Kick-off party June 29, 2013
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The following was written by John McElwee and posted by him on his blog Greenbriar Picture Shows, on January 9, 2011. It is reprinted here with Mr. McElwee’s kind permission. If you get the chance, I highly recommend a visit to Greenbriar Picture Shows (just click on the link). I think once you do, you will become a regular reader. Great articles, great movie reviews, just an all around wonderful blog. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it! Click to enlarge image. To think we English speakers have gone years thinking Big Jim McLain was merely John Wayne fighting Communists. Little did I realize BJM was an all-purpose commodity easily adaptable to market needs here and over there, as evidenced by Euro posters at right and below. Marijuana, their reimagining of Jim McLain as drug-buster thanks to overdubbing and judicious edits, was customized for German, Italian and who knows what other foreign sites. Makes sense inasmuch as continentals vested little in our stateside struggle with Red hijinks, a punk enterprise for Yank-heroic Wayne to be concerning himself with in any case. Look at Big Jim McLain and see how easy its jigsaw might mix or match. Remove opener/closing portions, revolved around HUAC hearings, and this pic could be about anything, so devilishly simple are changes you'd apply to its one-size-fits-all format. John Wayne produced the show with partner Robert Fellows, his first independent under that banner, and I'm wondering if he thought up the idea. Overseas money was vital for breaking even by the fifties. Restricting appeal to US markets was no viable option. Watch Big Jim McLain and note how flexible it is to any topic in the deck. Hawaii-bound Wayne could be investigating contraband pineapples for choices handlers enjoyed with scissors and subbed voicing here, Big Jim McLain itself more than a ripe candidate for 2011 You Tube mash-upping. Click to enlarge. Variety reported the film as having come about as result of Warners being unable to find a "suitable yarn" for Wayne to fulfill his 1952 installment of a one-a-year deal they'd shook on earlier. Operation Pacific had been the last, with follow-up overdue. WB proposed The Sea Chase, featuring Wayne as a trade-described "Nazi sea captain," said part understandably Duke-nixed (he'd play it in modified mode later). The star had been spoiling toward independence after a fashion of names he'd surpassed (or nearly so) boxoffice-wise. New dealing would call for he and Fellows to deliver a brace of shows in addition to ones Wayne was previous pledged to, first of which, Jim McLain, was found and developed by the team. Warners agreed to advance $750,000 toward its making, a crew headed for extensive location in the Hawaiian islands, that site also used for Fox's Bird Of Paradise and MGM's Pagan Love Song, both then-recently in release. Wayne wouldn't cheat on scenics for Big Jim McLain. Virtually all his outdoor stuff, and much of the interiors, were shot against real background, process screens used but sparingly (only a week to ten days scheduled for studio lensing). All this was fill-up for audiences who'd not experienced island vistas so generously ladled out, Wayne himself and not mere second units enjoying it with his public. I'm guessing Big Jim McLain did a lot for Hawaii tourism. Watching it now, especially in HD, makes me almost want to fly there ... John Wayne & Nancy Olson. Click to enlarge. Let's forget politics and consider what's delightful about Big Jim McLain. First, it's John Wayne with what's left of his hair down (age forty-five circa 1952) and as relaxed here as ever I've seen him in modern dress. That last is a key. How often did this actor go jaw-busting in casual attire we could shop for in hometowns? (and yes, there were fashion tie-ins). JW spends much of BJM in Hawaiian shirt and sandals, one punch at a low-level Red administered not in reprisal for espionage, but for the guy's having rumpled Duke's sportswear. Big Jim McLain wasn't meant then or now to be taken too seriously, whatever its ideological licks at beginning and end. Clear forecast is here of a laid-back Wayne to come, his performance keyed to make clear this star's recognition of what fans most enjoyed seeing him do. JW-produced comfort westerns ahead were very much built on foundation of Big Jim McLain. Click to enlarge. I'll hand it to Wayne for casting even-taller James Arness as investigating sidekick, rendering the pic's title something of a misnomer for the latter's being real-life Big(er) Jim. There is Nancy Olson for Wayne's love interest (an unmarried couple here, but for all the world, they seem to be living together). Of his non-Ford romantic pairings, this may be JW's most appealing. Much