Vintage Cat Ballou

I'm a fan of Jane Fonda, so when I found this vintage paperback I was thrilled. The Ballad of Cat Ballou struck me for its campy sex kitten cover and it wasn't until I was in line at the thrift store that I recognized that face.


The film Cat Ballou (1965) stars Jane Fonda, Lee Marvin, Michael Callan, Dwayne Hickman, Nat King Cole, and Stubby Kaye -- and was nominated for five Oscars, for which Lee Marvin did win Best Actor in a Leading Role. The film is a comedy-western, but the original novel (by Roy Chanslor) upon which the movie is based, is a serious western telling the story of a woman out to avenge her father's murder.

The Ballad Of Cat Ballou (lyrics)

Well now friends just lend an ear
For you're now about to hear
The ballad of Cat Ballou
It's a song that's newly made
And Professus and the Shade
And the Sunrise Kid are singin' it for you

Cat ballou, Cat ballou
It's a hangin' day in Wolf City Wyomin'
Wolf City Wyomin', eighteen ninety four
They're gonna drop Cat Ballou through the gallows floor

She killed a man in Wolf City Wyomin'
Wolf City Wyomin' killed a man it's true
And that is why they're a-hangin'
Hangin' Cat Ballou

She has the smile of an angel (fights like the devil)
The eyes of an angel (bites like the devil)
The face of an angel (I say she's the devil)
(She's mean and evil through and through)
Cat Ballou, Cat Ball-ou-ou-ou
She's mean and evil through and through

With her outlaw band they're now tellin' a story
Now tellin' a story how she rode the plain
The wildest gal in the we-est since Calamity Jane
And today's the day that she's goin' to glory
She's goin' to glory for the way she sinned
They'll be a-speedin' her soul on a wayward wind

She has the smile of an angel (fights like the devil)
The eyes of an angel (bites like the devil)
The face of an angel (I say she's the devil)
(She's mean and evil through and through)
Cat Ballou (Cat Ballou)
Cat Ball-ou-ou-ou (Cat Ballou)

She's mean and evil through and through Cat Ballou
Cat Ball-ou-ou-ou
She's mean and evil through and through

Lyrics by Mack David and Jerry Livingston.
Recorded by Nat King Cole and Stubby Kaye.

Part memoir, part review, this piece by Pam Malouf has me eager to see the film too:

Forty years later, I still find myself thinking about Cat Ballou. I lost my innocence right alongside Cat that day when the sheriff lied about her daddy's death. The bold courage and willingness to stand up to authority displayed by Cat showed me that all it takes is guts for anyone (including women) to stand up for her rights. If a young, innocent girl could ride fearlessly after a noseless killer, then nothing could stop me! Cat Ballou was an inspiration to throw caution to the wind and fight for what I believe in.

This New American Library copy (sixth printing) is clearly the movie tie-in, so I wonder if it will have the humor of the film? With Roy Chanslor listed as the author, and no mention of any screenplay, I doubt it... But I can't wait to find time to read it.

A terrific grab for 75 cents.

Photo credits: reproduction poster via Amazon.