Hombre de verdad

I am a John Wayne fan, but have never heard much "buzz" about this movie. Indeed, I hesitated over it a number of times before renting it for my family's weekly movie. I almost introduced it apologetically.

No worries, though! This movie is CLASSIC John Wayne. There are SO many elements to like in it. You get some good and timely philosophical comments about self-reliance versus dependency, some other good points on what goes into a marriage; but then there are truly funny comic moments, scenes, lines. Very un-PC, very memorable.

In fact, this movie has so many great lines it will require more viewings. We re-ran several as it was.

Put that together with a uniformly strong supporting class, and I think you've got vintage Wayne.

Whatever you think of John Wayne's politics, they were never better expressed more convincingly or with more entertainment than they are in McLintock. At first glance this film is a rough house western version of The Taming of the Shrew. But it is far more than that, it is the closest thing we have to a film manifesto of the world as John Wayne saw it.

As G.W. McLintock, the Duke is the American dream personified. The man who came west and by dint of his own sweat and labor built a cattle empire. He did it without the government's help and note how he tells the settlers the government doesn't 'give' anything away. One of the three people identified as villains in his world view is land agent Gordon Jones. He's a liberal in McLintock, peddling the view that government help is the answer to all of our problems.

McLintock rather broadly satirizes other people who Wayne considers liberals. The know-it-all college kid Jerry Van Dyke, the tanglefooted bureaucrat Indian agent Strother Martin, the oily politician Robert Lowery these people get quite a going over.

Wayne doesn't 'give' anybody anything. As he says to son Patrick Wayne in my favorite line in all John Wayne movies, "I don't give jobs, I hire men." That's a creed he followed in real life as well.

Sad to say though the world isn't as simple as McLintock would have us believe. McLintock takes place in the age of the robber barons and those folks were not as noble in character as G.W. McLintock. Maybe the world ought to be like it is in McLintock, but it ain't.

McLintock is one grand piece of entertainment though. The comedy is as broad and unsophisticated as you would find in any John Ford film and with good reason as Wayne and Director Andrew McLaglen learned the movie trade from him.

In addition to dealing with the assorted 'liberals' mentioned above, the Duke has some domestic concerns. Wife Maureen O'Hara has left him, but is back over where their daughter Stefanie Powers will reside. Maureen is playing the same role she did in Rio Grande and later on in Big Jake, the estranged wife who circumstances force her back with Wayne. In the case of McLintock though these are circumstances that Wayne makes on his own with some inspiration from The Taming of the Shrew.

The cast is populated with a grand cast of regulars from previous Wayne films like Chill Wills, Edgar Buchanan, Hank Worden, Leo Gordon, Michael Pate, and some already mentioned.

Jack Kruschen makes his one and only film appearance in a Wayne film here. He does very well as the kindly, benevolent and obviously Jewish storekeeper. He's got an important function also here, as another self made American success story in the same film.

Yvonne DeCarlo got cast in this film after her husband who was a stunt man was injured badly on another film. She had heavy duty medical expenses and Wayne was not about charity. But he was legendary for taking care of fellow performers giving them a pay day in his films if they needed it. He didn't give jobs, he hired men and women. Yvonne is Pat Wayne's mother in the film who Maureen suspects of being Wayne's mistress when she's hired as a housekeeper.

We also get an economics lecture from the Duke as well. He works for "every man who goes to a butcher shop and wants a T-Bone steak." And Pat Wayne works for him. It's what makes the capitalist system go.

If you take some of the politics expressed with a critical eye, McLintock is fabulous entertainment, one of the Duke's best films.

This is the Duke at his two-fisted, brawling best, along with Maureen O'Hara, who lights up the screen, in `McLintock!' a rousing western/comedy directed by Andrew W. McLaglen. John Wayne is George Washington McLintock, cattle baron and owner of just about everything around for as far as the eye can see. He owns cattle, mines and lumber, and even the town is named after him. And he's a fair man and a good employer to boot, who pays a fair wage for a good day's work. He even hires a young man, Devlin Warren (Patrick Wayne), who has come in with a group of homesteaders who have been given land by the government and plan to farm the Mesa Verde, even though, as McLintock warns them, it's impossible to farm at 6000 feet above sea level. In the meantime, young Devlin has to support his mother, Louise (Yvonne De Carlo) and his sister, Alice (Aissa Wayne). So G.W. even hires Louise to be the cook for his outfit. McLintock is The Man in these parts, and he earns the respect he is accorded by most of the good citizens of the territory. But he has one problem, and it's a big one; and it comes in quite a package: His estranged wife, Katherine (O'Hara), who has just come back to town to settle a certain issue with her husband. And the fireworks begin the minute she steps off the train.

The main bone of contention has to do with their daughter, Becky (Stefanie Powers), who will be returning home from college soon. Katherine wants to take her east to live; G.W. in having none of it. And shades of `Who Wants To Be A Millionaire,' that's his final answer. The real rub is that G.W. still loves Katherine, and he still doesn't know what put the burr in her saddle and caused her to leave him two years earlier. It's also obvious that Katherine still loves G.W., but she apparently can't get past whatever it was that caused the split in the first place. But her eyes sparkle whenever Drago (Chill Wills), G.W.'s right hand man, brings up the `good ol' days,' and she's reminded of when they started out with nothing but each other and a lot of love and courage.

