The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw
| The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw | |
|---|---|
 A reprint of the Italian poster |
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| Directed by | Raoul Walsh |
| Produced by | Daniel M. Angel |
| Written by | Howard Dimsdale |
| Starring | Kenneth More Jayne Mansfield Henry Hull Bruce Cabot |
| Music by | Robert Farnon |
| Cinematography | Otto Heller |
| Editing by | John Shirley |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) |  December, 1958 March 14, 1959 (New York City, New York) |
| Running time | 103 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw is a 1958 British western comedy film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Kenneth More and Jayne Mansfield.
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[edit] Synopsis
Jonathon Tibbs, son of a family of English gunsmiths, has no interest in the business and prefers inventing gadgets, in particular a steam-powered horseless carriage. Threatened with disinheritance if he does not report for work, he discovers that the company is not doing very well, and concludes that someone must expand their sales.
He reads in his newspaper about the wide use of guns in the American West of the 1880s, and decides to go there himself to sell firearms to the locals.
He ends up at the small lawless town of Fractured Jaw and inadvertently acquires a reputation for quickness on the draw, due to his wrist-mounted Derringer style weapon. He is innocently drawn into a range war between the "Box T" and "Lazy S" cattle outfits, both of whom claim sole water rights and, when he proves able to stand up to their hired gunmen, is appointed sheriff.
He endeavours to clean up the town using what skills he has, and by multilateral diplomacy. He attracts the support of Miss Kate, a blonde bombshell hotel owner, who helps him to fight off the hired guns of both cattle ranches, who all want him dead.
Earning the respect of the local Indian tribe, he becomes a blood brother of theirs, under the name of 'Fleet Iron Hat'. When he and Kate are besieged by the gunmen of both outfits, they come to his rescue and help to arrest the men. The two ranch owners eventually offer a deal to maintain the peace and share the water rights.
With relative peace restored, Jonathon decides to remain in Fractured Jaw, becomes an American citizen and marries Kate.
[edit] Cast
- Kenneth More as Jonathan Tibbs
- Jayne Mansfield as Kate
- Henry Hull as Major Masters
- Bruce Cabot as Jack
- Ronald Squire as Toynbee, Uncle Lucius' Solicitor
- William Campbell as Keeno
- Sid James as The Drunk
- Reed De Rouen as Clayborne
- Charles Irwin as Luke
- Donald Stewart as The Drummer
- Clancy Cooper as The Barber
- Gordon Tanner as Bud Wilkins
- Robert Morley as Uncle Lucius
- David Horne as James, Uncle Lucius' Butler
- Eynon Evans as Manager of Tibbs & Co.
- Jonas Applegarth as Running Deer (as Chief Jonas Applegarth)
- Joe Buffalo as Red Wolf (as Deputy Chief Joe Buffalo)
- Larry Taylor as Gun Guard
[edit] Production
The film was directed by Raoul Walsh and produced by Daniel M. Angel. It features an eclectic cast of British and American character actors, including Henry Hull, Bruce Cabot, Sid James and Robert Morley. Because of Jayne Mansfield's top billing with More, the title for the Italian release was "La Bionda e Lo Sceriffo"; literally, "The Blonde and The Sheriff".
It is notable as a rare example of a British western (albeit a comedy). It was also the first western to be filmed in Spain – the standing set was later used for A Fistful of Dollars.