time goes to sight-seeing and terrace dining with the pair, obvious plants to show off Hawaii and never mind slowing of pace, this is like observing courtly Wayne off-hours dating, a privileged glimpse fans might do well treasuring (JW's second marriage cracking up as BJM was being shot). A segment I particularly liked has Wayne and Olson walking full length of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel's elegant lobby, gawking tourists in lower-lit background no doubt storing memory of this encounter with movie stars on location. Big Jim McLain pretty much gives up on action quotient given fact that heavies here are of intellectual bent, being Communist after all, and where's sense of having Wayne lay fragile Alan Napier out cold? Fists connect seldom, and mostly with straw henchmen put there as punch bags for Duke and staff who'll be doing stills and trailers. Big Jim McLain was/is a model star vehicle on autopilot setting. They couldn't all be Red River and The Quiet Man, after all. Ticket sales would make up for doubts expressed in reviews (buncha snooty easterners, as dismissed by Wayne), with two million in domestic rentals, $661,000 foreign, and ultimate profit of $1.2 million. Warners rewarded Big Jim McLain's success (and that of Plunder Of The Sun, also from Wayne-Fellows) by extending pact with the producing pair to four years, which would give WB and Wayne among their biggest paydays of the 50's. Some more great images from Big Jim McLain! Just click on any image to enlarge it.
For years there has been quite a bit of talk (and not a little controversy) regarding John Wayne’s real name. As most know, he received the name “John Wayne” after winning the part of Breck Coleman in Raoul Walsh’s The Big Trail in 1930. Walsh and studio head Winfield Sheehan sat down to discuss the name and impending name change. Sheehan thought the name Marion (Wayne’s real first name) wasn’t manly enough. Walsh, an admirer of General “Mad” Anthony Wayne, offered up the name “Tony Wayne.” Sheehan didn’t like it, but did like the name “John,” and the rest is history. John Wayne didn’t even have an opportunity to offer up his opinion on the matter. Wayne never really got used to the name “John Wayne,” and often would not answer when someone called his name. And when he introduced himself, he often said, “My name is John Wayne, but my friends call me Duke.” Indeed, his nickname was Duke – a name he had been given while still a young boy. According to history, he had an Airedale dog named Duke, who would follow him to school. Local firefighters who had befriended the boy, would proclaim “here comes big Duke and little Duke” when they would see the pair walking down the street, and the name stuck. And to clarify a point, his nickname is “Duke,” not “The Duke.” Just Duke. In fact, Wayne used his real last name and his nickname during his early years in Hollywood, and his first on-screen credit (for 1929’s Words and Music) was as “Duke Morrison.” Now, most folks know that John Wayne’s real name was Marion Morrison, and there is really no doubt about that. The questions that eventually arise regarding his real name, is just what was his middle name – his “real” middle name, or his full legal name? According to his birth certificate, John Wayne’s full legal name at birth was Marion Robert Morrison, as evidenced by the birth certificate and accompanying affidavit shown below; as well as his signature on his 1943 application to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), also shown below. Click on any image to enlarge it. According to biographers, when Wayne’s brother Robert was born, his mother changed his name to either Marion “Michael” Morrison, or Marion “Mitchell” Morrison, in order to gain some favor with a wealthy relative; and it is here the controversy arises. Is his name “Robert,” “Michael” or “Mitchell”? Although Wayne’s mother may have told him that his name was no longer “Robert,” the fact is, she never legally changed his middle name. From the day he was born until the day his died, John Wayne’s legal name was Marion Robert Morrison. Although Wayne knew this (as evidenced by his OSS application shown above), he still tried to keep the peace with his mother, by using either Michael or Mitchell as his middle name. According to the same OSS application noted above, Which he legally signed as Marion Robert Morrison, Wayne notes that he also uses the name Marion Michael Morrison. Also, in a letter written by Wayne’s eldest son, Michael Wayne, to comedienne Phyllis Diller, Michael Wayne writes (regarding a photo he sent with the letter), “The photo is of Marion Michael Morrison playing football at U.S.C.” So, the use of the name Marion Michael Morrison was common enough that his family was aware of it, and considered this to be