Cat Ballou
A woman seeking revenge for her murdered father hires a famous gunman, but he's very different from what she expects.
The film earned $20.7M at the global box office.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Cat Ballou (1965) exhibits deliberately positioned narrative design, characteristic of Elliot Silverstein's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 37 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.3, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Cat Ballou
Kid Shelleen / Tim Strawn
Clay Boone
Jed
Frankie Ballou
Sheriff Cardigan
Jackson Two-Bears
Main Cast & Characters
Cat Ballou
Played by Jane Fonda
A schoolteacher-turned-outlaw who seeks revenge for her father's murder and becomes a legendary bandit.
Kid Shelleen / Tim Strawn
Played by Lee Marvin
A drunken, washed-up gunfighter hired by Cat, who also plays his evil twin brother, the notorious killer Tim Strawn.
Clay Boone
Played by Michael Callan
A young cowboy and outlaw who becomes Cat's loyal companion and romantic interest.
Jed
Played by Dwayne Hickman
Clay's partner in crime and fellow outlaw who joins Cat's gang.
Frankie Ballou
Played by John Marley
Cat's father, a rancher murdered by the Wolf City Development Corporation's hired gun.
Sheriff Cardigan
Played by Jay C. Flippen
The corrupt sheriff working with the railroad interests against the Ballou ranch.
Jackson Two-Bears
Played by Tom Nardini
A Native American ranch hand and friend of the Ballou family who joins Cat's outlaw gang.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Cat Ballou arrives home from school as an educated, proper young woman returning to her father's ranch in Wolf City, Wyoming.. The analysis reveals that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 12 minutes when Frankie Ballou is murdered by the gunslinger Tim Strawn (silver-nosed killer), hired by the railroad to drive homesteaders off their land.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 25 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 26% of the runtime. This indicates the protagonist's commitment to Cat actively chooses to become an outlaw, deciding to rob trains to fund their revenge against Sir Harry Percival and Tim Strawn., moving from reaction to action.
At 49 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat False victory: Cat's gang successfully robs the Wolf City payroll train and she becomes famous, but this raises the stakes as she's now a wanted outlaw with a price on her head., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 73 minutes (76% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Cat is captured and sentenced to hang, facing literal death. Her cause seems lost and her friends scattered., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 78 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 81% of the runtime. Kid Shelleen reveals Tim Strawn is his twin brother and devises a plan to infiltrate the hanging, synthesizing his reformed skills with new determination., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Cat Ballou's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping Cat Ballou against these established plot points, we can identify how Elliot Silverstein utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Cat Ballou within the western genre.
Comparative Analysis
Additional western films include The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, All the Pretty Horses and Shenandoah.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Cat Ballou arrives home from school as an educated, proper young woman returning to her father's ranch in Wolf City, Wyoming.
Theme
Frankie Ballou tells Cat that sometimes you have to fight for what's right, even when the law won't help you - foreshadowing the moral ambiguity of justice.
Worldbuilding
Establishment of Wolf City, the Ballou ranch, the railroad expansion threatening homesteaders, and the villainous Sir Harry Percival and his hired gun Tim Strawn.
Disruption
Frankie Ballou is murdered by the gunslinger Tim Strawn (silver-nosed killer), hired by the railroad to drive homesteaders off their land.
Resistance
Cat debates revenge vs. justice, recruits the Sholeen gang (Clay, Jed, Jackson) and sends for legendary gunfighter Kid Shelleen, discovering the law won't help her.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Cat actively chooses to become an outlaw, deciding to rob trains to fund their revenge against Sir Harry Percival and Tim Strawn.
Mirror World
Kid Shelleen arrives as a drunken has-been, creating a comic but meaningful relationship that will teach Cat about redemption and second chances.
Premise
The fun of the outlaw premise: Cat's gang pulls off train robberies, Kid Shelleen sobers up and trains, and Cat becomes the notorious bandit "Cat Ballou."
Midpoint
False victory: Cat's gang successfully robs the Wolf City payroll train and she becomes famous, but this raises the stakes as she's now a wanted outlaw with a price on her head.
Opposition
The gang is hunted, internal tensions rise, Kid Shelleen faces his nemesis Tim Strawn, and Cat realizes that revenge may cost more than she bargained for.
Collapse
Cat is captured and sentenced to hang, facing literal death. Her cause seems lost and her friends scattered.
Crisis
Cat awaits execution in despair while Kid Shelleen and the gang grapple with whether they can save her and complete their mission.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Kid Shelleen reveals Tim Strawn is his twin brother and devises a plan to infiltrate the hanging, synthesizing his reformed skills with new determination.
Synthesis
The finale: Kid confronts and kills his brother Tim Strawn, the gang rescues Cat from hanging, and Sir Harry Percival is defeated, delivering justice.
Transformation
Cat rides off with her outlaw gang and reformed Kid Shelleen, transformed from proper schoolteacher to legendary outlaw who found justice outside the law.