The “extremely low-budget” movie that became a Jane Fonda classic
Years before the term “nepo babies” was even a thing, Jane Fonda pretty much began the niche identity of being born to a famous star. The daughter of legendary actor Henry Fonda, though, established herself as an icon of Hollywood in her own right and showed that talent was earned rather than merely gifted.
Throughout a remarkable career of genuine brilliance, one that saw the arrival of two Academy Awards, Fonda gave some of the best acting performances of the 1970s, including those in the likes of Klute, Julia, Coming Home and The China Syndrome, as well as further acclaimed turns in the following decades.
But like any actor, Fonda had to begin somewhere, even with her already established ties to the film industry. After a handful of stage and movie efforts, Fonda appeared in her breakthrough role in 1965’s western comedy Cat Ballou, directed by Elliot Silverstein and also starred Lee Marvin.
During an interview with Vanity Fair, Fonda ran through her most significant roles and spoke fondly of Cat Ballou, pointing out that it is some people’s favourite effort of hers. “I made it because I was under contract to Columbia, as was Lee Marvin,” Fonda began before pointing out that because both she and Marvin were contract players, Columbia were able to get both of them “real cheap”.
The acting icon continued, “It was an extremely low-budget movie, and I hadn’t the foggiest idea that it would be a good movie, a funny movie, a movie people wanted to see until I actually saw it.” Cat Ballou tells of a woman who hires an infamous gunman in order to protect her father’s ranch and avenge his murder.
However, when the gunman turns up, the woman finds that he is not what she had quite expected. Lee Marvin won an Academy Award for ‘Best Actor’ for his dual effort as Kid Shelleen and Tim Strawn, while Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye both appeared as a pair of travelling troubadours akin to a Greek chorus.
Continuing to express her surprise at the quality of the film, Fonda said, “You see, I didn’t see the scenes with Lee on his horse drunk and the horse with its legs crossed and things like that until I actually saw the movie and thought, ‘Wow this is really fun.’” Fonda then admitted that she had a lot of admiration for Lee Marvin, who was a “fantastic person” who taught her a lot.
Thankfully, Fonda was already “a horsewoman” and a “good rider”, so she enjoyed being in her first western, although, at that point, she didn’t really see herself as a “good actor”. Interestingly, Fonda had also spoken of her marriage to Roger Vadim Plemiannikov, noting, “I was married to a Frenchman, and if he didn’t want me to do a particular movie, I wouldn’t do it. I was pretty much doing whatever the man in my life wanted me to do”.
Still, according to Fonda, acting was how she “earned my living”, so she wasn’t “about to give it up”. Thankfully, the Hollywood legend didn’t, and after Cat Ballou, she went on to deliver some of the most memorable acting performances of the 20th century. It was her effort alongside Lee Marvin that would always serve as her breakthrough, though.
