MartinHafer
The story begins in Wyoming back in the time of the old west. Joshua Cabe (Buddy Ebsen) learns that there's a change in the homestead law and he'll lose his land if he doesn't make a new claim. But, the law also says that each family member can make a claim and if he could get his daughters to file as well, he'd be able to keep his land. But there are two huge problems--he's estranged from his daughters and they have their own lives back East AND his neighbor is a slimy jerk with four slimy jerk sons...who all plan on filing a claim on HIS land! In desperation, he quickly takes a trip to St. Louis to recruit some 'daughters' who will agree to move West with him! He can't be picky and ends up with a prostitute (Leslie Ann Warren), a career criminal (Karen Valentine) and a pickpocket (Sandra Dee). Can this weird new family actually work? And, can they stand up against these ruthless neighbors?The film certainly is odd and has some actresses playing against type--particularly Valentine and Dee who both played Gidget! And, it's also odd to see Ebsen in a western! But somehow it all works-- mostly because the movie is fun. It is NOT a comedy...and I think that would have worked poorly. Instead, it's a light drama...and a well written and enjoyable one. For a made for TV film, it's very good and actually manages to deliver a rather touching ending.
weezeralfalfa
Between his long running CBS series : "The Beverly Hillbillies" and "Barnaby Jones", Buddy Ebsen sandwiched in this stand alone western farce, which is sort of a "Beverly Hillbillies" in reverse, as far as the women are concerned. Actually, a sequel was made a few years later, but lacked all of the original main character players , except for Jack Elam. This made-for-TV western reminds me of the prior "Wild Women", in that a number of disreputable women(being the most convenient to quickly acquire) are gathered together for a specific project, acting as imposters. In both films, they participate in the defining shoot out with the adversaries, at the end. Also, both films include a number of well recognized players. Ebsen(as Joshua Cabe) is joined by frequent heavy in westerns: Jack Elam(Bitterroot) as his partner, living in a cabin on a small Wyoming ranch, where they also trade pelts for store goods. Elan had long cashed in on his apparent 'lazy' left eye, giving him a distinctive sinister look. He was blind in that eye: the result of a childhood fight. Here, he is quite tame . It's Leif Erickson and his 4 sons who are the trouble makers: the Wetheralls. They plan to take advantage of a shakeup in the land claims laws, which negate previous claims, thus opening up Joshua's ranch, as well as their own, for grabs. Since each of the 5 Wetheralls can file a claim for a separate section, they appear to have Joshua and Bitterroot outnumbered, as well as destroying their property, like burning down their barn. But, Joshua hatches a plan to find his 3 daughters, whom he long ago shipped to his sister in St. Louis to finish their rearing, after his wife, Martha, died young. Hasn't communicated with them for years, but tracts down one, now a sister in a convent in St. Louis. She says the others are married and living in NYC. Doesn't sound promising, since he needs them in a short while to file land claims. Joshua happens to get involved in a hotel lobby altercation between a young prostitute(Mae) and her pimp, and winds up convincing her to pose as one of his daughters. Next, he's directed to the women's prison to look for 2 more imposters. and finds one eligible for parole in Charity(Karen Valentine). While looking for appropriate clothes for these 2, he befriends a fashionably dressed young woman pickpocket(Sandra Dee, as Ada), saving her from arrest, and convinces her to join him. Joshua shows up in his Wyoming town with these fashionably dressed incorrigibles. The Wetheralls plan to make their stay very brief by making their 'fish out of water' experience even more traumatic by wrecking Joshua's cabin and stampeding his cattle through his dam building project. Joshua counters by promising the women they can keep their claimed land if they stay. Of course, there is a cat fight or two, and comedy relating to the women learning to do farm chores.Eventually, Joshua decides he's had enough of the Wetherall's destruction tactics, and tells the women they can return to St. Louis. But, they will have none of that. One Wetherall son extorts a roll in the hay with Mae in the town livery stable, after receiving a letter from Joshua's daughter in St. Louis , telling about Joshua's imposter daughters(How would she know??). But the other Cabe clan members investigate and break up the proceedings, followed by a free-for-all between the two clans. The Wetheralls demand a street showdown 3:2 in their favor, not to mention a hidden son who plans to take out Joshua and Bitterroot before they get a chance to fire on his kin. But, the women steal some rifles from the general store to secretly participate in the standoff, and save the day for Joshua and Bitteroot.All of the principals were well cast, with the possible exception of Lesley Warren as Mae. She did have an active career in various TV serials and films. However, she was not attractive to me. In fact, she often seemed rather spaced out, like she belonged in horror movies. Karen and Sandra were cute and sexy. The 4 Wetherall boys and their father were sassy and intimidating in their verbal and physical bullying.The initial pickpocketing episode in the lady's dress shop looked very amateurish, with several obviously intentional jostlings involved in moving the contested money pouch around. Later, in the general store, Ada's skill comes in handy when she picks Amos Wetherall's pocket after learning that Joshua has no money to pay for their essential supplies. Similarly, the initiation of the cat fight between the 3, due to bumping into each other while doing chores, looked very contrived.I still don't understand the point of the scene where Joshua and the others come to pick up Mae to take her to Wyoming, and she says she has changed her mind about going. Then, the 3 have a tussle with her pimp, who leaves, and she laughs like this was all an act for the benefit of her pimp!?At the end, the 5 Cabe clan come out of the land office with only one land deed. I was expecting 5 deeds, one for each! Earlier, Joshua told the women they could keep their land. But it appears they will stick together as a family for a while, while the women get acquainted with the local bachelors. These women were very lucky to be in Wyoming, which, around this time, was the first state to enact a series of women's civil rights laws, including the right to own property.Presently, part of an 8 TV westerns DVD pack by Echo Bridge.
Wizard-8
Although "The Daughters of Joshua Cabe" is able to stand alone as a single story, it sure looks like it was also made as a pilot for a prospective series. It didn't become a series, though it later inspired two more made for television movies, which is kind of surprising when you consider the mediocre quality of this production. The main idea of the movie is a solid one, the performances are likable, and there aren't any dead spots. But the movie feels both too short and too long, with not enough done with some plot threads and too much done with other plot stuff. Also, the movie frequently has a cheap and tacky feel, even with the scenes taking place in the countryside. And while most of the movie is a light-hearted exercise, it climaxes with some serious gun violence, which really shatters the lightly comic feel. In the end, the movie could have been a lot worse... though at the same time it isn't a movie that should be actively sought out.
