The Ballad of Cable Hogue

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

1970 2h 1m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

🔥

94%

CERTIFIED FRESH

⭐

7.2

IMDB

★7.0TMDB · 233🍅94%Rotten Tomatoes★7.2IMDB · 10,782

ComedyWesternAction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Double-crossed and left without water in the desert, Cable Hogue is saved when he finds a spring. It is in just the right spot for a much needed rest stop on the local stagecoach line, and Hogue uses this to his advantage. He builds a house and makes money off the stagecoach passengers. Hildy, a prostitute from the nearest town, moves in with him. Hogue has everything going his way until the advent of the automobile ends the era of the stagecoach.

“Cable Hogue says … “Do unto others … as you would have others do unto you.””

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Cast

Jason Robards
Cable Hogue
Stella Stevens
Hildy
Slim Pickens
Ben Fairchild
David Warner
Joshua
L.Q. Jones
Taggart
Strother Martin
Bowen
R.G. Armstrong
Quittner
Peter Whitney
Cushing

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Sam Peckinpah
Writers: Gordon T. Dawson, Edmund Penney, John Crawford
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $3.7M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

56 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Sam Peckinpah, shot by Lucien Ballard. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Original score by Jerry Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Lou Lombardo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jason Robards and Stella Stevens and Slim Pickens carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Cable Hogue says … “Do unto others … as you would have others do unto you.”".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0065446 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Sam Peckinpah directs. Lucien Ballard behind the camera. Jerry Goldsmith scores. Lou Lombardo cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $3.7M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
256 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Sam Peckinpah, shot by Lucien Ballard. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Jerry Goldsmith. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Lou Lombardo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Jason Robards and Stella Stevens and Slim Pickens carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Cable Hogue says … “Do unto others … as you would have others do unto you.”".
8IMDB entry: tt0065446 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 8 themes, including "prostitute", "homeless person", "desert", "stagecoach".

The technical file

Cinematography: Lucien Ballard
Original score: Jerry Goldsmith
Editing: Lou Lombardo
Makeup / hair: Al Fleming
Sound: Tex Rudloff
Runtime: 121 min · 2h 1m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $3,716,946
Box office: $5,000,000
Return: 135% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970)
Rotten Tomatoes: 94% 🍅 Fresh
IMDB rating: 7.2/10 · 10,782 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

1 win & 2 nominations total

Also by

Sam Peckinpah

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2017-05-17
★ 10/10
Peckinpah's lyrical vision of the West provides humour and comfort to director and viewer alike. The Ballad Of Cable Hogue sees Sam Peckinpah in jolly form. There is nothing here to trouble the censors, a bit of violence here and there - and some nasty human traits seam through the story, but this is purely a funny and touching movie that again deals with a Peckinpah fave theme of the Old West passing. Only difference is here he has his tongue firmly in cheek as he observes the thirst for finance sweeping across the country. Cable Hogue is a prospector left for dead in the desert by his two double-crossing partners Bowen & Taggart. Wandering across the desert talking to god, Hogue collapses during a sandstorm and finds mud on his boot, after digging down for a while he finds the miracle of water (though Hogue badly misspells this on his advertisement). An encounter with preacher Joshua convinces Hogue to go patent his spring and make a killing selling water to the passing stagecoach trail that runs by his newly found oasis. After striking a deal in the town of Dead Dog, Hogue is set up nicely while into the bargain he falls for gorgeous prostitute Hildy. The film cheekily (just like Hogue) has established itself as a fine piece by the time it takes it's dark turn. It seems that revenge is the new found recipe on the Cable Springs Menu. This was Sam Peckinpah's favourite film from his own CV, it's his most personal, he apparently saw a lot of himself in Cable Hogue, and with that in mind the film does gain a bit more emotional heart. But strikingly, it's the humour in there that shouldn't be understated, this was the director at one with himself, and the result is lyrical deftness. The cast are great, Jason Robards is wonderful in the title role, Stella Stevens as Hildy shows a fine actress at work. So much so it only makes me lament that she didn't have a great and industrious career post Cable Hogue. Peckinpah faves Strother Martin, L.Q. Jones & Slim Pickens reward their loyal director with impacting shows, while David Warner as the confused sexual predator preacher Joshua practically steals the film with his hedonistic leanings. Don't go into this film expecting a blood and thunder Western and you will be pleasantly surprised at its thematic heartbeat. Different sort of Peckinpah, but it's also essential Peckinpah. 9/10

Production companies