Something Big (1971)

User Rating:

5.3/10   

Director:

Andrew V. McLaglen

Writer:

James Lee Barrett (written by)

Release Date:

1 December 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Western

Tagline:

Sooner or later, Baker will find the right girl. And when he does, he'll swap her for a machine gun. And do something big.

Plot:

Joe Baker has a dream. He wants to do 'something big.' When he needs a Gatling gun to accomplish this...

Plot Keywords:

Independent Film

Cast

Dean Martin	...	Joe Baker
Brian Keith	...	Col. Morgan
Carol White	...	Dover McBride
Honor Blackman	...	Mary Anna Morgan
Ben Johnson	...	Jesse Bookbinder
Albert Salmi	...	Jonny Cobb
Don Knight	...	Tommy McBride
Joyce Van Patten	...	Polly Standall
Denver Pyle	...	Junior Frisbee
Merlin Olsen	...	Sgt. Fitzsimmons
Robert Donner	...	Angel Moon
Harry Carey Jr.	...	Joe Pickins
Judi Meredith	...	Carrie Standall
Edward Faulkner	...	Capt. Tyler (as Ed Faulkner)
Paul Fix	...	Chief Yellow Sun

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:GP (original rating) | USA:PG

Company:

Cinema Center Films

Quotes:

Colonel Morgan: What about your friend there? Do you want to bury him?
Jonny Cobb: No. Maybe something will come out of the hills tonight and drag him off.

Soundtrack:

Scotland the Brave

A fun western that can only be described as a lost guilty pleasure.

While stationed in Thailand in 1972 during the Vietnam War, I had an opportunity to get a part-time job operating a movie projector at the base theater for the midnight show. One of the films I was fortunate to show was "Somthing Big", a rowdy, unpretentious western with a fun and talented cast headed by Dean Martin, Brian Keith, Albert Salmi and Honor Blackman. The film's strongest point is that it didn't take itself too seriously, yet still presented a fine array of subplots and character studies that nicely wove themselves together to a rousing finale. What has stuck out most in my mind for over the past 30+ years, however, was the movie's theme song. Like the film itself, the title song was a joyous and melodic tribute to the desire in everyone to reach for that star in the heavens, or that impossible dream. It is disappointing that the film never made it to VHS or DVD. If it ever shows up on cable TV, don't miss an opportunity to see this lost guilty pleasure.