| The Ballad of Josie | |
| Director: | Andrew V. McLaglen |
| Producer: | Norman MacDonnell (Executive Producer) Martin Melcher |
| Starring: | Doris Day Peter Graves George Kennedy Andy Devine William Talman David Hartman |
| Music: | Frank De Vol |
| Cinematography: | Milton R. Krasner |
| Editing: | Fred A. Chulack Otho Lovering |
| Studio: | Universal Pictures |
| Distributor: | Universal Pictures |
| Released: | (West Germany) (USA) |
| Runtime: | 102 minutes |
| Language: | English |
| Country: | United States |
The Ballad of Josie is a 1967 Technicolor American comedy Western film directed by Andrew V. McLaglen[1] and starring Doris Day, Peter Graves, and George Kennedy. It humorously tackles 1960s themes of feminism in a traditional Western setting.
The film featured the last acting role for William Talman. It was filmed on two locations in Thousand Oaks, California: North Ranch and Wildwood Regional Park.[2]
Josie (Doris Day) is a young woman living in (fictional) Arapahoe County, Wyoming. She accidentally kills her abusive alcoholic husband when she opens the bedroom door and knocks him backward down the stairs. She is put on trial for his death, but is acquitted. Her father-in-law gets custody of her young son (since he was better able to provide for his care) and takes him to Cheyenne to live while she tries to build a life as a rancher (including wearing Levi's pants, boots, etc.). Josie then incurs the annoyance of her male cattle rancher neighbors by farming sheep north of the Wyoming deadline[3]), and setting up a women's suffrage movement.