The Cheyenne Social Club
| The Cheyenne Social Club | |
|---|---|
Original cinema poster
|
|
| Directed by | Gene Kelly |
| Produced by |
James Lee Barrett Gene Kelly |
| Written by | James Lee Barrett |
| Starring |
James Stewart Henry Fonda Shirley Jones Sue Ane Langdon |
| Music by | Walter Scharf |
|
Production
company |
|
| Distributed by |
National General Pictures (US) Cinerama Releasing (UK) |
|
Release date
|
|
|
Running time
|
103 minutes |
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $5,250,000 (US/Canada) (rentals) |
The Cheyenne Social Club is a 1970 Western comedy, written by James Lee Barrett, directed and produced by Gene Kelly, and starring James Stewart, Henry Fonda and Shirley Jones. It's the story about an aging cowboy who inherits a brothel and decides to turn it into a respectable boarding house, against the wishes of both the townspeople and the ladies working there.
In 1867, John O'Hanlan (Stewart) and Harley Sullivan (Fonda) are aging cowboys working on open cattle ranges in Texas. O'Hanlan gets a letter from an attorney in Cheyenne, Wyoming, that his disreputable and now deceased brother, DJ, left him something called The Cheyenne Social Club in his will.
After they make the 1,000 mile (1,600 km) trek to Cheyenne, O'Hanlan and Sullivan learn that The Cheyenne Social Club is a high-class brothel next to the railroad. O'Hanlan's new-found status as a man of property makes him the most popular man in town, until he decides to turn the Club into a respectable boarding house.
The ladies of the Club show no sign of leaving. John gets into a bar-room brawl with several men who are equally angry at the prospect of the Club closing. John then learns from DJ's lawyer that DJ had made a deal with the railroad: if the ladies leave the Club, the land the Club is on will revert to the railroad.
John returns to the Club to discover that Jenny, the head girl (Jones), has been assaulted by a man named Corey Bannister. John, with Harley following along, arms himself and goes to the bar where Bannister is. John kills Bannister when Bannister mistakes Harley's cracking pecans for a second gun. "Just like DJ would have done" the barkeeper intones of John's heroics.
The Sheriff advises John and Harley that Bannister's relatives are sure to head for Cheyenne once they learn of Bannister's death. He says he would like to stay and help John and Harley face down the Bannisters, but has to leave town on business.
Harley heeds the Sheriff's warning and leaves for Texas in spite of John's pleads to stay. En route, Harley meets several men at a campfire. While engaging in conversation with the men, Harley discovers they are the Bannisters. He gets on his horse and rides on.
...
Wikipedia