‘I tried to make peace with the Sioux once – couldn’t trust ‘em. One minute, it was peace on, the next, peace off.’
Writer Talbot Rothwell took aim at a much-loved Hollywood Western, creating an uproarious spoof of the classic High Noon(1952). Way out west, the peace of Stodge City is shattered when the dreaded Rumpo Kid (Sid James) rides into town and guns down the sheriff (Jon Pertwee).
Judge Burke (Kenneth Williams) wires Washington DC for help, but they send a travelling British sanitary engineer called Marshal P Knutt (Jim Dale) – “Marshal” is his name, so you can see where the confusion is heading – to make the town safe.
Rumpo tries to forestall his arrival in Stodge by having his coach attacked by an Indian tribe led by Chief Big Heap (Charles Hawtrey). Annie Oakley (Angela Douglas) intervenes to repulse the attack.
From here, it’s a series of mad manoeuvres as Annie and the sanitary engineer wage war with the Rumpo Kid to restore peace to Stodge.
Sid James is a convincing, blood-chilling bandit who fully deserves his baddie black hat, and Joan Sims relished the chance to turn on seductive Mae West-like charms. She works brilliantly off Sid – oozing glamour in her tight, black, low-cut gown.
Amongst the supporting actors, there are two fine minor turns from a couple of valued newcomers: Bernard Bresslaw, booming and yelling his Red Indian anger at every opportunity as brave Little Heap (son of Chief Big Heap), and Peter Butterworth, fidgeting in the background and stealing every scene he appears in as the town’s doctor.
Jim Dale finally gains a major romantic lead role and, playing it perfectly, brilliantly brings the character of a regular foreigner abroad to life.
The entire film establishes the idea of the Carry On team as Americans and director Gerald Thomas cunningly builds up the tension for the first appearance of a fearsome Indian. The fact that we get the slight cough, twinkling grin and sparkling eyes of Charlie Hawtrey is a peak of contrasting comic effect.
Celebrated as one of the most professionally produced and effective films in the series, Cowboy is a western field of dreams where Sid’s dark villain literally gets away with murder, Jim Dale gets the gal of his fantasies, Charles Hawtrey happily drinks away the Indian blues and Bresslaw and Butterworth get a memorable baptism of fire.
Gerald Thomas stated that this – the 11th in the series – was the most enjoyable to make of all the Carry On films.
Rumpo Kid Sidney James
Judge Burke
Kenneth Williams
Belle
Joan Sims
Marshal P Knutt
Jim Dale
Charlie
Percy Herbert
Annie Oakley
Angela Douglas
Josh
Davy Kaye
Little Heap
Bernard Bresslaw
Big Heap
Charles Hawtrey Doc
Peter Butterworth
Sam
Sydney Bromley
Kitikata
Sally Douglas
Sheriff Earp
Jon Pertwee
Dolores
Edina Rowney
Director Gerald Thomas
Video
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Rumpo tries to forestall his arrival in Stodge by having his coach attacked by an Indian tribe led by Chief Big Heap (Charles Hawtrey). Annie Oakley (Angela Douglas) intervenes to repulse the attack.
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