his actual name. But where does the middle name of Mitchell come into play, you may ask? Actually from John Wayne himself, who not only used the name Marion Michael Morrison, but also the name Marion Mitchell Morrison. In fact, when he signed his marriage certificate to Josephine Saenz in 1933, he signed it as Marion Mitchell Morrison. Click on either image to enlarge it. We may never really know with 100% certainty just why he used both Michael and Mitchell as his middle name, but I suspect it had more to do with keeping his mother happy by not using the name Robert which she had taken away from him to give to his brother, than anything else. He was a dutiful son who loved and respected his mother without question, and who also felt the same about his younger brother. How difficult would it have truly been to capitulate to his mothers wishes regarding his middle name, and what harm could come of it? And in the end, it likely gave him some small amount of amusement to watch people try and guess his full name. In an industry such as his, where every aspect of one’s life is brought into the light, examined under a public microscope, and questioned by more than a few, it was probably kind of nice to have at least one small part of that life that remained somewhat shrouded in mystery.
Oh, by the way, I know I mentioned that his first on-screen credit was as Duke Morrison, but did you know that he used (at least once) a name other than Duke Morrison or John Wayne in his on-screen credits? Yep, he sure did. In the 1960 episode of Wagon Train titled The Colter Craven Story, Duke played General William Tecumseh Sherman in a very brief cameo appearance. During his brief time on-screen, he is shown only in shadow. The only recognizable feature being his distinctive voice. The reason for this was simply to give the viewers something of a small mystery – “Was that John Wayne? Was that really John Wayne?” they would ask. And watching the credits roll by at the end of the episode would not answer that question, because he was credited as “Michael Morris.” On April 7, 1970, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, John Wayne was finally recognized by his peers at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 42nd Academy Awards presentation. It had been ten years since his previous nomination as producer of The Alamo (nominated for Best Picture), and twenty years since his nomination for best actor in Sands of Iwo Jima. Both of which he should have won. Duke accepting his Oscar April 7, 1970 It has long been my admittedly biased opinion, that John Wayne was a highly underrated actor. To be sure, over his fifty year career he made a few films that didn’t quite measure up to what we have come to expect from a John Wayne film, but what actor hasn’t made a few bad films? Throughout that half century career, however, The Duke turned out some mighty fine performances, including some that I think were quite worthy of at least an Oscar nomination. Aside from Sands of Iwo Jima and The Alamo (both of which, as I said, he should have won Academy Awards), consider his portrayal of Captain Brittles in She Wore A Yellow Ribbon, or Tom Dunson in Red River? Or how about his performance as Ethan Edwards in The Searchers, easily one of the greatest films ever made. His roles as Bob Hightower in 3 Godfathers, Rusty Ryan in They Were Expendable, Dan Roman in High and the Mighty, Hondo Lane in Hondo, Chance in Rio Bravo, Tom Doniphon in Liberty Valance, Sean Thornton in The Quiet Man, Wil Anderson in The Cowboys, and J.B. Books in The Shootist, all are, in my opinion, Oscar worthy performances, and yet, the great man only won the one Academy Award. Over the years, John Wayne made several appearances at the Academy Awards, and I thought it would kind of nice to take a brief look at those appearances. John Wayne accepts Best Director Oscar for an absent John Ford from Olivia DeHavilland on stage at the 25th annual Academy Awards presentation in 1953, as well as accepting the Best Actor Award for his friend Gary Cooper. This was the first televised Academy Award show. At his last televised public appearance on April 9, 1979, Duke presented the Best Picture Oscar to Michael Cimino for the film The Deer Hunter.
