A Bygone Era

Yesterday I watched "Support Your Local Sheriff" on Tubi. It had been years since I saw it and, as a 1962 baby, it reminded me of my childhood. Filmed in 1969, it starred James Garner, Jack Elam, Joan Hackett, Bruce Dern and Harry Morgan. It is tame, whimsical and irreverent; a comedy Western which perhaps even inspired Mel Brooks to later make the more biting "Blazing Saddles". The comic talent and the timing of the actors was all there as these seasoned performers by now knew their craft.

Garner in particular had a flair for playing the unflappable straight man who was constantly bewildered by the incompetence around him. No better example of this than his later work on "The Rockford Files" which I used to watch religiously. Jack Elam as his deputy is a perfect match for him here; his plastic and expressive face was perfectly suited to Garner's talent for double takes and impatient eye rolls.

Not a bad way to spend 90 minutes.