Bow". The New York Times. p. 40.
^ Harford, Margaret (March 13, 1965). "'Rounders' Stars Fonda, Ford as Bronc Busters". The Los Angeles Times. p. 16.

External links

The Rounders at IMDb
The Rounders at AllMovie
The Rounders at the TCM Movie Database
The Rounders at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films

[1] Anticipated rentals accruing distributors in North America. See "Top Grossers of 1965", Variety, 5 January 1966 p 36

[2] Galloway, Doug (February 20, 2001). "Writer-helmer Burt Kennedy dies". Variety. Retrieved June 7, 2020.

[3] Thompson, Howard (April 29, 1965). "'Rounders,' a Western, and 'Get Yourself a College Girl' Bow". The New York Times. p. 40.

[4] Harford, Margaret (March 13, 1965). "'Rounders' Stars Fonda, Ford as Bronc Busters". The Los Angeles Times. p. 16.

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