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.

By all means, not perfect, the story is rather predictable in that it uses the somewhat over-used fish-out-of-water formula, and there are one or two scenes due to the chemistry, the effectiveness of which is varied throughout the course of the film, of the leads feel laboured. However, The Sheriff of Fractured is a lovingly filmed movie with cinematography, sets and costumes set in the grand tradition of the genre that look beautiful, and there is a witty soundtrack including the touching In the Valley of Love. The script made me laugh and smile, Walsh's direction is great, Kenneth More is at his most diffident, Jayne Mansfield is appealing and sexy and it isn't everyday you see Sidney James as a drunk. So overall, it is a flawed, but fun and charming film. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Two stars for Ms Mansfield's obvious charms (oh for 3D!).More was (and knew he was) an actor of limited range, essentially he played himself and did it well. His early work in the "Doctor" films is pleasing and his skillful creation of Douglas Bader in "Reach for The Sky" made the man a lot more charming than he REALLY was.He was in effect, to the 1950's what Hugh Grant was to the 1990's: a soft spoken inoffensive Englishman, well bred and thrust into situations where his good breeding kept him afloat.In this "Western" he is the scion of a British gunmaker sent to the Wild West to sell the companies wares. Let's be frank, More was TOO OLD for the part, although trim and dark haired he was clearly middle aged and the "Hugh Grant schtick" of youth and lack of worldly experience looks foolish.Ms Mansfield looks decorative and the cinch waisted outfits certainly display her "talents" - sadly her acting is mostly wooden and distracted and the lack of chemistry between the leads is obvious.The distraction of seeing so many British actors mugging, and mangling their vowels to sound American just reinforces my opinion that this is a dud and should be shelved next to "Space Mutiny" (see elsewhere)

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!