James Stewart and Henry Fonda’s Western Comedy Is a Hilarious Masterpiece

The Big Picture

• John’ O’Hanlan’s discomfort with inheriting a brothel leads to comedic situations, as he tries to navigate running the Cheyenne Social Club.
• The irony of the women’s fondness for the brothel breaks social boundaries and adds humor to the film.
• Harley’s ditzy character provides constant laughter and unexpected heroism in the story.

The Cheyenne Social Club is a quirky Western movie. John O’Hanlan (James Stewart) is on a journey to navigate an inherited business. When his brother DJ died, he had to take over his brothel, but reluctantly preferred to make it into a boarding house. While filled with jokes and comedic scenes, the movie is rooted in themes related to reputation, morals, and freedom. Gene Kelly directed this great comedy through the subversion of traditional gender norms, wherein the brothel is represented in an idealistic manner where the women are happy with their sex-working occupations. This film also ends with an exciting shootout, which was instigated and resolved by John’s best friend, Harley Sullivan (Henry Fonda). This is definitely a must-watch comedy due to its comic irony embedded throughout the film.

The Comedy of John O’Hanlan’s Righteousness

John’s prudence towards the Cheyenne Social Club and the sex workers who work at the brothel is the primary comedic aspect of this film. The stereotype of what should be considered a man’s dream in the United States is John’s worst nightmare. His discomfort with running a brothel stems from religious beliefs that oppose premarital sex. John has a sheepish nature, in which he is scared to speak his mind to the citizens of Cheyenne. Not just with the brothel business, but with other aspects of his life. He is scared that the people of Cheyenne will find out he’s a Democrat, and he begs Harley not to tell them that he is not a Republican. He is teased by Harley constantly for his inability to shoot a gun. John’s inability to share his opinion makes his business at the Cheyenne Club even more difficult to conduct. Ultimately, he can’t even close the bar and convert the property because of the reverter clause that the will turn the brothel into a railway should it close. Meaning, when the ladies leave, the building goes too. The irony of John’s displeasure with the everything surrounding his inheriting a brothel sets the foundation for comedy in this film.

The Comic Irony of The Cheyenne Social Club

This film presents a lighthearted version of a brothel, an idealistic version in which women enjoy their occupations and take pride and liberation in being one of the Cheyenne Club’s “girls.” When John arrives in the town of Cheyenne, he unwittingly asks a lady where the Cheyenne Social Club is, and she slaps him. At the Cheyenne Social Club, he is shocked to find that the women are deeply upset about the death of his brother, DJ. The women are sharing their fond memories with DJ John, which perplexes him. All women presented themselves as DJs’ favorites, and thus treated John with the same level of respect. From being offered beef steak, to any woman he would like, he becomes overwhelmed.

When deciding he will not be able to sustainably run a brothel, he announces this news to the ladies of the house. The women become furious with him when he tells them he is closing the brothel and replacing it with a boarding house. Despite this, John still takes care of these women because he is a respectful man. He defends Jenny (Shirley Jones) when Corey Bannister (Robert Wilke) assaults her by confronting him in the bar and shooting him. The irony of the women’s fondness for the Cheyenne Club breaks social boundaries, making the taboo normal in the film. This layer of irony also makes the film hilariously entertaining, seeing the contrasts between John and the citizens of Cheyenne, who adore the Cheyenne Club. In the end, a woman gets to own the brothel, which is a completely idealized version of such a business.

Harley’s Ditzy Character Always Causes Laughter

Henry Fonda’s role as Harley, is the funniest aspect of The Cheyenne Social Club. He always follows John around, and they are always arguing with each other like an old married couple. John asks Harley why he always follows him and Harley scratches his head, confused. John and Harley share DJ’s old bedroom together at the Cheyenne Club. When John tries to sleep, he is awakened to Harley cracking and eating walnuts in the bed that they are sharing. John stares at him annoyed, but Harley doesn’t even seem to notice. When John accuses him of mooching, Harley explores Cheyenne on his own, which leads to a sequence where Henry Fonda’s performance thrives at comedic punches. Harley sits at the bar with a man who is over 100 years old, and wonders why he continues to stare at him. Getting enraged at the man’s staring, he yells at him before realizing he was deceased.

Eventually leaving Cheyenne to head back to Texas by himself, Harley becomes the unlikely hero of the story, even though he accidentally exposed John’s name to Corey Bannister’s (Robert J. Wilke) uncle and cousins. Corey was killed by John because he beat up one of John’s “girls,” Jenny. When Harley realizes he is talking to the Bannister family, he heads back to Cheyenne to help John. This also pushes Harley and John back together as best friends, so they are able to return to their Texas ranch together. Harley’s unquestioning loyalty towards John makes the film both hilarious and heart-warming.

The next time you are in the mood for a comedy, consider watching The Cheyenne Social Club. The stellar performances of the legendary pair, James Stewart and Henry Fonda, bring a delightful harmony between humor and Western showdowns. The town of Cheyenne breaks all social boundaries of the perceptions of brothels, wherein women are liberated and empowered by their sexual occupations. The comic irony of the Cheyenne Club makes for an underrated Western film and Harley’s side story and constant bickering with John make the film perfectly hilarious every minute.

You can watch the Cheyenne Social Club on Apple TV.Watch on Apple TV