The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Sam Peckinpah

Writers:

John Crawford (writer)
Edmund Penney (writer)

Release Date:

22 May 1970 (Finland)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance | Western

Tagline:

Cable Hogue says..."Do unto others... as you would have others do unto you."

Plot:

A hobo accidentally stumbles onto a water spring, and creates a profitable way station in the middle of the desert.

Plot Keywords:

Desert | Automobile | Prostitute | Revenge | Water Rights

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Jason Robards	...	Cable Hogue
Stella Stevens	...	Hildy
David Warner	...	Joshua
Strother Martin	...	Bowen
Slim Pickens	...	Ben Fairchild
L.Q. Jones	...	Taggart
Peter Whitney	...	Cushing
R.G. Armstrong	...	Quittner
Gene Evans	...	Clete
William Mims	...	Jensen
Kathleen Freeman	...	Mrs. Jensen
Susan O'Connell	...	Claudia
Vaughn Taylor	...	Powell
Max Evans	...	Webb Seely
James Anderson	...	Preacher

Also Known As:

Balladen om Cable Hogue (Finland: Swedish title) (Sweden) [sv]
Çöl seytani (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
A Morte Não Manda Recado (Brazil) [pt]
A pap, a kurtizán és a magányos hõs (Hungary) [hu]
Abgerechnet wird zum Schluß (West Germany) [de]
Ballada o Cable Hogue (Poland) [pl]
Ballade von Cable Hogue (West Germany) [de]
Balladi Cable Hoguesta (Finland) [fi]
Cable Hogue - præriens tørstige mand (Denmark) [da]
Gypes pano apo tin erimo (Greece) [el]
La balada de Cable Hogue (Spain) [es]
La balada del desiertio (Mexico) [es]
La ballata di Cable Hogue (Italy) [it]
Un nommé Cable Hogue (France) [fr]

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:PG | Singapore:NC-16 | West Germany:12 (re-rated) | West Germany:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 (1970) | USA:R | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Apache Junction, Arizona, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

This film fell weeks behind schedule due to bad weather. When they could not film, director Sam Peckinpah and his cast and crew would drink. When the film did wrap production, the bar bill came to over $70,000.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The American flag that Cable uses at Cable Springs has 50 stars on it. The movie takes place in 1908, when the flag had 46 stars.

Quotes:

Hildy: You've been awful nice to me, Hogue. Never bothered you none what I am?
Cable Hogue: Hell no, it never bothered me. I enjoyed it. Now, what the hell are you? Human being. Try the best you can. We all got our own ways of living.
Hildy: And loving?
Cable Hogue: Gets mighty lonesome without it.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Sam Peckinpah's West: Legacy of a Hollywood Renegade (2004) (TV)

Soundtrack:

A death in the family

A movie you will always remember

I saw The Ballad of Cable Hogue while stationed in Virginia. I am not a huge fan of westerns, but this movie is one of the finest movies I have ever seen. The music itself makes the movie endearing and the characters and what they do makes the movie interesting from the start. It's a story of revenge, but there's no shoot 'em up heroics and bloody corpses lying around. Cable bides his time. What happens during this time is hilarious and the preacher is Cable's best friend. The ending is a twist that left me stunned and speechless. I won't say what happened cause there may be someone out there that has not seen the movie yet, but I highly recommend this movie. It is pure enjoyment and I am hoping that it is re-released in DVD with Dolby stereo enhancement, cause the music at the beginning is very moving. You will be humming that tune for the rest of your life. Thank you for reading my input. I would appreciate an email if the movie will be out on DVD someday.