Frank Harris was a hotel clerk who had always dreamed of becoming a ranch hand. When circumstances provided him with an opportunity, he did just that. The movie which is based on his real life exploit is called " Cowboy." In it Jack Lemmon plays Harris who buys a partnership with Cattle boss Tom Reese (Glen Ford) and is reluctantly hired on as a tenderfoot cowboy. Directed by Delmer Daves, Harris encounters all the hardships warn him by Tom Reese. What he further learns is the hard lessons concerning life and death on the trail. Reese is a hard brand who bestows the harsh lessons on his apprentice to such a degree, that what he develops into, is a replica of an uncaring, unsympathetic tough as leather trail hand. From an audience point of view, Ford fits comfortable in his role, but Lemmon seems a bit out of his element. Still, it's fun to watch as both men work to ply their craft. A good film with the addition of experienced cast members, like Brian Donlevy and Dick York. Recommended to Ford and Lemmon fans. ***

Circumstances force a tough trail boss (Ford) to take on a former hotel bellboy (Lemmon) as his partner in a trail drive, on condition that Lemmon can go along on the drive. Along the way he finds out that a cowboy's life isn't as glamorous or romantic as he thought it would be, and a whole lot more dangerous besides. This is a vastly entertaining film, mainly because Lemmon and Ford work so well together. Lemmon knew exactly how far to go in showing boyish enthusiasm and excitement without making it seem childish or juvenile, and he stays right on that fine line here. Ford's character is a weary cattleman who's seen and done it all, and knows what Lemmon is in for, tries to tell him and gets annoyed when he won't listen, and the two complement each other perfectly. A top-notch supporting cast helps things immensely, and Delmer Daves' directs smoothly, interspersing drama and humor in just the right amounts. A very, very enjoyable film.

After literally thousands of pictures from the beginning of the genre in the silent era, someone actually had the clever idea of naming a Western simply "Cowboy". When I first read the synopsis of the story for the Encore Western Channel, I didn't think it would hold up very well with the casting of Jack Lemmon as a wanna be saddle tramp. I was thinking along the lines of say, "City Slickers", but you know what, this didn't turn out to be too bad. Lemmon's character Frank Harris actually toughs it out to become part of Glenn Ford's cattle drive to Mexico, even if his ulterior motive was to track down the pretty Mexican senorita he had fallen in love with as a hotel clerk back in Chicago. In fact, he goes all the way over the top to become an even tougher cowhand than his boss Tom Reese (Ford), probably not a real life expectation, but one that works in developing the characters for the film. By the time it's over, Harris may not have won back his girl, but comes to realize he's discovered a larger part of himself.

I had a little trouble though reconciling the actions of trail boss Reese following the Strother Martin snake bite incident. I don't think that's how Eric Fleming might have handled the situation on "Rawhide". You would think Reese would have held a more practical approach to disciplining Richard Jaeckel's Curtis, like maybe offering him the business end of his firearm. And holy cow!!!, what was with that Mexican village rooster roundup! I have NEVER seen anything like that in any kind of picture. Probably one of the more insidious treatments of animals to arouse the PETA folks in their crusade against animal cruelty in film.

Say, how quickly does a broken arm mend anyway? It seems to me that when trail hand Charlie (Dick York) rejoined the herd after the off screen altercation with the Mexicans, he returned with a broken left arm, but in only a day or two it seems like he's good as new! Must have been the clean fresh air!

Anyway, those few quibbles aside, the film plays it pretty straight as a gritty Western adventure. Even Lemmon's one scene that was probably meant to be comedic aboard the bucking bronco through camp played out fairly seriously. Say, did you consider how Harris ever became such a good shot with a pistol? You know, the hotel should really do something about those cockroaches.