NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Kino Blu-ray (September 2019): Burt Kennedy's 1969 Western/Comedy "Support Your Local Sheriff!" comes to Blu-ray via Kino Lorber, on a single-layered disc. The film stars James Garner, Bruce Dern, Walter Brennan, Jack Elam, and a whole host of other iconic actors. The 1.85:1 HD image is given a supportive bitrate throughout the film's running time. There texture of the presentation shows a rather thick grain structure, while never showing too fine of a level of detail. There is a modest contrast, showing an acceptable amount of detail in darkness and shadows though we have certainly seen much better. Certain moments, such as the film's title sequence, as well as some muddy brawls, rely on a weaker film stock, resulting in some uneven and blurry moments. For the most part, this transfer is a respectable 1080p transfer, and fans should be pleased to upgrade their DVDs.

"Support Your Local Sheriff!" gets a 16-bit DTS-HD Master audio score, in 2.0. The score is thanks to Jeff Alexander, and as Schlesinger mentions in his commentary track, Burt Kennedy's favorite composer tended to write cartoony scores (often utilizing the jaws harp). Though the dialogue is audible, this isn't anywhere near a reference-quality track, sounding rather flat and muffled at times. There are optional English subtitles on this Region 'A' Blu-ray from Kino.

The main extra on this Kino Blu-ray is an audio commentary. Filmmaker and film historian Michael Schlesinger introduces the film as "probably the crowning achievement of Burt Kennedy's directorial career" with the film celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. 18 people worked on both "Support Your Local Sheriff!" and its follow-up "Support Your Local Gunfighter!", and the filmmaker mentions that his commentary on the latter was recorded first, so there may be some crossover comments. Schlesinger has a jovial tone to the commentary, which keeps the track from ever going stale. The film historian side of Schlesinger certainly comes out as he goes on to describe the careers of much of the cast and crew of the film. A favorite moment of mine comes near the end of the film, with Schlesinger saying "Okay continuity error fans, here ya go; thirteen people rode in, there are two dead bodies in the street, and yet there are still 13 people walking down the street" (you can even count them all in our last capture below). This track is a lot of fun for fans of "Support Your Local Sheriff!" or the genre in general. The only other extra on the Blu-ray disc is the film's trailer, as well as trailers for "Support Your Local Gunfighter!", "Duel at Diablo", "Rawhide", and "Young Billy Young".

1969 was the height of the western genre (as Schlesinger notes in his commentary) and "Support Your Local Sheriff!" was a rather modern comedic take on the Western. Though the image leaves one wanting more, Kino's Blu-ray wisely includes a fantastic commentary from Michael Schlesinger, as well as some trailers. Recommended to fans of the genre. 

Colin Zavitz