High Noon In Tonypandy by Daniel Hill

High Noon in Tonypandy!!

A Cowboy and Line-Dancing Love Story Set in 1975 Wales

Dylan Jones is a born cowboy in the South Wales Valleys — handsome, fearless, and idolising John Wayne. Though raised in the shadow of coal dust and tragedy — his father, a local cop, was gunned down by the notorious Callan Gang — Dylan's dreams live in black-and-white Westerns and Technicolor nights.

Grace is the American-Welsh daughter of the local corner shop owners, a champion line-dancer, and the love of Dylan’s life. But heartbreak hits when Grace is driven away by jealous rival Natalie, who tricks a drunken Dylan into believing she's Grace — then traps him with a fake pregnancy and a forced marriage.

Laid off from the mines by the Aberdare “Mexicans,” Dylan and his loyal best mate, Lonesome, are conned out of their severance pay by the mysterious outlaw, Black-Hat Ted — an ice cream van-driving hustler with a whip, a Winchester, and a sex-crazed moll. Ted flees with the cash to Bristol, only to be humiliated, and vows to return and kill Dylan at High Noon.

As the clock ticks down to Dylan’s reluctant wedding to Natalie, chaos erupts in Tonypandy:

Grace is leaving town for America.

Mountain Man Phil — Natalie’s real lover — is out of prison and heading for the church to kill Dylan.

Dylan’s ghostly cowboy ancestors appear, reminding him who he really is.

Lonesome staggers out of a drunken hen party, naked and desperate to stop the wedding.

Dylan’s dog Custer howls.

And Dylan, suited in black, torn between duty and true love, walks out into a Valley showdown he can’t avoid.

At a crumbling shack by the lake, Black-Hat Ted cracks his bull-whip, loaded with live ammo now, daring Dylan to face him.

It’s almost High Noon. The bells are clanging.

Will the good guy get the good girl?

Or is it too late for everything?

PITCH DECK: HIGH NOON IN TONYPANDY!!

A Line-Dancing Cowboy Love Story Set in 1975 Wales
Genre: Musical Comedy Western / Valley Noir / Cult Romance
Tone: The Full Monty meets Blazing Saddles by way of Footloose and The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

1. TITLE CARD

HIGH NOON IN TONYPANDY!!
“A black-and-white cowboy who dreams in colour, a heartbroken line-dancer, and one last showdown before the noon bells toll…”

2. THE LOG LINE

When a stunt-ready Welsh cowboy is conned out of his fortune and the love of his life, he must fight back — against an ice-cream van outlaw, a line-dancing rivalry, and his own broken heart — before the church bells ring at High Noon.

3. THE WORLD

Tonypandy, South Wales Valleys – 1975.
A town caught between mining grit and American Western fantasy.

* Men wear cowboy hats to the pub.

* Line-dancing is a battleground.

* Coal dust mixes with popcorn and heartbreak.
It’s gritty, ghost-haunted, and gloriously surreal.

4. OUR HERO

DYLAN JONES

* A born cowboy. Can’t be a cop (he only sees in black and white).

* Son of a murdered local legend.

* Idolises John Wayne, carries Wyatt Earp’s bullet-dented pocket watch.

* Heartbroken, broke, and forced to marry the wrong girl.

* Walks like a cowboy, loves like a poet.

* Just wants one final ride into the sunset with Grace…

5. OUR HEROINE

GRACE THOMAS

* Champion line-dancer.

* Daughter of American immigrant and local shopkeeper.

* Driven out by betrayal and small-town cruelty.

* Booked a one-way bus to the States — unless Dylan stops her…

6. THE VILLAIN

BLACK-HAT TED

* Wears black leather, drives a battered Mister Whippy van with buffalo horns.

* Ice cream seller, scam artist, gunman.

* Wants to build a fake Wild West town, but ends up stealing the town’s real cowboy’s soul and cash.

* Returns to Tonypandy with a real gun and a death wish.

7. KEY CHARACTERS

* LONESOME – Dylan’s pint-sized, loyal, mostly-naked best mate with a four-string guitar.

* NATALIE – Jealous rival line-dancer, manipulator, mascara-streaked chaos machine.

* MOUNTAIN MAN PHIL – Natalie’s ex, fresh out of prison, shotgun in hand.

* MARGARITA & LORETTA – Dylan’s fiery, half-Spanish mum and glamorous, half-deaf sister.

* CUSTER – Dylan’s almost-human mongrel dog, his true spirit guide.

8. THE CLIMAX

A High Noon showdown at the church and the lake:

* Grace leaving town.

* Wedding bells clanging.

* Ted waiting by the shack with real bullets.

* Ghosts of Dylan’s cowboy ancestors watching.

* One last ride to win back the girl, stop the madness, and reclaim his legend.

9. TONE & STYLE

Visual Style:

* Black-and-white fantasy sequences vs. saturated 70s Valleys reality.

* Spaghetti Western framingmeets gritty Welsh realism.

* Line-dance sequences like musical duels.

* Surreal, stylised, and cinematic.

Think:

* The Coen Brothers do Dirty Dancing

* Guy Ritchie meets Local Hero

* Heartfelt parody with a big, beating heart

10. WHY NOW?

* Taps into nostalgia and modern absurdism.

* Celebrates working-class identity and cultural mashups.

* Unique blend of genre, humour, and emotional depth.

* A cult film in the making — with real heart and a killer soundtrack.

11. FORMAT & POTENTIAL

* Feature Film (90–100 mins)

* Soundtrack-driven with original line-dancing sequences

* Strong potential for stage adaptation or cult musical series

12. FINAL SLIDE – TAGLINE

"Sometimes the cowboy doesn’t ride off into the sunset... He dances back into it."