I found a few minutes to do some aimless internet surfing today, and I came across these two videos featuring the great Maureen O'Hara and Stephanie Powers talking about the film McLintock! which they both starred in alongside John Wayne. I enjoyed them very much, and thought I would share them with you. If you haven't seen them before, you're in for a treat! Enjoy! The following was written by Toby Roan of the "50 Westerns from the 50's" blog, and is reblogged here with Toby's kind permission (Thanks Toby!). If you get the chance, take a gander at Toby's blog by clicking the link above. I guarantee you're gonna love it! Blu-ray Review: Hondo (1953) May 22, 2012 by Toby at 50 Westerns from the 50’s A Wayne-Fellows Production Directed by John Farrow Produced by Robert Fellows Screenplay by James Edward Grant Based on a story (“The Gift Of Cochise”) by Louis L’Amour Photography: Robert Burks, ASC and Archie Stout, ASC Editor: Ralph Dawson, ACE Music: Emil Newman and Hugo Friedhofer Technical Advisor: Major Philip Kieffer CAST: John Wayne (Hondo Lane), Geraldine Page (Angie Lowe), Ward Bond (Buffalo Baker), Michael Pate (Vittorio), James Arness (Lennie), Rodolfo Acosta (Silva), Leo Gordon (Ed Lowe), Tom Irish (Lt. McKay), Lee Aaker (Johnny Lowe), Paul Fix (Major Sherry), Rayford Barnes. __________ Over the years, a number of things have kept Hondo from being recognized as the fine Western it is. First, there’s a tendency to discount all 50s 3-D films as slaves to a gimmick. Next, there’s the fact that it was released the same year as, and has a few similarities to, George Stevens’ Shane (1953) — which has taken its place as one of the genre’s giants. Then consider that Hondo sits among pictures like Rio Grande (1950), The Searchers (1956) and Rio Bravo (1959) in John Wayne’s filmography — it’s easy to be overlooked in a crowd like that. Then, and probably the toughest of these hurdles to overcome, is the decade or so the picture was virtually impossible to see. Original novel by Louis L'Amour This absence was brought about by Wayne’s estate and included all the films produced by Wayne-Fellows and Batjac. (When Robert Fellows was bought out, the company was renamed Batjac, after the shipping line in 1949’s Wake Of The Red Witch.) The Batjac pictures resurfaced on DVD in 2005, with a very nice edition of Hondo being one of the highpoints. Hondo began as a Louis L’Amour story, “The Gift Of Cochise,” which James Edward Grant, Wayne’s scriptwriter of choice, adapted for Wayne-Fellows. (It appeared in the July 5, 1952 issue of Collier’s.) John Farrow was signed to direct, and Glenn Ford was offered the lead. Ford didn’t want to work with Farrow after his experience on a previous Wayne-Fellows picture, Plunder Of The Sun (1953). Unwilling to fire the director, Wayne took another look at the script and decided to do it himself. Wayne is Hondo Lane, a Cavalry dispatch rider who turns up at the small ranch of Angie Lowe (Geraldine Page), located in the middle of Apache territory. He’s on foot, with his dog, having lost his horse fighting the Apaches. She says her husband is away and will be back shortly. Seeing through her lie — her husband doesn’t seem to be coming back — he urges her and her son (Lee Aaker) to seek safety from the Apaches. She’s never had trouble with the Apache chief Vittorio (Michael Pate) before, and decides to stay. From there things get a bit more complicated, as Wayne ends up killing Page’s ne’er-do-well husband (Leo Gordon) and being captured and tortured by Vittorio. There’s an exciting wrap-up as Wayne helps the Cavalry lead a number of settlers out of Apache territory. Grant’s script expanded the L’Amour short story considerably, and L’Amour then novelized the screenplay. Published to tie in the film’s opening, it was a bestseller — and is still in print today. John Wayne in 3-D Wayne-Fellows was in a distribution deal with Warner Bros., who’d seen runaway success with House Of Wax (1953) in 3-D, so it soon came to pass that Hondo was to be shot in 3-D. It would be the first time Warner Bros. would use its new All-Media camera rig — and the first of Wayne-Fellow’s productions in color (WarnerColor). All the Batjac pictures benefited from Duke’s working relationships with some of the best actors and technical people around. Behind the camera were cameraman Archie Stout and John Ford, who visited the location and ended up shooting a bit of second unit stuff. The cast included third-billed Ward Bond, Paul Fix in a character part, and James Arness — under contract to Wayne’s company and still a few years from being recommending by Duke for Gunsmoke. One clear break from what, and who, we expect from a John Wayne Movie turned out to be his leading lady — Geraldine Page. Paul Fix: “Duke’s agent, Charles Feldman, also represented Geraldine Page who was a successful actress on the New York stage. Robert Fellows offered her the part without testing her… Duke was dismayed when he first saw her. She had bad teeth, so the first thing Fellows did was send her to a dentist who worked on her for three days.” Cast and crew arrived in Camargo, Mexico, with shooting to start June 11, 1953. Thanks to the technical difficulties of shooting 3-D on location, things got off to a rather slow start. Setups were few and far between. Leo Gordon: “They had that great big camera that was the size of a small