From Combinations to Combinations
a continuation of my previous three part
postings of From Bloomers to Combinations with a twist.
In
the 1969 film, Support Your Local Sheriff, local
rough and tumble girl, Prudy Perkins (Joan Hackett), tomboy that she is, prefers long red union suits as her underwear of choice. Prudy is
the daughter Calendar, Colorado Territory's mayor, Olly
Perkins (Harry Morgan). Unlike prim and proper Patricia Rawnsley,
daughter of Lord Rawnsley in Those Magnificant Men in Their Flying
Machines, Prudy adhors elegant bloomers, underwear of the fair
gender, so instead chooses to wear men's underwear.
Or
is it men's underwear?! 'Tis a fact that union suits were first manufactured for women! They
were created and patented in Utica, New York in 1868 as
“emancipation union under flannel." The new fangled union suits were underclothes for women. The new long underwear kept women warm and comfortable, freeing them from the shackles of layers of underwear: corsets, bustles, and the like. Their union suits were made of red flannel having arms that stretched to their wrists and legs
that stretched to their ankles. The underwear buttoned all the way up the front
and had a rear flap with buttons. Kinda reminds you of that which men wear today. Not much has changed in the union suit world in155
years. Since that early time, union suit underwear have mostly been worn by men, that's at least 140
years! So, I suppose a convincing argument could be made that those of
us who wear them are wearing women's underwear! Well, let's don't go there.
Back to the story. A self-confidant cowboy arrives in Calendar on his way
to Australia, or so he keeps telling everyone. Soon, Jason McCullough
(James Garner) is found to be especially adept at handling a side
arm. In fact, he is the fastest draw anyone in this part of Colorado
has every seen. He is hired by Mayor Perkins and the town council to
clean up the town, a bustling crime ridden place with shootings every
hour. Several of the past sheriffs were run out of town or killed. McCullough is encouraged, somewhat reluctantly by the mayor, to arrest the
town ruffian (Bruce Dern) who is accused of killing another man in
cold blood.
On
his way to do so, McCullough breaks up a mud-slinging brawl that erupted in the
middle of main street. Prudy had been trying to cross the street as
the fight broke out....
but is knocked down, face first, in the mud. With her dander up, she joins in the fight...
The new sheriff sees Prudy just as she is noticing him. Not a good first impression! But he seems interested....
.
Soon, the new sheriff, taking control, turns on a fire hose to break up the skirmish.
In the meantime, Prudy sloshes home, strips down to her red union suit and begins cleaning the mud out of her hair:
Looking out the kitchen window, she sees that her papa, the mayor. He's bringing the new sheriff over to their house! She over hears him telling the sheriff, he wants him to meet her. Prudy panics! He can't see her in her muddy long underwear with her face still covered in mud and her hair all wet and matted. The men come closer to the house.
Where can she hide? Maybe up stairs? Oops to late, she'll never make it before being seen...
To the closet? Nope, that ain't gonna work.
So, as fast as she can, Prudy runs for the front door as the men come in the side.
And out the door she goes. In her underwear. A long red, wet
union suit to boot...
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Crawling along the fence line, she wonders where can she hide? Well, it's spring and the trees are full of leaves. She decides her best way to hide from being discovered is to climb that tree! So she does, hoping she won't be seen up there!
The mayor is very proud of his daughter and had wanted the new sheriff to meet her. Not finding her after a search of the house, Sheriff McCullough takes his leave by the front door, parting company with the mayor. While walking down the sidewalk, he hears rustling up in the tree. Looking up, McCullough sees Prudy perched on a branch. Wearing bright red underwear, she is hard to miss.
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What comes next? Well, I can tell you the fun continues so you'll want to be sure to see this one. James Garner is at his very best, confident self in this 1969 United Artist film. And, the attractive Joan Hackett, once she is out of her union suit, cleaned up and dressed, is great in her acting role as well.
Oh, by the way, at the movie's end, the Sheriff faces down the murderer after hilarious encounters and arresting a bunch
of other bad relatives and neighbors too. After a ferocious gun fight where no one seems to be shot, McCullough accidently shoots off the town's canon and blows
up the local brothel.
At the explosion, the madam and her ladies come rushing out of the building in their underwear, not union suits like Purdy's, but bloomers and slips:
They are soon joined outside by their customers who happen to be wearing only their underwear...The customers? None other than the town council:
Oh yeah, and Prudy's papa, the town mayor in his union suit accompanys the madam to safety!
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