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.

Wonderful western with Glenn Ford and Jack Lemmon.You'd think at the beginning that this would be a comedy as Lemmon plays a timid hotel clerk dreaming of a life as a cowboy. His desire increases over the woman he loves, especially when she is forced back to Mexico by her father who then arranges a marriage for her.This film is anything but comical. It's the story of cowboys coming of age. It shows how the 2 partners, Ford and Lemmon forge a relationship. It describes the cowboy idea of death. Both men will eventually take on the personality of each other.An aging Brian Donlevy takes on a role as a cowhand, a former sheriff, with a conscience. Even the unusually villainous Richard Jaeckel is somewhat subdued here. Look for Dick York as a hand, he'd later make it so big in the television show "Bewitched."

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" examines the relationship between partners in a herd, the older statesman and highly principled Ford clashing on moral and physical grounds with the younger, disrespectful, hot headed Lemmon. During a tumultuous droving journey, the two men gain a mutual respect for one another, their generational differences merging through shared experiences with marauding Indians, troublesome hired hands, and the pitfalls of controlling a thousand head of cattle.Donlevy is effective as a seasoned hired hand, eager to hang up his gun and forge a retirement nest egg, but his untimely end is denied the screen time it deserves. Reliable supporting actor Jaeckel is at his ruthless best, here taking umbrage with another drover's provocation leading to a protracted fisticuffs ending only when Lemmon intervenes moments before Jaeckel knifes his opponent. There's something sinister, maybe even psychopathic about Jaeckel's crazy eyes. A young Dick York also appears in a reasonably prominent supporting role, and in spite of his chaffs and sneer, it remains difficult to divorce him from his future 'Darren Stevens' alter ego from "Bewitched".Grand cast in a low-key western drama, the mediocre action punctuating shallow soliloquy's and sermons on honour, tradition and loyalty. Ford is consciously more aggressive than is usual persona, his steely-eyed determination more than matching Lemmon's youthful ambition. But despite some interesting moments, the plot peaks don't soar high enough to build momentum. Even the penultimate climax in which Lemmon and Ford risk life and limb to stabilise the herd on the train, lacks suspense. It may well be a tough life with perils more realistic than gunslingers and Apaches, but director Daves doesn't adequately convey this on the screen. Not a bad film at all, just unremarkable, run-of-the-mill western fare.