Following the success of Support Your Local Sheriff! James Garner paired up again with director Burt Kennedy and a lot of the cast from the first film to shoot Support Your Local Gunfighter. It is not a true sequel, but more a spiritual one, this one showcases Garner’s charm and charisma once again.

This time out, Garner is Latigo Smith, a con artist who jumps off the train at Purgatory, in an attempt to get away from his latest victim, Goldie (Marie Windsor). Arriving in town, he learns that it’s a mining town, digging for the mother lode, which may be right under the town’s centre.

There are two competing tunnels, one run by a resident of the town, Taylor Barton (Harry Morgan) and the other by the devious Colonel Ames (John Dehner).

Latigo, looking for an angle, sees a chance to make some money and get out of his debt, caused by the constant pull of the roulette wheel. With his new friend, Jug May (Jack Elam) in tow, Latigo poses as a dangerous gunfighter.

Throw in the adorable Suzanne Pleshette as Taylor’s daughter, Patience, and you have the opportunity for a lot of comedic fun between a cast that seems to really spark together.

Garner, as the film’s lead, looks like he’s having a wonderful time, and that playful glint in his eye lets you know he’s in on the comedy that is playing out around him. He is every bit the charming rogue who is interested in only himself but slowly comes to realize that his friendship with Jug and his blossoming romance with Patience is something to hold onto.

As the story races along, at a very enjoyable clip, the film lets tons of characters shine. There’s the doctor, Schultz (Dub Taylor), Elmer (Grady Sutton) and Latigo’s landlady, Mrs. Perkins (Kathleen Freeman), all of whom have some great moments, but it’s Jack Elam’s Jug who steals every scene he is in.

With great comedic timing, Elam switches between goof and tough guy as he begins to assume the role of Swifty Morgan, the gunfighter that Colonel Ames hired to stop Taylor and the other mining tunnel. He’s a delight, and pairing him up with Garner makes for screen magic, you just want to see the two of them pal around the west and find clever ways to get out of troubling situations.

Now, I very much want to hunt down other James Garner films I may have missed and just enjoy the performances. There’s a reason he’s a legend.

Damn, this one was fun. Check out this one and Support Your Local Sheriff!