truck.” Geraldine Page: “It was a very temperamental machine. So we had lots of time to sit under the broiling Mexican summer sun.” Wayne and mogul Jack Warner had been communicating via telegram from the beginning, often with Wayne complaining about the delays and expense of working in 3-D. Jack Warner saw some dailies and wired on June 18 about more close-ups: “Director is not moving you and Geraldine close enough to camera. Everything seems to be too far away.” Wayne replied two days later: “Farrow has done everything but play music to get camera in for close shots… cameraman is over cautious for fear front office will scream eyestrain. Will show cameraman your wire.” The “cameraman” Wayne refers to is Archie Stout, a Batjac veteran who shared duties on Hondo with Robert Burks, who’d worked on House Of Wax and would go on to shoot some of Hitchcock’s finest films. But the 3-D cameras and frustrated DPs weren’t the only things troubling Wayne. He was in the middle of a divorce from his wife Chata. Their relationship was volatile, to say the least. Then there were his scenes with Page. James Arness: “Acting with Geraldine Page was difficult for Duke, since their styles were completely different. Here was dynamic Wayne, who wanted to move things right along regardless of meaningless details, and a very intense costar who wanted to know the meaning of every scene she was in… as they got used to each other, things worked out fine.” What’s more, the Mexican temperatures sometimes topped 120 degrees. James Arness: “It was mid-summer, and blazing hot down there. We worked 14 hours a day in the sun… After each day’s shooting, we’d all race back to our run-down Mexican motel and hit the bar to quench our thirst. We ordered anything, just so the glass was full of ice. After a few day’s, everyone came down with Montezuma’s revenge… The problem was solved when we realized the water for the ice in our drinks was coming from a polluted river near the hotel.” Lee Aaker: “We were in Mexico for three months doing it… most of all, I remember John Wayne as being very nice to me.” After wrapping in early August, the picture was quickly edited and scored for a Thanksgiving premiere in Houston. Its wide release in January of 1954 was very successful. There’s been a lot of debate over the years about the picture’s 3-D engagements. Some claim it played mostly flat, but that’s not the case. Almost all of its first run was in 3-D. Whether flat or in 3-D, Hondo is an excellent film — not a great one. Its smaller size turns out to be a large part of its appeal, and it seems to hint at the look and tone of The Searchers (1956). Wayne’s performance is excellent. Despite his trouble working with Geraldine Page, their scenes together are very good, some of his best work. It’s easy to wish Wayne had called up Maureen O’Hara for Mrs. Lowe, but Page brings lot to the film. She was perfectly cast, and received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Ward Bond is terrific, making a big impression with relatively little screen time as Buffalo Baker, a grizzled old friend of Hondo’s. Leo Gordon is perfectly slimy as Ed Lowe — boy, am I glad when he gets shot. But acting honors have to go to Michael Pate as the Apache chief. He somehow manages to make Vittorio scary and sympathetic at the same time. Hondo is held up as an early example of Hollywood treating Native Americans and their culture with respect. It does it without preaching or sacrificing the action audiences came for. This is a cowboy movie that doesn’t need 3-D glasses to give you plenty of depth. Paramount’s Blu-ray of Hondo is, in some ways, simply a high-definition version of their 2-D DVD from 2005. Both contain the same bonus material — an excellent collection of commentaries, documentaries, trailers, photos and more. (A couple of the documentaries didn’t make it over from DVD.) But the Blu-ray’s 1.75 ratio makes all the difference. This is clearly how this film was meant to be seen. It’s one of the nicest WarnerColor transfers I’ve seen, with its harsher contrast helping you feel the heat Wayne and company suffered through. Of course, there’s the typical jump in sharpness and detail that comes with Blu-ray. Audio is clean with a nice range, and I much preferred the original mono to the 5.1 mix. (I have to say it’s been the audio, as much the video, that has really impressed me with the shift to Blu-ray.) Hondo is an essential 50s Western, if for no reason other than Wayne made so few cowboy pictures during the decade. And for those wondering if Hondo’s worth the upgrade to Blu-ray, put on your old DVD. Look at all the dead space at the top and bottom. Yep, it’s worth it. SOURCES: James Arness: An Autobiography; Duke, We’re Glad We Knew You; Duke: The Life And Image Of John Wayne; this fabulous