The New Daughters of Joshua Cabe (1976)

John McIntire is Joshua Cabe, an old-timer trying to hold onto his land claim with the help of three pretend daughters.

They have checkered pasts. Mae (Leslie Dalton) was a soiled dove. Ada (Renne Jarrett) has been known to pick a pocket of a few. And Charity (Liberty Williams) spent time in prison.

But now each can claim a section of Wyoming if they live on the ranch with Joshua for a year.

Then Matt Cobley learns the truth about Joshua’s “daughters and threatens to tell all if he doesn’t sell him the homestead.

When Cobley winds up dead, Cabe is convicted of murder and sentenced to die.

His three new daughters and ranch partner Bitterroot (Jack Elam) are determined to make sure that doesn’t happen.

The daughters decide a jail break is in order. Bitterroot tries the legal path to get Joshua out of prison.

John McIntire as Joshua Cabe, in prison and awaiting his hanging in The New Daughters of Joshua Cabe (1976)

Jack Elam as Bitterroot, trying to keep the ‘daughters’ out of too much trouble in The New Daughters of Joshua Cabe (1976)

Review:

The emphasis is definitely on humor in this third of the three “Daughters of Joshua” films.

First, the three “bad” girls decide to try to old baked goods trick, hoping to smuggle a file and a derringer into jail in a loaf of bread and a pie.

When those efforts literally falll apart, they decide to try to hold up a stage to get in jail alongside Joshua, but can’t even manage to get arrested.

Finally, Ada comes up with a plan that works better.

As for the telefilm, this works no better or worse than the first two — The Daughters of Joshua Cabe (1972) and The Daughters of Joshua Cabe Return (1973).

Understand the daughters changed in all three films. So did Joshua, with Buddy Ebsen and Dan Dailey playing that role in the first two.

Renne Jarrett as Ada, the former pick-pocket worried about her new ‘dad’ in The New Daughters of Joshua Cabe (1976)

Liberty Williams as Charity, heartened by her new ‘pa”s determination in The New Daughters of Joshua Cabe (1976)

Directed by:
Bruce Bilson

Cast:
John McIntire … Joshua Cabe
Jack Elam … Bitterroot
Jeanette Nolan … Essie Cargo
Liberty Williams … Charity
Renne Jarrett … Ada
Lezlie Dalton … Mae
John Dehner … Warden Mannering
Geoffrey Lewis … Dutton
Sean McClory … Codge Collier
Joel Fabiani … Matt Cobley
Fird Rainey … The judge
Larry Hovis … Clel Tonkins

Runtime: 73 min.

Lezlie Dalton as Mae, the former soiled dove, worried about a revelation in The New Daughters of Joshua Cabe (1976)

John Dehner as Warden Mannering, the man ordered to hang Joshua in The New Daughters of Joshua Cabe (1976)

Memorable lines:

Charity, posing as a newspaper reporter: “Would you say that the gallows are a deterrent to crime?”
Warden Mannering: “Miss Hopewell, it’s a well-known fact that the prisoners who climb those steps do not repeat their crimes.”

Charity, as Ada dons a man’s disguise: “Not bad. There’s only one thing I’m worried about.”
Ada: “What’s that?”
Charity: “You’re all woman, honey. For the next few minutes, don’t let any of it show.”

Joel Fabiani as Matt Cobley, the man who learns the ‘daughters’ secrets in The New Daughters of Joshua Cabe (1976)

Jeannette Nolan as Essie Cargo, Joshua’s longtime friend, forced to testify against him in The New Daughters of Joshua Cabe (1976)