The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw

1959 "A gunsmith, a gal, and a whole lot of trouble."
6| 1h43m| NR| en| More Info
Released: 14 March 1959 Released
Producted By: 20th Century Fox
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

English gunsmith Jonathon Tibbs travels to the American West in the 1880s to sell firearms to the locals. He inadvertently acquires a reputation of quickness on the draw due to his wrist mounted Derringer style weapon. Soon gaining the post of sheriff, he endeavours to clean up the town using what skills he has—and by multilateral diplomacy.

Genre

Comedy, Western

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Director

Raoul Walsh

Production Companies

20th Century Fox

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The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw Audience Reviews

Cubussoli Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!
Janae Milner Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.
Allison Davies The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.
Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.
weezeralfalfa A pleasant western farce, with Brit Kenneth More as Johnathan Tibbs, who shakes up the little Wild West town of Fractured Jaw. He just wanted to sell some British-made guns to the locals, but ends up shanghaied into becoming the latest in a series of recent sheriffs, the others having died by violent means....... Is Tibbs likely to fare any better? Well, many of the locals initially have a strong prejudice against him because he's obviously a Brit of good breeding, talking and acting: very different from the other men of this town, and probably a tinhorn when it comes to sheriffing. As Jane Mansfield(Kate), as the proprietor and singer of a saloon and boarding house discovers, he's less than handy at shooting firearms. And as the local Indians discover, he's never ridden a horse and, again, shows little aptitude in mounting or staying on a horse. But he has 2 assets that help him: He's not afraid to approach armed men, Including Indians) and talk to them. Also, he has a derringer up his sleeve, attached to his arm, that impresses everyone, who often submit to him after seeing it. Seeing this makes Kate change from acting surly toward him to deciding that maybe he is her ticket out of this forgotten town into the wide world of sophistication and urbanites......Kate lip-syncs to 3 songs sung by Connie Francis, and composed by Harry Harris. Two("Strolling Down the Lane with Bill", and "If the San Francisco Hills Could Only Talk") were sung as part of stage shows, with dancers in the background. The third: "In the Valley of Love", probably the best, was sung while accompanying Tibbs on a buckboard ride through a canyon, where the walls supposedly echoed her singing, enhancing it. Connie also sang this during the opening credits. Kate lost her strong Southern lingo, when singing......Although first billed, Robert Morley, as well as Robert Squire and David Horne, were only present in the rather brief beginning, when we supposedly are in the UK....William Campbell serves as Keeno, who has some hostile encounters with Tibbs....Henry Hull, as Mayor Masters, exhibits his signature bombastic personality, similarly seen in "Jesse James" 1939, for example.... Sidney James is the drunk in the initial stagecoach ride. .....Jonas Applegarth serves as the Indian Chief(Running Deer), who has a number of interactions with Tibbs, and serves as Kate's substitute father in her wedding to Tibbs....Charles Irwin serves as the undertaker, who is waiting for Tibbs to be shot dead......The climax involves a 4 -way battle in the boondocks, between the cowboys of the Lazy S and the Box T, who are gunning for each other, as well as for Tibbs, who is defended by Kate and her rifle. Eventually Tibbs' blood-brother Indians show up to tip the battle in Tibbs' favor. The two groups of cowboys agree to forget their differences, and behave in town....I enjoyed the film, for the most part. More and Hull, especially, are appropriately amusing, and Jane provides some serious eye candy, endearing sassiness and charm, whatever her deficiencies in acting might be. See it at YouTube.
JohnHowardReid Copyright 1958 by Daniel M. Angel Productions. Released through 20th Century-Fox. New York opening at the Paramount: 13 March 1959. U.S. release: January 1959. U.K. release: 21 December 1958. Australian release: 30 April 1959. Sydney opening at the Embassy. 9,900 feet. 110 minutes. (Cut to 102 minutes in Australia and the USA).SYNOPSIS: In the mid-19th century, the English gunsmith house of Tibbs is in a state of near-bankruptcy. Consequently, Jonathan Tibbs decides to save the family business by journeying to that part of the world where guns are most popular — the American West. Armed with samples and confidence, he arrives in the lawless town of Fractured Jaw, checks in at Kate's Hotel and Saloon, and confounds one and all with his impeccable attire and speech, his tea-drinking habit, and his incredibly fast draw.NOTES: Number 7 of the ten top attractions at the U.K. box-office for 1959.Although credited only for her rendition of the title tune, Connie Francis looped Miss Mansfield's songs as well.COMMENT: Heavy-handed but mildly funny western spoof, this variant of "Ruggles of Red Gap" and/or "Fancy Pants" received mixed reviews from the line-up of professional critics. I felt the movie offers little that's fresh or new, but (at least in its American version) it moves at a reasonable clip and is nothing if not enthusiastically enacted — especially by the colorfully costumed Jayne Mansfield.OTHER VIEWS: Scarcely anything has been added to the old, old tune, and the few variations attempted show little inventiveness and quite a lot of dawdling. The result is that most of the humor is forced and the effect is pretty much that of a man laughing at his own joke. — Paul V. Beckley in the New York Herald Tribune.Not to be missed... Who ever greenlighted the starring combo of Jayne Mansfield and Kenneth More has done themselves and filmgoers a good turn. These two effervescent personalities merge like bacon and eggs, and the result is a wave of yocks... Walsh has directed this cheerful skit about the wild, woolly west with vigor and pace... Miss Mansfield gives More hearty support, looks attractive in a big, bosomy way and sings two or three numbers very well. — Variety.
steve-3628 Good family film - something particularly wholesome about Kenneth More - and I don't want to 'rain on the parade' (More is one of my favourite actors and 1958 one of my favourite years - see also: A Night to Remember', More et al 1958). But there does seem to be a lack of chemistry between More (Jonathan Tibbs) and Jayne Mansfield (Kate) - notwithstanding that this is primarily a spoof-western comedy rather than a RomCom. Did they actually get on? Some of the scenes with just the two of them are painfully laboured. But, yes, the film (due in no small part to the laconic ease of More) is entirely watchable, and the production values - even for this lightweight film - are as high as you would expect from any mainstream Hollywood film of the day.
gnb This little-known Western will probably be most attractive to contemporary audiences for one reason only...Jayne Mansfield. And Jayne Mansfield fans will indeed not be disappointed with this charming little movie which pairs sassy Miss M with the straight-laced British actor Kenneth More. More is incredibly charming in this movie (as he tends to be in most of his screen appearances) and plays well of fast-talking saloon owner Mansfield. This is probably Mansfield's best on-screen partnership since her Rock Hunter appearance with Tony Randall. Gorgeously photographed in sumptuous Deluxe colour and with some nifty saloon songs from Mansfield (dubbed by Conny Francis), this is a sweet, amusing little movie with solid performances from two highly likable actors. Hopefully, its release in the JM box set will introduce this film to a new generation of viewers. While scarcely a cinema classic, it's a very pleasant way to spend an afternoon. Enjoy!