Cattle Annie and Little Britches (1981)

Completist Curio.

Cattle Annie and Little Britches is directed by Lamont Johnson and Robert Ward co-adapts the screenplay with David Eyre from his own novel of the same name. It stars Burt Lancaster, Amanda Plummer, John Savage, Diane Lane, Rod Steiger, Scott Glenn and Buck Taylor. Music is by Sahn Berti and Tom Slocum and cinematography by Larry Pizer.

A strange Oater, one that's high on promise via its cast list and premise, but ultimately ends up unfulfilling. Story is based around how two teenage girls - fascinated by tales of outlaw's movements - hook up with the remnants of the Doolin-Dalton gang and inspire them to attempt former glories. Naturally it's all historically dubious and is bogged down by its derivative nature, while the quirky parodic blend of drama and cheery never sits comfortably, the later of which compounded by a string based score that would be more at home with Hanna- Barbera.

Mixed notices upon release are perfectly understandable given that Lancaster and Steiger offer fine presence to the play, and Plummer is electric on debut, but the chance for something more wistfully potent is sadly wasted. 5/10

***Moving account of the last days of Bill Doolin’s gang and the teen girls who joined ’em***

Two teen girls (Amanda Plummer & Diane Lane) hook up with the Doolin-Dalton Gang in 1890’s Oklahoma Territory, but Bill Doolin (Burt Lancaster) is tired and the gang’s heyday is behind them. Meanwhile Marshal Tilghman (Rod Steiger) is intent on putting the kibosh on the wild bunch. Scott Glenn and John Savage are on hand as members of the gang.

“Cattle Annie and Little Britches” (1981) is similar in tone to “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969) and, like that film, was based on the real-life account, albeit loosely. “Young Guns” (1988) and “Young Guns II” (1990) did the same with the Billy the Kid story. The film starts off like “Bad Company” (1972) mixed with the fun spirit of “Butch Cassidy,” but becomes weightier as it moves along with some pretty moving moments.

Plummer was 23 during filming while Lane was only 15. The former is utterly convincing as the sassy Annie and Savage is notable as her taciturn quasi-beau. The superb folk songs by Sahn Berti & Tom Slocum are stirring and sometimes profound. It’s an inexplicably obscure Western, hardly promoted and barely released. I guess studios were gun shy after the devastating failure of “Heaven’s Gate” (1980).

The film runs 1 hours, 37 minutes, and was shot in Durango, Mexico, about 1200 miles southwest of the real-life events.

GRADE: B