I find this movie neither as wonderful as its advocates say, nor as lousy as its detractors maintain. This is a decent, well-made Western with a good story line that keeps you involved. It is rather episodic, the story line lacking a smooth continuity. And there are some weaknesses in the relationships among the characters. As one viewer said, the love relationship between Lemmon's character and the Mexican girl is not really credible. Also, the hostility between Tom and Frank is a bit too intense for us to accept their eventual bonding. And the ending seems rather contrived and abrupt. But the action propels the movie along, and the western scenery is beautifully filmed. I think Glenn Ford's presence really carries the movie. I don't think his work gets the credit it deserves; he was a truly great actor. This is no "My Darling Clementine" or "Red River" but it's entertaining enough. A footnote: the character "Frank Harris" is the name of the screenwriter, who was the author of the scandalous book "My Life and Loves." Who knew?! That book, when I was growing up, was kept hidden by my father in the house along with Lady Chatterly's Lover, Peyton Place and other raunch of the day. Evidently the Welshman actually spent some time working as a cowboy, so the movie is partly autobiographical.

This is one of these weird movies you just need to watch and ignore that you really can't believe anything you see. After all, the film, when you think about it, makes very little sense. But, it is quite unusual and entertaining--something not often seen in this genre. So, overall, it's worth seeing.The film begins in Chicago. A mild-mannered guy (Jack Lemmon) is working at a hotel when a group of rough cowboys checks in to the place. Despite being VERY different from these rough guys, Lemmon begs the cowboy's boss (Glenn Ford) to take him on the cattle drive. This is because Lemmon is infatuated with a girl and if he travels with the cattle drive, he can see the lady on the way. Reluctantly, Ford agrees and it's soon very obvious that this city boy is way out of his element. Ford is tough and uncaring--and Lemmon is appalled by this lack of humanity. However, through the course of the film, Ford relaxes a bit and learns from Lemmon and Lemmon becomes a nasty guy--much like Ford. This conversion really was VERY tough to believe, but the plot was different.I think Lemmon was wrong for the part. While you could believe him as a city boy, seeing him as a rough and tumble cowboy later in the film never convinced me--and was pretty funny. This change was formula--but not believable. Still, as I said above, the film was different--and I love a western that is not just another carbon copy of the last.By the way, although in a MUCH smaller role, it also seemed silly to have Dick York (the first Darren from "Bewitched") playing one of the cowboys! This, too, didn't work.

Frank Harris was a hotel clerk who had always dreamed of becoming a ranch hand. When circumstances provided him with an opportunity, he did just that. The movie which is based on his real life exploit is called " Cowboy." In it Jack Lemmon plays Harris who buys a partnership with Cattle boss Tom Reese (Glen Ford) and is reluctantly hired on as a tenderfoot cowboy. Directed by Delmer Daves, Harris encounters all the hardships warn him by Tom Reese. What he further learns is the hard lessons concerning life and death on the trail. Reese is a hard brand who bestows the harsh lessons on his apprentice to such a degree, that what he develops into, is a replica of an uncaring, unsympathetic tough as leather trail hand. From an audience point of view, Ford fits comfortable in his role, but Lemmon seems a bit out of his element. Still, it's fun to watch as both men work to ply their craft. A good film with the addition of experienced cast members, like Brian Donlevy and Dick York. Recommended to Ford and Lemmon fans. ***

Cowboy (1958)This is a strange film, and strange films are always worth a look. It's a little slow--a good half hour could have been taken out here and there--but if you forget about what a cowboy roundup Western is supposed to be and just let this unfold, you'll be at least curious, maybe even sucked in.The director, Delmar Daves, has a couple of distinctive, almost great films to his name, "Dark Passage"and "An Affair to Remember," but both of those are flawed by some awkward sense of timing, of playing out the cards quite right, and you can feel that here. But hey, Jack Lemmon as a cowboy? You bet--and it's not a comedy? Well, it is comic, for sure, a strange farce, and its exaggerations are worth the look, verging on the cusp of camp, or parody. Brian Donlevy and lead man Glenn Ford are totally serious, though, and Ford especially (as the main character) gives the film depth. There are fistfights and bucking broncos and stern men drinking stern whiskey, and through it all there remains a slightly baffled Jack Lemmon. There are strange moments, like when one cowboy is rubbing whiskey and salt into Lemmon's behind, and another scene where they throw a rattlesnake around just for fun, a man dying as a result.You'd think this slightly weird stuff would throw you out of the movie, but it has the effect of making the people more real, and the events more palpable. The second half of the movie becomes increasingly normal and serious.So what holds it back? It goes partly back to the director, I think, and his editor, making the thing just a hair awkward at times. Throw in the good but routine music and photography, as well as a story that lacks finesse, and you get this odd and not quite satisfying affair.