The Rounders (1965 film)

The Rounders
Promotional movie poster for the film
Directed by	Burt Kennedy
Produced by	Richard E. Lyons
Screenplay by	Burt Kennedy
Based on	The Rounders (novel) by Max Evans
Starring	Glenn Ford Henry Fonda Sue Ane Langdon Chill Wills Edgar Buchanan Hope Holiday
Music by	Jeff Alexander
Cinematography	Paul Vogel
Edited by	John McSweeney Jr.
Distributed by	Metro Goldwyn Mayer
Release dates	March 5, 1965 (1965-03-05)
Running time	85 min.
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$1,500,000[1]

The Rounders is a lighthearted 1965 western film directed by Burt Kennedy and starring Glenn Ford and Henry Fonda. It is based on the 1960 novel of the same name by Max Evans.

Plot

Ben Jones (Glenn Ford) and Marion 'Howdy' Lewis (Henry Fonda) are two easygoing, modern-day cowboys who make a meager living breaking wild horses. Their frequent employer is Jim Ed Love (Chill Wills), a shrewd businessman who always gets the better of them. After they bring him a string of tamed horses and spend the winter rounding up stray cows, he talks them into taking a nondescript roan horse in lieu of some of their wages.

Ben finds (to his great and frequent discomfort) that the horse is unrideable. Rather than turning it into soap or dog food, he comes up with the bright idea of taking it to a rodeo and betting other cowhands they cannot ride it, thereby doubling their earnings. Along the way, the duo stop to help two none-too-bright strippers, Mary (Sue Ane Langdon) and Sister (Hope Holiday), with their car, which has broken down. Not knowing much about cars, they give them a ride to the nearest garage, but end up getting to know them better (going skinny dipping with them) and taking them along to the rodeo.

Everything goes as planned; nobody is able to stay on the horse. Then the animal suddenly collapses and Ben spends all the money they've won for veterinary help—and a new stable to replace the one destroyed by the roan when he recovers. In the end, Ben and Howdy end up right back where they started, with only the roan to show for their efforts.

Cast

• Glenn Ford as Ben Jones
• Henry Fonda as Howdy Lewis
• Sue Ane Langdon as Mary
• Hope Holiday as Sister
• Chill Wills as Jim Ed Love
• Edgar Buchanan as Vince Moore
• Kathleen Freeman as Agatha Moore
• Joan Freeman as Meg Moore
• Denver Pyle as Bull
• Barton MacLane as Tanner
• Doodles Weaver as Arlee
• Allegra Varron as Mrs. Norson
• Casey Tibbs as Rafe

See also

• List of American films of 1965

References

See also

• Rounders (film), a similarly titled but unrelated film

External links

• The Rounders at the Internet Movie Database
• The Rounders at AllMovie
• The Rounders at the TCM Movie Database
• The Rounders at the American Film Institute Catalog