article by Bob Furmanek and Jack Theakston; and more. http://fiftieswesterns.wordpress.com/2012/05/22/blu-ray-review-hondo-1953/ © 2009 – 2012 Toby Roan, Used by Permission Blu-Ray.com is reporting that Olive Films will be releasing five more John Wayne films on Blu-Ray this March. The films are McLintock!, A Man Betrayed, Wyoming Outlaw, The Lawless Nineties, and Westward Ho. Although they will be a welcome addition to any John Wayne fans blu-ray library, I do wonder about two of these titles. As with most of the Olive Films John Wayne releases, the titles are in the public domain, which leads to a concern over their release of McLintock. As many us remember, this film lapsed into the public domain several years ago, and as a result Goodtimes video quickly jumped on the opportunity to release a substandard version of the film. They unfortunately tried to make their release look as if it were a letterbox version - which it was not, and the result was a loss of picture that made the film all but unwatchable. Fortunately, Michael Wayne completed restoration of McLintock! and released an authorized version that was far superior. I am sure you can see where I am going with this. Will the Olive Films release be a blu-ray version of the Goodtimes video or the Batjac video? The second concern I have is the Olive Films release of A Man Betrayed. The film was re-released by Republic as Wheel of Fortune, and the only video releases I have ever been able to find are the re-released Wheel of Fortune, not the original A Man Betrayed. So again, the question comes up, will the Olive Films releases be the original, the re-released version, or a re-released version with a new title card bearing the original title? As there is no information on the Olive Films website as yet concerning these blu-ray releases, I cannot answer these questions. I have a request for more information in to Olive as we speak, and will update as soon as possible. - - UPDATE - - I received an email from Andrew Sobol of Olive Films, and in answer to the two concerns I mentioned above regarding A Man Betrayed and McLintock!, Andrew writes: A Man Betrayed is the re-release with the original title. Wheel of Fortune was the third release of the film and the title used for the VHS release and when it played on TV in the 80s. McLintock! Is a new HD restoration done in Germany. This is an Olive and Ignite Films release – Original 2.35:1 aspect ratio. So it looks as if A Man Betrayed will be a welcome addition, although nothing special, but the Olive Films release of McLintock! will definitely be something worth adding to any John Wayne video collection! The following review of Rio Bravo was written by Colin over at the "Riding The High Country - Reviews and Ramblings" blog, back on March 24, 2008. I have to tell y'all, if you get the chance (no pun intended!), take some time and check out Colin's blog (just click on the above link). Not only is he a first rate writer and reviewer, but his blog is Top Notch! Thanks Colin for allowing me to re-blog this! Rio Bravo “A game-legged old man and a drunk. Is that all you got?” “That’s what I’ve got.” When Sheriff John T Chance (John Wayne) hands that laconic reply to the question from his friend Pat Wheeler (Ward Bond), it more or less sums up what the whole film is trying to say. Anybody who has ever seen a few Howard Hawks movies will know just how much store he set by the idea of professionalism. The small group of self-contained professionals is a recurrent theme in his work, and Rio Bravo may be the best example of this. I won’t go into the plot in great detail here since it is, frankly, a little thin for a film with a running time creeping up towards two and a half hours. Chance arrests Joe Burdette (Claude Akins) for murder and must hold him in the town jail until the Marshal arrives. All the time, the town is under a virtual state of siege from the hired gunmen of Joe’s brother, Nathan (John Russell). Throw in a typically Hawksian romance between Chance and a poker playing drifter called Feathers (Angie Dickinson), and that’s it. However, this is really a character driven movie, and the plot functions mainly to provide the necessary circumstances to allow the characters to interact. It is this interaction that elevates Rio Bravo to the status of one of the great westerns. I’d challenge anyone to sit through this and not feel for these people by the end; more than that, you actually get the sense of coming to know them. Think about Chance’s coolly competent lawman who’s reduced almost to an awkward schoolboy when confronted with a sassy, attractive woman; Dude’s (Dean Martin) drunken deputy who must face down his personal demons if he’s ever to retrieve his self-respect from the whiskey bottle where he left it; and let’s not forget Stumpy (Walter