The Cheyenne Social Club (1970)

Note Générale:

6,7/10   

Réalisateur:

Gene Kelly

Scénariste:

James Lee Barrett (writer)

Date de sortie:

12 juin 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Comedie | Western

Accroche:

Where the West Was Really Made

Intrigue:

An aging cowboy finds to his embarrassment that the successful business he has inherited from his brother is actually a house of prostitution.

Plot Keywords:

Prostitution | Cowboy | Brothel | Inheritance | Barroom Brawl

Récompenses:

1 nomination

Avis des utilisateurs:

A Fun Classic

Ensemble

James Stewart	...	John O'Hanlan
Henry Fonda	...	Harley Sullivan
Shirley Jones	...	Jenny
Sue Ane Langdon	...	Opal Ann
Elaine Devry	...	Pauline
Robert Middleton	...	Barkeep (Great Plains Saloon)
Arch Johnson	...	Marshal J. L. Barrett
Dabbs Greer	...	Jedediah W. Willowby
Jackie Russell	...	Carrie Virginia
Jackie Joseph	...	Annie Jo
Sharon DeBord	...	Sara Jean
Richard Collier	...	Nathan Potter
Charles Tyner	...	Charlie Bannister
Jean Willes	...	Alice
Robert J. Wilke	...	Corey Bannister

Durée:

103 min

Pays:

USA

Langue:

Anglais

Couleur:

Couleur (Technicolor)

Rapport de forme:

2,35 : 1

Son:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Classification:

Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11 | USA:GP (original rating) | USA:PG | West Germany:12

Lieux de tournage:

Bonanza Creek Ranch - 15 Bonanza Creek Lane, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA

Société:

National General Pictures

Anecdotes:

This is the only film Henry Fonda made in which he sings under the main title.

Goofs:

Continuité: In the last scene, when John receives a letter while working a cattle roundup, the letter is sealed when it's handed to him, but when he takes off his work glove to take the letter out of the envelope and read it, the flap is unsealed, as if it never had been sealed at all.

Guillemet:

Harley Sullivan: I remember when I was about twelve years old. My daddy asked me, he says, "What do you want to be when you grow up, Little Harley?" And like a damn fool, I said a cowboy. I've been making wrong moves ever since.

Connexions:

figure dans Fonda on Fonda (1992) (TV)

Bande son:

One Dream

A Fun Classic

Next to "El Dorado", this is my favorite western. It is fun from start to finish. Best friends in real life play best friends on the Texas panhandle. Jimmy Stewart (John) and Henry Ford (Harley) have been "riding together" for 10 years when John receives a letter from a lawyer in Cheyenne.

With John and Harley being drifters, it has taken the letter two years to catch up to them. John is told his older brother DJ has died and left him a thriving business in Wyoming; The Cheyenne Social Club. Always wanting to be a "Man of Property", John packs up and heads to Cheyenne with Harley in tow (even though neither man knows exactly why Harley feels the need to tag along everywhere John goes).

Both John and Harley are salt-of-the-earth people. Harley has a passion for pecans and John cannot wait to claim his inheritance and become a Republican. The wagon wheel comes off when John realizes the Cheyenne Social Club is actually an high end, upscale brothel. The ladies who live in the equisitly furnished house are the cream of the crop, expecting nothing but the best from themselves and their clientelle. When John pops into the picture, the ladies fancy him a hero although John has plans to turn the house into a legitimate business.

The casting and directing of this film is perfectly done. Shirley Jones is the Madam of the house and all the ladies cast give prostitutes a fine name. Gene Kelly (yes that Gene Kelly) directs this enjoyably light fare with a smooth touch.

Why this was not made into a series of movies, I'll never know. There could have been 2 sequels based on the strength of the cast's chemistry alone. If an attempt to remake this wonderful film is ever undertaken, it's success or failure will rely on the casting. Like "Fun with Dick and Jane" and "Bewitched", the wrong combination of actors can kill a great storyline.

This is a 9 out of 10 stars. It must be viewed the first time over a dinner of steak and beer with a room full of friends and the sweet smell of perfume in the air.