Kenneth More, Charles Irwin still THE SHERIFF OF FRACTURED JAW (1959) orig VINT

Description

(This looks MUCH better than the picture above. The circle with the words, “scanned for eBay, Larry41” does not appear on the actual photograph. I just placed them on this listing to protect this high quality image from being bootlegged.)
Kenneth More, Charles Irwin still THE SHERIFF OF FRACTURED JAW (1959) original studio SUPER SHARP DETAILS IN THIS VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPH!
This 8” x 10” inch still would look great framed on display in your home theater or to add to your portfolio or scrapbook! Some dealers by my lots (see my other auctions) to break up and sell separately at classic film conventions at much higher prices than my low minimum. A worthy investment for gift giving too!
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This photograph is an original photo chemical created pictures (vintage, from original Hollywood studio release) and not a digital copy or reproduction.
DESCRIPTION:
Kenneth More portrays a British gunsmith who travels to the American West. After winning a rigged poker game, More is appointed sheriff of Fractured Jaw, a wide-open town where law officers are plugged and planted on a regular basis. He befriends hard-bitten saloon gal Jayne Mansfield, who doesn’t give the gentlemanly More much chance of survival. Using his wits, and blessed with a generous amount of raw luck, Sheriff More escapes death at every turn, finally becoming the “blood brother” of a previous hostile Sioux tribe. With the help of his Native American friends, More brings law and order to Fractured Jaw. The film’s main advantages are Kenneth More, who is superb as always, and Jayne Mansfield, giving one of her best and least mannered performances.
CONDITION:
This quality vintage and original still in Near MINT condition (old yes, with minor bumps and faint creases) it has sharp, crisp details and it is not a re-release, not digital or a repro. It came from the studio to the theater during the year of release and then went into storage where a collector kept them for many years! I have recently acquired two huge collections from life long movie buffs who collected for decades… I need to offer these choice items for sale on a first come, first service basis to the highest bidder.
SHIPPING:
Domestic shipping would be FIRST CLASS and well packed in plastic, with several layers of cardboard support/protection and delivery tracking. International shipping depends on the location, and the package would weigh close to a half a pound with even more extra ridge packing.
PAYMENTS:
Please pay PayPal! All of my items are unconditionally guaranteed. E-mail me with any questions you may have. This is Larry41, wishing you great movie memories and good luck…
BACKGROUND:
“This little-known Western will probably be most attractive to contemporary audiences for one reason only…Jayne Mansfield. And Jayne Mansfield fans will indeed not be disappointed with this charming little movie which pairs sassy Miss M with the straight-laced British actor Kenneth More.
 
More is incredibly charming in this movie (as he tends to be in most of his screen appearances) and plays well of fast-talking saloon owner Mansfield. This is probably Mansfield’s best on-screen partnership since her Rock Hunter appearance with Tony Randall. Gorgeously photographed in sumptuous Deluxe colour and with some nifty saloon songs from Mansfield (dubbed by Conny Francis), this is a sweet, amusing little movie with solid performances from two highly likable actors.
 
Hopefully, its release in the JM box set will introduce this film to a new generation of viewers. While scarcely a cinema classic, it’s a very pleasant way to spend an afternoon.
A British comedy Western filmed in Spain, starring a bastion of English acting (Kenneth Moore), an American sex-bomb (Jayne Mansfield) and directed by the man who brought us High Sierra & White Heat (Raoul Walsh}. Yes that’s quite a hodge-podge of elements and it’s no surprise to find that that’s exactly what the film is; a mixture of fun froth and cringe inducing oddities.
 