Brennan), the trigger-happy cripple whose cackling and complaining adds so much warmth and humour to it all. John Wayne gives one of his most relaxed performances in this film and while this has been criticised by some, I think it fits the pace of the piece. The acting is understated and just plain likable from a man whose talents many are quick to criticise and slow to acknowledge. It’s hard to imagine any other actor playing this part with the natural confidence displayed by Wayne. Dean Martin’s Dude remains convincing as the character gradually transforms himself from a pitiful rummy fishing for drink money in spittoons into a man proud enough to enter by the front door once again. When the doubts and temptations assail him and threaten to haul him back into oblivion, you can’t help rooting for him. The great Walter Brennan has a high time with his role as Stumpy and manages to steal nearly every scene he appears in. The only weak performances come from Angie Dickinson and Ricky Nelson. But if you remember that Dickinson was meant to provide eye candy, Nelson was there to draw in contemporary youth, and that the real focus was on Chance, Dude and Stumpy then it doesn’t seem so important. While most western directors liked to get out into the wide open spaces, Hawks opted to shoot the entire film within the confines of the town. This has the effect of creating both a claustrophobic tension and a comfortable coziness. In keeping with the theme of professional lawmen, the film itself exudes a slick professional feel. The maturity of Hawks direction can be seen in the first five minutes of the movie, when the status of the main characters and the basis of the plot are presented clearly and explicitly without one word of dialogue being spoken. The script by Jules Furthman and Leigh Brackett may develop at a leisurely pace, but it’s always logical and it’s packed full of memorable lines. Mention should also be made of the score by Dimitri Tiomkin; it complements the action perfectly and the use of the Deguello is yet another of the joys the film has to offer. I can’t finish this piece without referring to the fact that Rio Bravo was Howard Hawks’ riposte to High Noon. Hawks took exception to the idea of a lawman running around town desperately seeking help from a scared and apathetic citizenry. This was anathema to a man who worshipped at the altar of the professional ethic. To Hawks, a man ought to play the cards dealt to him regardless of the odds stacked against him. Now I have no interest in discussing the politics, either implicit or explicit, of these two films but I do find myself drawn more often to Rio Bravo. While I like and admire High Noon, it concentrates on the selfish fears of men where Rio Bravo celebrates the camaraderie and warmth of humanity – I know which I find more appealing. For a long time Rio Bravo was only available on DVD on a bare-bones edition. Last year saw the release of a 2-disc SE with a commentary and lots of special features. Initial reports were that the transfer was significantly darker than the old version and I was wary of the upgrade. However, I eventually decided to take a chance and was pleasantly surprised. The new transfer is darker but then the old one was too washed out and faded anyway. It’s not perfect but I do feel it’s an improvement on the original and I have no regrets whatsoever about purchasing it. Maybe Rio Bravo isn’t the best western ever made but, if not, it’s only a few paces behind. Over the years, I’ve probably viewed this film more than any other and I continue to enjoy it – that’s as good a recommendation as I can offer. Posted by Colin on March 24, 2008 Harry Carey, Jr. May 16, 1921 – December 27, 2012 as The Abiliene Kid in 3 Godfathers Harry Carey Jr. was born on May 16, 1921, at the Saugus, California ranch of his parents, actors Olive Carey and Harry Carey. His father gave him the nickname "Dobe" shortly after his birth because the baby's red hair reminded him of the adobe soil at the ranch. Dobe went to school in the Newhall Public Schools, and then went to the Black Foxe Military Institute in Hollywood. The young Dobe's dream was to become a classical singer like the opera singer/movie star Lawrence Tibbett, and he moved to New York City to study voice. In 1939 Dobe got his first paying job as a performer at the New York World's Fair, as a horse-rider in the show "Railroads on Parade." He become a page at the National Broadcasting Co. in 1941, but with the declaration of war he joined the Navy. In his three years as a sailor he served as a medical corpsman before being transferred to director John Ford's photographic unit, which was part of the Navy but also worked for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the predecessor of the CIA. Ford had been the director