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| The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw | |
|---|---|
| Film poster | |
| Directed by | Raoul Walsh |
| Produced by | Daniel M. Angel |
| Screenplay by | Howard Dimsdale |
| Based on | The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw 1954 Maclean’s Magazine by Jacob Hay |
| Starring | Kenneth More Jayne Mansfield Henry Hull Bruce Cabot |
| Music by | Robert Farnon |
| Cinematography | Otto Heller |
| Edited by | John Shirley |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date | December 1958 (UK) March 14, 1959 (New York City) |
| Running time | 103 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1,924,875 (U.S.) $2,485,125 (elsewhere)] |
The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw is a 1958 British CinemaScope Western comedy directed by Raoul Walsh, starring Kenneth More and Jayne Mansfield. Mansfield’s singing voice is dubbed by Connie Francis. It was one of the first Westerns to be shot in Spain.
Jonathon Tibbs (Kenneth More), son of a family of English gunsmiths, has no interest in the business and prefers inventing gadgets, in particular a steam-powered horseless carriage. Threatened with disinheritance if he does not report for work, he discovers that the company is not doing very well, and concludes that someone must expand their sales.
Production
The film was based on a short story by Jacob Hays published in the Canadian magazine ‘Maclaines’ in June 1954. Prior to publication, the film rights were bought by 20th Century Fox in 1954 as a possible vehicle for Clifton Webb.[ That film was never made.
In March 1957 English producer Daniel Angel signed a deal with Fox to make at least three films in England. The first one would be Sheriff of Fractured Jaw to starKenneth More. Moore had become popular in films such as Genevieve (1953) and The Admirable Crichton (1957). More, who had co-starred with American Betsy Drake in his previous movie, said “I feel like I’m taking first steps towards Hollywood”. Walsh’s first and only choice for the part of Kate, a saloon owner and singer, was blonde bombshell Jayne Mansfield. Mansfield had been discovered playing in theBroadway comedy Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? in 1955, and she was signed to an exclusive contract with Fox in 1956 at a $2500-a-week salary. The studio intended to mold her as a successor to the temperamental Marilyn Monroe, and cast her in Monroe-type roles in The Girl Can’t Help It (1956) and a 1957 film adaptation of her Broadway triumph. Walsh felt Mansfield offered the precise mixture of humor and sexuality to bring the character to life, and she was signed on the film in early 1958, not long after marrying her second husband, muscleman Mickey Hargitay.
The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw started filming at Pinewood Studios in England, shooting the interiors and the prologue, which is set in London. The studio’s massive inventory of sets, carriages, and period props made setting the film in the mid-1800s American West easily possible.
Then, the production moved to a remote location in the Spanish province of Aragon, the first time a Western film was made in the country.[7] Walsh called on several actors he had previously worked with to fill out the cast: Henry Hull and Bruce Cabot.
During production, Mansfield became pregnant with her second child and often missed filming days, delaying production, and upsetting Fox executives. The film was completed on time and on budget, however. It was released in the United Kingdom in December 1958, but it was not released in the United States until March 14, 1959.
The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw received mixed reviews at the time of its release. It was considerably better received, both critically and financially, in England than in America. American critics gave negative reviews to Mansfield’s musical performances in the film, claiming her voice was noticeably dubbed. In fact, her voice was dubbed by singer-actress Connie Francis.
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