The film is adapted by Howard Dimsdale from a short story written by Jacob Hay. The plot centres around Jonathon Tibbs (Moore), the young son of a family of English gunsmiths. He travels to the American West in the 1880s to sell firearms to the locals. While on stagecoach route he survives an Indian attack purely by stiff upper lip British luck, and then he inadvertently acquires a reputation of quickness on the draw due to his wrist mounted Derringer style weapon. Sensing an opportunity to finally clean up Fractured Jaw, which is in the middle of a war between The Lazy S & Box T factions, the mayor bluffs Tibbs into becoming the sheriff. Cue hilarity as the hopelessly ill equipped Englishman starts to clean up the town with the help of buxom saloon owner Kate (Mansfield) and his new family; the Indians.
 
The problems with the film are many, the over used fish out of water formula, the budget restrictions being over obvious and the glaringly blatant lack of chemistry between the two oddly casted leads-are just the ones that first spring to mind. Then you can add the bad idea to include the likes of Robert Morley and Sid James in your film, and give them next to no time on screen. So yes it’s not too harsh to say that The Sheriff Of Fractured Jaw is a weak film in many ways. Yet it is funny, something that comes quite often with the fish out of water formula if the writing is clever enough. Mercifully Dimsdale’s screenplay sets up a number of humorous set pieces and Walsh, tho long past his best, professionally puts them together.
 
Moore gives the whole British tenderfoot act his complete gusto, and Mansfield looks terrific; every inch the sex-bomb befitting her legacy. Some fine support comes from Henry Hull & Bruce Cabot, while the tunes (Mansfield dubbed by the brilliant Connie Francis), notably the gorgeous theme song “In The Valley Of Love,” keep the film brisk and firmly footed in the light entertainment department. It’s a film that if you dwell on it too much could drive you to distraction, but as time fillers go in the comedy Western sub-genre, it just about finishes above average and is recommended for like minded adults on a very rainy day. 6/10
Good family film – something particularly wholesome about Kenneth More – and I don’t want to ‘rain on the parade’ (More is one of my favourite actors and 1958 one of my favourite years – see also: A Night to Remember’, More et al 1958). But there does seem to be a lack of chemistry between More (Jonathan Tibbs) and Jayne Mansfield (Kate) – notwithstanding that this is primarily a spoof-western comedy rather than a RomCom. Did they actually get on? Some of the scenes with just the two of them are painfully laboured. But, yes, the film (due in no small part to the laconic ease of More) is entirely watchable, and the production values – even for this lightweight film – are as high as you would expect from any mainstream Hollywood film of the day.
 
A film with an extraordinary pedigree,a cast of fine actors,directed by one of the true mavericks of the studio system who worked with D.W.Griffith,”The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw”is a gem of a movie.So artless that is of course extremely artful,what appears as serendipity is in fact the result of good pros getting together and having a lot of fun whilst never taking their eye off the ball. Mr Kenneth More is immaculate as the Englishman Abroad,so well – mannered,well – dressed and well – spoken that in a lesser actor those characteristics might have seemed a parody,but Mr More,all breeze and confidence carries it off perfectly.America may no longer be a British colony but he doesn’t have to believe it if he doesn’t want to. He takes up with Miss Jayne Mansfield,the owner of the saloon and very innocent and appealing she is too.In 1958 her career was reaching its peak – if I may use such an expression – ,a young,winsome and tragically ill – fated actress who very few took seriously but who is – in my opinion – due for a reassessment in an era when women’s achievements are considered in contexts other than those of their physical attributes. Mr Bruce Cabot and Mr Henry Hull are on hand to add authenticity to what is a fish – out – of – water comedy.Unlike other Western Brits (English Bob,say,or John Cleese in “Silverado”)Mr More does not have a nasty streak.He is simply the old – fashioned decent English chap finding himself in a tricky situation a long way from home and muddling his way through. I have no idea why “The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw” was made,whether Mr Walsh owed the studio a picture of whether Rank thought Mr More’s career might benefit from more U.S. exposure or whether somebody just thought it seemed like a good idea at the time,but after fifty years I’m happy to report that to me it still seems like a good idea,and with the passing of time it has become a funny rather touching movie that will please lovers of the Western because it is respectful of the genre and lovers of innocent beautifully played comedy because it is respectful of that genre too.
 
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