The Ballad of Cable Hogue 1970

Cable Hogue is isolated in the desert around 1905, waiting for his partners, Taggart and Bowen, who are scouting for water. The two hatch a ruthless scheme to seize the little water that remains to save themselves, and Cable, wary of conflict, is disarmed and abandoned to a fate that looks almost certain to end him.

The harsh desert tests him with sandstorms and searing heat, and in a moment of desperate faith, Cable bargains with God. Four days later, near death, he stumbles on a muddy pit, digs, and discovers a plentiful supply of water. He learns that this well is the sole lifeline between two towns along a stagecoach route, a discovery that inspires him to stay, stake a claim, and build a business around the spring. His first paying customer is the Rev. Joshua Duncan Sloane, a wandering minister with his own revelation. Joshua doubts Cable’s claim to the spring, prompting Cable to race into the town of Dead Dog to file at the land office.

Despite the mockery that greets his bold claim, Cable presses on, purchasing two acres around the spring and setting out to drum up business. He’s soon at the stage office, only to be rejected by a skeptical owner, and then pitches the venture to a bank president who is dubious at first but is won over by Cable’s grit, granting him a modest stake of $100.

Cable, who hasn’t bathed since his desert wanderings, decides to treat himself to a night with Hildy, a prostitute in the town saloon. They forge a lighthearted, evolving understanding, but before they can consummate anything, Cable remembers that boundary markers must be set and rushes out, much to Hildy’s chagrin. She chases him through a chaotic scene that unsettles the town.

Back at the spring, Cable and Joshua begin to dig in earnest, dubbing the place Cable Springs. The two visit the town and arrive drunk, sharing a sense of rebellion against convention. Cable reconciles with Hildy and spends the night with her, while Joshua pursues his own version of love, indulging in relationships with emotionally vulnerable women.

Joshua decides he must return to town, while Hildy—having been asked to leave by the changing townsfolk who can’t tolerate open prostitution—tells Cable she’ll leave for San Francisco in the morning, only to stay with him for three weeks in a tender montage that marks the end of an era. Joshua later wanders back to Cable Springs, getting into trouble with a married woman in Dead Dog, but leaves again as Hildy continues toward San Francisco. Cable continues to run Cable Springs alone.

Then Taggart and Bowen ride in again on the stagecoach. Cable lets them believe he bears no ill will, hinting at a hidden stash of cash they might return for. When they do, Cable outwits them by dumping rattlesnakes into the pit they’ve dug. Bowen grovels, while Taggart is ready to draw his gun, only to be shot dead by Hogue.

A motorcar suddenly roars past Cable Springs, indifferent to the relic of frontier life. “Went right on by,” Cable mutters in disbelief. “Well, that’s gonna be the next fella’s worry.” Cable shows mercy to Bowen, even giving him Cable Springs as he sets off to San Francisco in search of Hildy. A stagecoach arrives, and a black motorcycle with a sidecar pulls up, carrying Joshua, who delivers a funeral oration for Cable as he dies. The scene shifts to a mournful funeral, with the cast paying tribute to the man and the era he represents. The stagecoach and the motorcar drift away in opposite directions, while a coyote with a collar wanders into Cable Springs, a quiet symbol of a wilderness that’s been tamed, at least for now.