The wild west just got wilder and a whole lot wackier! James Garner is back in the saddle again in Support Your Local Gunfighter, a powder keg of laughs in which the most dangerous gunslinger in the west isn't the fastest ... more »but the funniest! Gigolo con man Latigo Smith (Garner) needs to get something off his chestthe tattooed name of his most recent ex-fiancÃ(c)e. But while he's waiting for the local doctor to sober up and perform the operation, Smith overhears that local mining baron Taylor Barton (Harry Morgan) is looking to shut down his mining competition by hiring the notorious gunman, Swifty Morgan. Seizing the opportunity for an easy con, Smith passes off a reprobate cowhand (Jack Elam) as the dreaded Swifty and pockets the cash. Bankroll in hand, he plans to head for the hills until he falls for Barton's pistol-packin' daughter, Patience (Suzanne Pleshette). But when the real Swifty shows up looking for blood, Smith comes up with an outrageous scheme to save his hide, stop the mining feud and win over Patience and it might just work if it doesn't blow up the entire town!« less
Great Western comedy and Garner is still playing 'Maverick'. Nedd more of that in today's world.
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Movie Reviews
Not quite as good as "Support your local sheriff"
Alan R. Holyoak | 06/20/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL GUNFIGHTER is a fun romp through the old west, well, sort of (the old west was probably never really like it's prortayed in the movies). Anyway, James Garner is the main attraction in this show, pulling on audience appeal developed in the movie SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHERIFF (which is definitely a 5-star show).The reason that I awarded "Gunfighter" only 4 stars is that as a sort of a sequel to "Sheriff," "Gunfighter's" story line is not as crisp, not as well developed...it's as if most of the best ideas were used up during the writing and filming of "Sheriff." "Gunfighter" still has a good dose of humor, and all the melodramatic elements of "Sheriff": a good guy (Garner), some bad guys to help make Garner's character look good, a beautiful lady in distress, and lots of bystanders who provide character and body to the film. Garner does not, however, come across as being as clever or as likeable as he did in "Sheriff." This movie, while definitely worth a look, is not, in my opinion, on par with "Support Your Local Gunfighter."A good show, definitely 4 or 4.5 stars, but not a 5 star option.If you like western comedies you will enjoy this show! Alan Holyoak"
Support Your Local Gunfighter
Steven Hellerstedt | 09/12/2004
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Amusing fluff from the makers of SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHERIFF, SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL GUNFIGHTER isn't quite as amusing or easy to warm up to.
Jack Elam steals the show as a roustabout drifter who con man James Garner convinces to impersonate legendary gunman Swifty Morgan. Veteran actors Henry Morgan and Dub Taylor seem to shout every line of dialogue, which doesn't help things much. The uncredited Chuck Connors, another scene stealer playing the real Swifty, shows up in the last ten minutes to bring things to a calamitous conclusion.
I think introducing the Connors' character a half-dozen scenes or so earlier would have helped things immensely. SHERIFF worked so well because there were easily identifiable Good and Bad Guys, and a lot of the laughs came from lampooning Walter Brennan and his brood.
Even so, GUNFIGHTER made me laugh, which is what I got it for. A good movie, if not quite as good as its predecessor.
"
Not Quite a Sequel
John A Lee III | San Antonio, TX | 11/18/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHERIFF was a comic masterpiece and cried out, at least in terms on dollars and cents, for a sequel. So they made one, only it wasn't
Almost all of the cast from the SHERIFF appear in GUNFIGHTER but they all play completely different characters. Nothing is the same except that it takes place in the west and is funny, but not as funny as the original.
James Garner plays the role of Latigo Smith. He is a man on the run, not from the law but from a woman who expects to marry him. He goes to ground in Purgatory, a mining town. His arrival is noted by the owner of one of the town's two competing mining companies. They think he is a gunfighter hired by the other company. He's not but sees financial opportunity in the confusion. He passes himself off as the agent for the gunfighter (less danger and stress) and cons a down on his luck cowboy into playing the part of the gunfighter.
This is not a movie filled with excitement or drama. It is a comedy. It is not as funny as SHERIFF but it is funny in its own right.
"
A classic Western spoof
bixodoido | Utah, USA | 09/29/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This is the sequel to the outrageously funny Support Your Local Sheriff. In this film, James Garner plays the con-man Latigo Smith, a man with a passion for foolish bets at the Roulette table and who has just ditched his boisterous fiancee. As far as Smith knows, his biggest problem is getting the tattoo of her name off his chest, but things quickly become more complicated for him when he loses all his money and decides to help a local cowhand (Jack Elam) impersonate a famous gunfighter. Hilarity ensues as the scheme is found out and Smith has to concoct plan after plan to cover himself.
Many members of the comedy troupe from Support Your Local Sheriff are in this movie. Besides Garner and Elam, the very funny Harry Morgan stars, again, as a mining tycoon. Suzanne Pleshette is the love interest this time, and stars as Patience, a half-crazy tomboy whose name is ill-deserved and who is a lousy aim with a gun (fortunately for Smith). This movie never quite reaches the comic peak of the prequel, mostly because the former movie touched on so many of the contemporary Hollywood cliches and seemed a fitting parody of the sheriff common in most of those films. Still, this is a funny movie, a fitting sequel. Watch them both--you won't be disappointed."
My Favorite Garner movie of all time
JediMack | VALRICO, FL USA | 07/27/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"For a fun, family friendly movie, that you'll want to bring on a trip in your motor home this is one of them. Ranking my Favorite James Garner movies came down to the two Support your... movies for number 1 and 2. I had to good with the one that had the sidewinder, Susan Plesette and the X-Rifleman and Cub second baseman Swifty Morgan.SYLSheriff came in second because he was just passin thru on his way to australia anyway."