Turner | Cowboys and Comedy: The Simultaneous Deconstruction and Reinforcement of Generic Conventions in the Western Parody Cowboys and Comedy: The Simultaneous Deconstruction and Reinforcement of Generic Conventions in the Western Parody Matthew R. Turner Ohio University Almost as long as the Western has existed as a genre in Origins of Western Parody film, there has been a sub-genre of Western comedies to parody A parody is a comical imitation of a genre that uses its ex- the generic conventions inherent in the form. From as far back as isting codes to examine the subject in a humorous way. Parody the 1920s with Buster Keaton, continuing down to the present often exists simultaneously in conjunction with satire, but can be with Jackie Chan, the Western has been a target of satire and a distinguished from satire, which is designed more specifically to rich source for comedy. Comedy relies, to a large extent, on the point out vices, follies, or problems with conventional beliefs while reversal of expectations. Because of the highly formalized and parody is generally more lighthearted. Despite Western parodies’ codified conventions of the Western, it becomes a prime target tendency to undermine or make fun of the codes of the Western, for reversals of those expectations. By studying a representative they are still situated within the Western genre. That Western sample of Western parodies from the 1940s through 2000, this parodies are a sub-genre of the Western is supported by Cawelti’s paper will examine how Western parodies subvert the conven- argument that parodies are an inevitable part of the life cycle of a tions of the Western in ways that breathe new life into the genre. genre: Although the Western parody undermines the conventions of the archetypical Western, it should be classified as a Western sub- One can almost make out a life cycle characteristic of genre. While the Western parody mocks conventions of the West- genres as they move from an initial period of articu- ern, it ultimately reinforces them through its acceptance of a shared lation and discovery, through a phase of conscious set of codes. self-awareness on the part of both creators and audi- Although many different definitions have been created for ences, to a time when the generic patterns have be- the phenomenon that is the Western film, it is difficult to find one come so well-known that people become tired of their that is comprehensive enough to include the Western parody. Mitry predictability. It is at this point that parodic and sa- describes a Western as a “film whose action, situated in the Ameri- tiric treatments proliferate and new genres gradually can West, is consistent with the atmosphere, the values, and the arise. (244) conditions of existence in the Far West between 1840 and 1900” (qtd. in Altman 30). Although this definition is generally appro- Here Cawelti suggests that genres eventually become stale and priate, it becomes somewhat problematic when it is applied to the new genres arise to take their places. Harries, in a slightly differ- Western parody. While the geographic localization of the West- ent take on the subject, believes that “film parody can be seen as ern in the definition is appropriate, the Western parody does not a source of renewal by breathing new life into worn-out canons seem to be consistent with the atmosphere and values of the West- without specifically burying that tradition” (123). The continued ern. The Western is a complex set of codes and images, and al- popularity of the Western and the Western parody seems to indi- though the Western parody does not reflect the prevailing dramatic cate that the latter is the case. mood of the Western, it does still adhere to the setting and incor- It seems obvious that the Western needs to have established porates the codes that constitute the traditional Western even if it generic conventions before those conventions can be parodied. is only for comedic and satiric purposes. For this to occur, something like the life cycle of the genre that 48 | Film & History Matthew R. Turner | Special In-Depth Section Cawelti describes must have happened to the Western, and it seems rich by stealing the deed to their land and selling it to the railroad. that this progression through the cycle happened quite quickly. Far from falling into the clichés of the Western, however, the broth- The first Western parodies take place early in the history of film. ers’ satire constantly overpowers and deconstructs the generic Fenin describes the existence of satires of the Westerns by Mack conventions. Harpo refuses to shoot or get shot in a showdown; Sennett and Douglas Fairbanks as early as the 1910s. Buster instead he produces a whiskbroom and brushes off his adversary. Keaton was in comedies with Western settings, specifically The Although the threat of violence exists in the film, it has no real Paleface (1922) and Go West (1925). Laurel and Hardy also got power over the brothers. into the Western parody movement in 1937 with their film Way A later and more subtle parody of the Western shows up in Out West. Numerous others have contributed their own Western the1965 film Cat Ballou. The film is much more serious in its parodies including: Abbott and Costello in Ride ‘Em Cowboy adherence to Western codes than many other Western parodies. It (1942); Bob Hope in Paleface (1948), Fancy Pants (1950), and plays up the comic possibilities of the genre, but does not Son of Paleface (1952); and Martin and Lewis in Pardners (1956). deconstruct the genre as later films like Blazing Saddles and Rus- Fenin describes these films as opportunities for “comedians to go tlers’ Rhapsody do. One reason that this film tends to play the through their established patterns against Western backgrounds” Western mostly straight may be that it is an adaptation of a seri- (254). Indeed a look at these films shows that the focus of many ous novel, The Ballad of Cat Ballou, by Roy Chanslor. Accord- of these comedies was on the comedian, rather than a specific ing to Manchel, the film satirized the Western formula, but still focus on making a parody of the genre. followed “the conventional revenge theme” (134). Cat Ballou’s father is murdered for not selling out to the railroad and she be- Parody Goes West comes an outlaw, forming a gang in order to get her revenge. While Although the purpose of a Western parody is often to gen- the film is at times serious, it does not try for the gritty realism of tly satirize the generic conventions of the Western, Western paro- many Westerns. It is still situated firmly within the comic mode. dies exhibit their own conventions and clichés A good example of this comic restructuring in that satirization. A representative sample of the Western is the dance scene in the film. of Western parodies including Go West (1940), While no doubt an homage to John Ford and Cat Ballou (1965), Blazing Saddles (1974), his dance scenes, the film uses the dance in a Rustlers’ Rhapsody (1985), and Shanghai very different way. For instance, Ford’s se- Noon (2000) was chosen for study not only quences tend to interrupt the main narrative for their variety, but for the similarities be- in films like My Darling Clementine (Pye tween the films as well. This will allow for a 194), but in Cat Ballou the dialogue and ac- more careful study of the conventions that tion during the dance forward the plot and Western parodies use to satirize the Western. set up some important later developments This will also show that the Western parody (such as Cat meeting the villainous sheriff for is actually a sub-genre of the Western with its the first time and her enlisting the two inept own set of rules and codes. outlaws to protect her father). In addition, The Marx Brothers’ film, Go West is one Ford’s dance scenes tend to emphasize com- of the important early Western parodies. Even munity and civilization, while the dance scene though the film is still largely focused on the Photofest. of Courtesy in Cat Ballou ends in a brawl with everyone, brothers and their comic personas, there is evi- Kid Shelleen (Lee Marvin) from Cat Ballou. including women and children, participating dence that a more systematic parody of the genre is taking place. in the violence. This is a clear comic inver- Fenin states that the film is “making short work of Western plot sion of Ford’s established codification of the dance. and dialogue clichés. Even the inevitable romantic interest was The Western parody that is widely considered to be the played for its cliché value” (254). Indeed, the film satirizes ev- magnum opus of the genre is Mel Brooks’ Blazing Saddles. The erything from saloons to shootouts in a very self-conscious style. film follows Bart, a black man, as he is elevated from railroad The basic comic premise of the film lies in a common conflict in worker to sheriff of a small Western town. The townspeople have Westerns. It is a clash that occurred between Westerners and East- demanded a sheriff for protection from outlaws, who are really erners when the Easterners came west. Typically the Easterner employees of the railroad company that wants their land. The will stick out because his attitudes and beliefs conflict with the villains get Bart appointed as sheriff hoping that the racist towns- reality of the West. In this case, the Easterners stick out even people would be further disheartened and abandon the town.