Le grand McLintock

I've always been a John Wayne fan and a fan of this movie in particular. When it came out in 1963, there was a television special on the making of "McLintock!" that showed the filming of the famous muddy fight sequence. That got me wanting to see this film even more.

In today's "politically correct" atmosphere, the spanking scenes would seem to some as barbarian. But it was played as broad comedy and remains broad comedy. Maureen O'Hara gave (verbally) as she got.

40 years ago, during the telecast of JFK's funeral, the flag-draped casket and caisson were shown passing by a movie theater. On the marquee: "McLintock!"

McLintock! (1963) : Brief Review -

The blockbuster pair of The Quiet Man (1952) gets even better with an even better genre and an even more entertaining film! Many of you must have seen John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara in "The Quiet Man"-a fantastic rom-com with amazing chemistry and some rural cultures that are insane but funny. Now, imagine McLintock as a sequel to that film, even though it isn't, but would have suited perfectly, with an even better storyline, more comedy, and a superb mix of western and romantic-comedy genres. That's what Mclintock is. It's an absolutely fun ride, right from the first minute until the last. There is a nice touch of social value between white people and Indians too. Kate, who left her husband two years ago over a misunderstood suspicion, returns to the town to see her daughter. McLintock owns almost all of the town and is the best man in the town, always helping everyone, including Indians. We all seem to have caught the idea that this would turn out to be a reconciliation, and Katy is just pretending. Mrs. Wareen, whom she is jealous of, spills the beans too early during "the women's talk." Rest, we have Mrs. Warren's son getting mingled with McLintock's daughter and some fun games of the town, along with the migration issue of Indians. I laughed a lot, I enjoyed it a lot, and I was also moved by McKintock's speech about "man and woman" to his daughter. A character like this becomes an instant favourite of the viewers, and it took me hardly 15 minutes to start liking McLintock. I wasn't expecting it to be so funny, but God, was I surprised? Hell yes, I was. It's a non-stop entertainer of what we call a classic rom-com from the golden days. Moreover, those public and private humiliation scenes of spanking take this fun ride a level up. I wish we'd have more films like this from this beautiful pair. Wayne and O'Hara, thank you for the grand show. I'd always remember it as one of the best 60s rom-coms with a golden touch.

RATING - 7.5/10*

By - #samthebestest.

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.

I recently watched McLintock! (1963) on Prime. The storyline follows a lawless Wild West filled with Native Americans, bandits, corrupt officials, and ranchers trying to make a living. McLintock is a rancher who decides enough is enough and sets out to keep the peace among the locals.

Directed by Andrew V. McLaglen (The Wild Geese), this film stars John Wayne (True Grit), Maureen O'Hara (Miracle on 34th Street), Patrick Wayne (Big Jake), Stefanie Powers (Herbie Rides Again), and Jack Kruschen (The Apartment).

This is a fairly cliché, straightforward western with a mediocre storyline. However, the characters are fun, and the fistfight scenes are amazing. McLintock's back-and-forth with his wife provides a light-hearted and entertaining subplot. John Wayne delivers his character perfectly; his drunk scenes are hilarious, and his legendary spanking scene adds to the humor. Unfortunately, there aren't any real shootouts or over-the-top action scenes that stand out.

In conclusion, McLintock! Is a straightforward western with enough fun scenes to make it worth watching for fans of the genre. I would score this a 6/10 and recommend seeing it once.

"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.