There's a touch of `Taming of the Shrew,' in this story, and near the end Wayne and O'Hara virtually reenact one of their own scenes from `The Quiet Man,' all of which adds up to a couple of hours worth of good, old fashioned fun. This movie never pretends or aspires to be anything other than what it is, which is good, wholesome entertainment that features some memorable characters, lots of humor and some classic lines. The Duke is trim and healthy and never swaggered better, and O'Hara, in a green dress against which her gorgeous red hair absolutely glows, makes you wonder if there's ever been a more beautiful actress ever to grace the silver screen. And the two of them have a chemistry together that ranks right up there with the best pairings the movies ever had to offer. The Duke may be in command, but he certainly has his hands full with that fighting Irish wildcat, O'Hara. Together, they've created some moments on screen that will live forever.

Adding to the merriment is an all-star supporting cast that includes Jerry Van Dyke (Matt, Jr.), Hank Worden (Curly), Bruce Cabot (Ben), Jack Kruschen (Jake), Edgar Buchanan (Bunny), Perry Lopez (Davey Elk), Michael Pate (Puma), Strother Martin (Agard), Gordon Jones (Douglas), Robert Lowery (Governor Humphrey), H.W. Gim (Ching), Edward Faulkner (Young Ben), Chuck Roberson (Sheriff), Mari Blanchard (Camille), Leo Gordon (Jones), Bob Steele (Train Engineer) and Big John Hamilton (Fauntleroy). McLaglen sets the pace and keeps this vintage Wayne/O'Hara vehicle right on task, which makes `McLintock!' a classic in it's own right. It's a timeless film that captures the attitude and freedom of a time gone by that simply does not exist anymore in this, our `advanced' era of political correctness, which often stifles the very freedom it espouses. And watching this movie, it makes you wonder about the `progress' we've made in the past thirty years or so. As far as movies go, this one is magic, and it proves that they just don't make ‘em like they used to. I rate this one 9/10.

This is film-making at it's best! Superbly cast and acted, John Wayne stars with Maureen O'Hara, Patrick Wayne, Chill Wills and Strother Martin in a western with a twist of humor. There's some drama and enough action to keep the viewer's interest, but this film contains some hilarious scenes, particularly between O'Hara and Wayne. Those two have worked together (superbly!) before and it shows. Their interaction is perfect and the results provide some real comic relief! This isn't one of Wayne's old "oaters", but a wonderfully written and executed film. Don't miss this film - it's one of the greats!

"McClintock" is loosely based on William Skakespesre's "The Taming of the Shrew". It is not your usual John Wayne western (in fact he doesn't draw his six shooter even once), but is more of a broad comedy with a tip of the hat to John Ford.

This film was the first to be produced by Wayne's son Michael who had basically taken over the running of Wayne's production company Batjac. It also was the first major feature to be directed by Andrew V. McLaglen who had learned his trade as an assistant on previous Wayne features and on TV. He is also the son of former Wayne co-star Victor McLaglan.

The story is simple. G.W. McClintock (Wayne) is rough and tumble hard drinking rancher whose estranged wife of two years, Katherine (Maureen O'Hara) has returned to try to gain custody of their daughter Becky (Stephanie Powers). The conflict between the two forms the basis for the rest of the picture. Into the mix comes a widowed settler Mrs. Warren (Yvonne DeCarlo) and her son Devlin (Patrick Wayne) who becomes enamored of Becky. The chemistry between Wayne and O'Hara makes this film go. The big gruff Wayne vs. the fiery Irish redhead provides much of the humor of the piece.

The scene for which this film is probably best remembered is the fight at the top of a mud slide Most of the combatants, including the two stars wind up going down the slide into a pool of mud below. And then there's the climatic chase through the streets.

The film features most of the members of the John Wayne stock company. Chill Wills plays Wayne's foreman Drago, Bruce Cabot as a rival rancher, Hank Worden as "Curley", Ed Faulkner as Cabot's son, Chuck Roberson as the Sheriff and Bob Steele as a train engineer.

Other familiar faces include Jack Kruschen as storekeeper Jake Birnbaum, Jerry Van Dyke as Junior a rival suitor for Becky, Perry Lopez as Davey Elk an educated Indian, Strother Martin as Agard the Indian agent, Gordon Jones as Douglas, McClintock's longtime nemesis, Robert Lowery as the governor, Michael Pate as Puma the Commanche chief, Marie Blanchard as saloon girl Camille and Leo Gordon as the settler who is the first to go down the famous mud slide.

A little devoid of action (there are no gunfights or saloon brawls), McClintock remains one of Wayne's most popular films.

The Paramount DVD release is billed as the "Authentic" Collector's Edition. Some years ago, the film somehow fell into the public domain and an inferior version of the film has been floating about the bargain bins as a result. This release however, restores the film to its widescreen aspect ratio as well as, showing its rich and vibrant colors. There is also interviews with the ageless Maureen O'Hara (still looking as beautiful as ever in her 80s) and Stephanie Powers who looks better now than she did in the film. Leonard Maltin hosts the various segments and provides a feature length commentary along with film historian Frank Thompson, O'Hara, Powers and Michael Pate.

Great fun.