Support Your Local Sheriff! (1969)

Director: Burt Kennedy
Starring: James Garner, Joan Hackett, Walter Brennan

Synopsis:
A transient on his way to Australia becomes the sheriff of a chaotic boomtown and clashes with a family of outlaws.

Impressions:
This happens to be one of the entries in my family's film cannon, so there's a lot of sentimental value for both this movie and its spiritual successor Support Your Local Gunfighter. Even if I pull away the nostalgia filter, this is an easily watchable and rewatchable comedy Western. Fans of Garner's work on Maverick have some idea of the kinda character he plays here, handy enough with a gun but more apt to use his brains to get out of jams. He's entertaining enough by himself, but he's got a good supporting cast to back him up: Joan Hackett as the tsundere love interest, Jack Elam as his unwilling ally, Harry Morgan as the crooked mayor, Bruce Dern as a rather thick murderer, and Walter Brennan as the cantankerous patriarch of the criminal Danby clan. There are plenty of chuckles to be had and if you have a soft spot for Westerns, you don't need to look any further for some good light entertainment. Give it a watch.

Rating:
Watch It