Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Support Your Local Sheriff Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman March 2, 2016

Note: This film is available as part of the double feature Support Your Local Sheriff / Support Your Local Gunfighter.

Mention the name Rango to most folks, and they will of course immediately think of the wacky animated tale that link leads to, a film which featured the voice of Johnny Depp as an ambitious little chameleon who ends up as a sheriff in a decidedly whimsical version of the Wild West. It’s probably not mere coincidence that there was “another” Rango featuring an unprepared soul becoming a fairly inept law keeper, in this case a newish Texas Ranger portrayed by typically hilariously fumbling Tim Conway, in a short-lived sitcom series that aired as a midseason replacement for a few months in 1967 after Conway’s long running stint on McHale’s Navy had come to a close. Though Conway’s Rango evidently ultimately made TV Guide’s list of the worst ever sitcoms, it was actually relatively popular during its short run and there was some surprise when the show wasn’t picked up for full second season. Two years after Conway’s Rango had its brief traipse across the broadcast television landscape, Support Your Local Sheriff! appeared, offering a more competent interloper taking over the reins of local law enforcement (not that being more competent than Rango would offer much of a challenge) in a rather whimsical formulation of the Wild West that was both reminiscent of the Conway Rango and prescient about the then far in the future Depp Rango. Support Your Local Sheriff! was such a hit that two years after it was released, director Burt Kennedy reassembled several actors from the first film and delivered Support Your Local Gunfighter, a film which once again posited an unlikely interloper to an old west backwater who in this instance attempts to play a massive con on the local populace which in some ways harkens back to star James Garner’s iconic television series Maverick. Gunfighter also tips its Stetson to the then sensational “Spaghetti Western” genre, though the results are probably not as consistently humorous as the first film. Twilight Time has now brought both of these films together in a generally highly enjoyable double feature.

The commentary included on Support Your Local Sheriff! references not Rango but instead another 1969 film featuring an Old West suddenly overrun with those hungry for gold, the rambunctious musical Paint Your Wagon. In the case of this particular film, it’s not the relatively sylvan environs of No Name City, but the decidedly more barren and destitute locale of Calendar, Colorado. A grieving widow named Prudy Perkins (the lovely and depressingly short lived Joan Hackett) spies some gold in the freshly dug grave of her recently deceased husband, at which point her grieving ends rather suddenly. Prudy’s joy in the discovery is matched by that of her father, Olly (Harry Morgan), who becomes Calendar’s mayor.

The sudden influx of residents coupled with shenanigans by the film’s villainous family, the Danbys, has left Calendar in a state of near ruin. When a calm and collected dude named Jason McCullough (James Garner) wanders into town supposedly on his way to Australia, his commanding demeanor and way with a gun makes him an easy choice to be sheriff, a job no one else wants since they’re all so busy prospecting. That sets up some fairly traditional but still often very funny plot mechanics, as McCullough has to deal with the scheming but none too bright Danbys (played by Walter Brennan as the father and a great Bruce Dern as the son), while expectedly romancing a reluctant and spunky Prudy.

While the commentary on this Blu-ray draws a direct line from Support Your Local Sheriff! to Mel Brooks’ classic 1974 send up of westerns, Blazing Saddles, I personally don’t think Support Your Local Sheriff! really exploits the take no prisoners attitude that typifies a lot of Brooks’ oeuvre and perhaps Blazing Saddles in particular. In that regard, Support Your Local Sheriff! is probably relatively more “realistic” (with an emphasis on relatively), building much of its humor out of character rather than sight gags (though there are plenty of those) or non sequiturs like someone punching a horse (to cite just one famous example). What’s so enjoyable about this film is the extremely colorful cast, which in addition to Garner, Hackett, Brennan and Dern, features a host of other reliables, including Jack Elam (as a hapless deputy— kind of the “Tim Conway” role in the film) and Henry Jones and Kathleen Freeman as various townsfolk.

Support Your Local Sheriff Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Support Your Local Sheriff is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. We've seen some relatively impressive transfers coming out of the MGM-UA library recently, but this film along with its sibling tends to be a step backward into the kind of middling but acceptable quality that is often associated with the former Tiffany of studios. Sheriff comes out at least slightly more consistent looking than Gunfighter does, hence its higher score, though the differences are perhaps incremental. While elements are in rather good condition from a damage standpoint, things look faded, with flesh tones skewed to the brown side of things. While the palette is perhaps just a trifle dowdy looking as a result, reds still pop quite nicely as can be seen in several screenshots, and outdoor scenes offer decent blues in the clear skies. The grain is natural looking if slightly unkempt at times (a tendency which is more pronounced in Gunfighter). Clarity and sharpness are at reasonable if underwhelming levels. The bottom line is there's nothing here that's going to set anyone's heart on fire, but similarly nothing that's going to be a major deal killer.

Support Your Local Sheriff Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Support Your Local Sheriff features a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio Mono track that capably renders the film's dialogue and effects, as well as the ebullient score by Jeff Alexander. This film perhaps doesn't exploit the low end to the extent that its follow-up Gunfighter does, but fidelity here is fine, with decent dynamic range and excellent prioritization. There are no issues with damage of any kind to warrant concern.

Support Your Local Sheriff Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Original Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 3:03)


• MGM 90th Anniversary Trailer (1080p; 2:06)


• Isolated Score is presented in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0.


• Audio Commentary features Lee Pfeiffer and Paul Scrabo.

Support Your Local Sheriff Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Support Your Local Sheriff may not in fact have the gag a second approach of Brooks' Blazing Saddles, but it's consistently funny and offers great turns by a large and wonderfully colorful supporting cast. The luminous Joan Hackett is superb as well. Video is decent if a bit lackluster, and audio is fine. The commentary should be very enjoyable for fans of the film. Recommended.