on many Dobe's father's silent westerns and was close to his parents. Dobe protested against the transfer, but it was made nonetheless. Dobe married Marilyn Fix, the daughter of the actor Paul Fix, in 1944 while he was on leave from in the Navy. They have remained married for over 60 years, and have four children and three grandchildren (so far). After being discharged from the Navy at the end of the war, Carey followed his father into acting in 1946 by accepting a role in Rolling Home (1946), and then following it up with a featured role in Raoul Walsh's Pursued (1947). Carey's long association with John Wayne began in Howard Hawks's classic western Red River (1948), and his long-time acting association with Ford began with his role as "The Abilene Kid" in 3 Godfathers (1948), a movie that was dedicated to his father, who had passed away in 1947. Ford had been the director of the original version of this movie in 1919, which had starred Carey's father. John Wayne was Carey's co-star, and the pair acted together in nine more movies. Carey became a member in good standing of John Ford's stock company of actors. He appeared in the Ford/Wayne films She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949), Rio Grande (1950) and The Searchers (1956), and with Ford but without Wayne in Wagon Master (1950) and The Long Gray Line (1955). Carey also appeared in Mister Roberts (1955) (which was begun by Ford but completed by Mervyn LeRoy after a couple of weeks of filming). He worked with Ford again in Two Rode Together (1961), and in Cheyenne Autumn (1964) without Wayne. Other movies filmed in which he worked with Wayne, but not Ford, were Island in the Sky (1953), Rio Bravo (1959), The Undefeated (1969), Big Jake (1971) and Cahill U.S. Marshal (1973). Dobe’s film career stretched in the 1990’s (and beyond), with appearances in Mask (1985), Back to the Future III (1990) and Tombstone (1993). Dobe Carey’s career also included several appearances on television. He appeared in programs such as Have Gun Will Travel, Wagon Train (starring his good friend Ward Bond), The Legend of Jesse James, Gray Ghost, Whispering Smith, Tombstone Territory, The Rounders, Bonanza and Gunsmoke. Carey also starred as ranch counselor Bill Burnett in the Disney serial Spin and Marty between 1955 and 1957. Carey has also made two film documentaries, John Ford's America (1989) (TV) and Legends of the West (1992). Carey appeared with his father, Harry Carey Sr. in just one film, Red River (1948), although the two did not have any scenes together. Dobe was cast in two movies with his mother, Olive Carey: The Searchers (1956) and Two Rode Together (1961). In total, Harry Carey Jr. appeared in nearly 100 movies and almost 100 television programs. As he grew older, and reached an age where many people would seriously consider retiring completely, Dobe continued working. In addition to making many live appearances, he also appeared on several internet and radio programs, where he was interviewed. He also completed his autobiography, “Company of Heroes: My Life as an Actor in the John Ford Stock Company.” Carey also appeared in Tales from the Set, a series of video interviews in which he discussed various individuals with whom he worked. The series debuted in France at the Epona Festival, an event devoted to horses, in October 2007. In 2001 Carey's life and career was documented in a feature length documentary, Dobe And A Company Of Heroes. In 2009, Carey and his partner Clyde Lucas completed Trader Horn: The Journey Back, a remembrance of the 1931 adventure film featuring the elder Carey. The younger Carey accompanied his father to Africa for the filming, the first motion picture filmed in Africa by a major studio. In the years before his death, Carey attempted to produce a feature film called Comanche Stallion, a project which John Ford considered making in the early 1960s, based on the 1958 book by Tom Millstead. In 1987 Dobe was awarded a Golden Boot by the Motion Picture & Television Fund Foundation, and in 2003 he won a Silver Spur Award from Reel Cowboys. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, awarded for his television activities, located at 6363 Hollywood Blvd. Also in 2003, he was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. On December 27, 2012, Harry “Dobe” Carey, Jr. passed away, dying of natural causes in Santa Barbara, California. He was surrounded by those he loved, and who loved him. He was 91. His body of work will forever remain as a testament to his great ability as an actor, and his memory will live on in the hearts and minds of fans around the world. He was a wonderful actor, a wonderful singer, and a true gentleman. We’ll miss you Dobe. Obituary compiled from IMDb and Wikipedia.
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